Category: Articles

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
-Benjamin Franklin

These words ring just as true today as they did when they were first spoken.

Every year work routines are disrupted, revenue is lost, property is damaged, and thousands upon thousands of dollars are expended because an ounce of prevention is often overlooked until it is time for a pound of cure. This is usually the case when dealing with problems relating to a dry fire sprinkler system, especially in winter.

Continue reading Winterizing Dry Fire Sprinkler Systems →

The winter of 2012/2013 was still a painful memory for U-Haul Moving and Storage of Hanover in Massachusetts when they started experiencing similar system break downs due to freeze-ups at the beginning of this past winter. Rather than calling contractors back multiple times to fix the same “problem child” auxiliary drains, they decided to be proactive.

Continue reading No More Iced Storage in Hanover →

If your parking structure is enclosed, if the ceiling is less than 24 inches above grade, if your structure is of Type III or Type IV construction over 50 ft. in height, if your parking structure is immediately below or adjacent to a building used for another occupancy, chances are that it has a fire sprinkler system installed. And if you do have a sprinkler system installed in your parking structure the chances are good that it is a Dry System.

Continue reading Don’t Get Burned by Sprinkler System Freeze-Ups →

Like many in our industry, when I walk into a building I tend to look for and notice things differently than the usual visitor. I look for a sprinkler system. While some may choose to take the stairs for exercise, I do it to check out the building’s riser; it has just become a habit. What I am always most interested in is the collection of pipes, valves, fittings, and components that make up the Floor Control Assembly.

Continue reading A Marriage Made in a Stairwell →

The “Floor Control Valve Assembly for Wet Pipe Systems” drawing that appears in the current edition of NFPA 13, Chapter 8, has remained unchanged for as long as most of us can remember. However, even though this drawing has remained unchanged, the “Floor Control Assembly and Inspector’s Test Loop” has gone through a number of evolutionary changes. The “Inspector’s Test Loop” was the first part of the “Floor Control Valve Assembly” to evolve. As drawn, it has 15 pieces and 19 connection points and is designed to allow for that branch to be tested to the flow of one sprinkler and to be drained if needed for maintenance or service.

Continue reading A New Way to do the Same Old Thing →

by V.C. “Digger” Weigand of Victory Fire Protection, Inc.

As the demand for Residential Fire Sprinkler systems has grown in our area of the country, it has quickly become one-third of our business at Victory Fire Protection, Inc.

We are now doing on average over 250 residential systems annually; this includes Town Homes, average sized homes in suburban developments, and semi-custom and custom homes – some of these, based on their size and contract value, approach the scope of small commercial work.

Continue reading Standardization of Residential Riser Assemblies →