# Fire sprinkler heads...



## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

I have 4 of them in the basement. The question is; do they have a service life? Do they have to be changed out every "X" number of years like smoke heads do?

Do they become weak over time?


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

Bob Sanders said:


> I have 4 of them in the basement. The question is; do they have a service life? Do they have to be changed out every "X" number of years like smoke heads do?
> 
> Do they become weak over time?


We change them out at work only win someone hits them.
I've sen anything saying to replace them.


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## Robpo (Mar 30, 2014)

I have heard of taking the heads off and letting the rusty water from black pipe out and then replacing the heads but not replacing just the heads.


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## Anti-wingnut (Oct 18, 2009)

Robpo said:


> I have heard of taking the heads off and letting the rusty water from black pipe out and then replacing the heads but not replacing just the heads.


Why do that? The water is de-aireated and no longer corrosive.

I think the NFPA requires heads less than 50 yo


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

Robpo said:


> I have heard of taking the heads off and letting the rusty water from black pipe out and then replacing the heads but not replacing just the heads.


It's all copper so no worries there.


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

Anti-wingnut said:


> Why do that? The water is de-aireated and no longer corrosive.
> 
> I think the NFPA requires heads less than 50 yo


Mine are like 2 years old so no worries there either!


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

Having worked on fire protection sprinkler systems in industrial settings at two (2) different factories, and having taken a state test for maintenance of such sprinkler systems within my employers systems: I have seen sprinkler heads which were installed in 1949 still in use today. ALL of the industrial systems I have worked on have "POD" (point of drain) valves installed at the end of each run so that the water within _black iron_ piping can be flushed periodically. This would usually be annually or semi-annually. You're systems is piped in copper so I would think that flush periods would be scheduled for longer periods. DO NOT for one minute think that the standing/pressurized water in black iron piping is de-aireted and will not cause internal corrosion. I can show you fire sprinkler system piping that has had pin holes magically appear in the pipe at anywhere from 60#-125# of static pressure. Want to know where these most often occur? Over some type of machinery that does not need to get wet, hardly ever out in an open warehouse type setting.


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

Thurman said:


> I can show you fire sprinkler system piping that has had pin holes magically appear in the pipe at anywhere from 60#-125# of static pressure. Want to know where these most often occur? Over some type of machinery that does not need to get wet, hardly ever out in an open warehouse type setting.


Most likely because the water over (and around) the machinery sees more fresh oxygenated water from monthly and annual testing. Whereas the lines out on the floors don't see a change of water that often (or you're running dry systems)

What does the damage is the oxygen in the water. Once the oxygen in that unit of water has depleted itself by attacking the steel there can be no more damage. That's why the water is most often black. It's carbon, which is incomplete corrosion due to lack of oxygen. In other words that black water is actually a good thing!

Much like a fire, you can have a match and some paper and nothing will light without oxygen. However if you replace that oxygen depleted water with fresh water (which of course contains oxygen) then the corrosion process is allowed to continue.


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

Only 4 heads? Are they in a furnace room? What size pipe, are the pipes fed off a potable water line or a separate line? Are the heads fusible link or glass bulb heads. 
If glass bulb, standard response or quick response? What is the diameter of the glass bulbs? Are there any spare heads in a metal cabinet? If so, can you post a picture, with the head in the same orientation as those on the pipe? Can you see a year on the heads? A temperature rating?


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## Bob Sanders (Nov 10, 2013)

fireguy said:


> Only 4 heads? Are they in a furnace room? What size pipe, are the pipes fed off a potable water line or a separate line? Are the heads fusible link or glass bulb heads.
> If glass bulb, standard response or quick response? What is the diameter of the glass bulbs? Are there any spare heads in a metal cabinet? If so, can you post a picture, with the head in the same orientation as those on the pipe? Can you see a year on the heads? A temperature rating?


They are not up to code if that's what you're asking. If I remember correctly the code (for residential) was 10 minutes of water at either 90 or 100 pounds.. I can't remember which one, but at any rate that would require a fire pump and maintenance of that pump... yadda, yadda which is not something I wanted to get into. As a result they're simply connected into city water pressure (65psi)

I placed 4 of them in the basement only (about 18x25) because it's actually a bedroom down there... but the problem is that the windows do not meet egress and I didn't feel the least bit comfortable with that. If there is ever a fire down there, there is only one way out.

Since there is no way to do anything about the windows I figured then AT LEAST... code or no code... some kind of sprinkler configuration should be down there. We also have 3 smoke heads down there as well as two 10 pound abc extinguishers (one at the head of the stairs and one at the foot).

The heads are glass bulb (red... 68 degrees c) and each are being fed with their own 1/2 inch pipe branching off a 3/4 inch line (with flow detector connected to alarm) which in turn is being fed by the 3/4 inch house main.

I actually fired a couple of them off before we finished the basement. They work well!

At any rate, I was just wondering if there was some kind of expiry time on these things. In that short test we did they dropped A LOT of water and it wouldn't take long for one of those heads to completely destroy the entire basement. This all came to mind a couple of weeks ago when I was changing my smokes. They hit their 10 year mark and needed to be changed out... which made me think maybe sprinkler heads have some kind of expiry mark?


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## For wheelin (Oct 29, 2014)

Speaking as a fire protection systems designer and code consultant, permitted or not, assure it is designed and installed correctly. Monitoring it a plus. If you haven't already, check your local building and fire codes and if permitting is not an option; at the very least, meet the minimum requirements of your code.

That said! Your concern is weather or not the head has been recalled. Search the following CPSC website for your model head, if it's not recalled it should be good for several years. Also, have a look a thread on the subject.

http://www.thebuildingcodeforum.com...codes/3546-recalled-fire-sprinkler-heads.html


http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Search/?query=Recalled sprinkler heads&filters=all


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