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What Types of Fire Sprinkler Heads Can You Use in Your Restaurant Fire Suppression System?
Understanding the differences between the various types of fire sprinkler heads available on the fire suppression market is crucial to ensure that you're investing in the best possible system. There aren't that many options to pick from, and all of them are relatively popular. You may see all four fire protection sprinkler heads often in your everyday life but have just not been paying attention to what types of fire sprinkler heads you can use in your Restaurant Fire Suppression System until now. Let's look at what's available and what each type of head is appropriate for.
Pendant Fire Sprinkler Head
This is the one that you'll likely see most often in commercial buildings and other similar environments. A pendant fire sprinkler head is shaped in a circle and hangs from the ceiling. It sprays water downwards, hitting a specially curved plate at the bottom of the sprinkler. This causes the water to spray in a conical shape centered around the fire sprinkler head, effectively covering a large part of the area consistently. The plate has tiny gaps in it to create the spraying effect, and its exact angle may vary from one design to another. The general principle is always the same, though. Pendant fire sprinkler heads are valued for their utility. You can use Pendant fire sprinkler heads in various environments where fire suppression coverage requirements are for a large area with a short coverage time is the primary concern.
Upright Fire Sprinkler Head
An upright fire sprinkler head functions similarly to a pendant, but it's inverted vertically. The sprinkler is placed at a low location (typically on the floor or close to it), pointing upwards. The deflector plate sits on top of the sprinkler and accomplishes the same effect as in a pendant fire sprinkler, forcing water to spray in a circular pattern around the device. Upright fire sprinklers have several applications, and they are commonly found in environments with a more complicated layout, where covering the entire area from above may be an issue. They are often found in industrial settings, where overhanging machinery can pose a problem for pendant fire sprinklers, blocking them partially (or even fully) and limiting their effectiveness. Buildings without a roof also typically rely on upright sprinklers.
Sidewall Fire Sprinkler Head
A sidewall fire sprinkler head is mounted vertically, typically on a wall. It works similarly to the above designs, but the deflector plate is shaped differently to point the water spray in a specific direction – typically downwards. This means that a sidewall sprinkler will usually not spray in a full circle around itself – which may sound like a limiting factor. Still, it's desired behavior in environments where space is limited, and a typical ceiling-mounted fire sprinkler will not be sufficient. Sidewall sprinkler heads are also frequently used to circumvent obstructions in places where an upright fire sprinkler will not get the job done correctly and in tighter environments.
Concealed Pendent Fire Sprinkler Head
Concealed pendant fire sprinkler heads are similar in their overall design to pendant sprinklers. Still, with one significant difference, they are specifically designed to blend into the environment more efficiently, avoiding any aesthetic disturbances. This is typically achieved by integrating the sprinkler into the ceiling itself, with a plate covering its bottom that blends with the ceiling's design, concealing the device. The plate is designed to fall automatically when a certain temperature threshold is reached. To ensure proper, unobstructed operation of the fire sprinkler, that threshold is typically below the activation temperature of the sprinkler itself. That way, there is some delay between the plate falling, and the sprinkler activates.
Majestic Fire Protection serves many companies with complex buildings designs that require multiple types of fire sprinkler systems, fire sprinkler heads to be installed. This method of multiple systems design ensures proper coverage of more complicated areas. In some cases, numerous sprinklers of different types may even be deployed in the same room. This is common in environments with heavy machinery and other factors that restrict the spreading of water from the fire protection system. Plumbing can be a significant challenge when installing complicated fire sprinkler systems services. The existing conditions may not facilitate all designs equally well, so an alternative approach may be required. Well, I hope this article has helped you in your decision process for What Types of Fire Sprinkler Heads Can You Use in Your Restaurant Fire Suppression System.
Fire prevention 101: The basics on restaurant fire safety. (2017). Retrieved December 14, 2020, from https://www.restaurant.org/articles/operations/fire-prevention-basics-on-restaurant-fire-safety
Campbell, R. (2020, December 12). Structure Fires in Eating and Drinking Establishments. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Building-and-Life-Safety/Eating-and-drinking-establishments
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