Concealed Fire Sprinkler Heads
How concealed fire sprinkler heads reduce visual impact
The Residential Fire sprinkler industry have managed to reduce the visual impact of residential sprinkler systems over many years of production by developing fire suppression systems which incorporate concealed fire sprinkler heads. Now residential fire sprinkler systems have become more accepted, people have become more familiar with concealed fire sprinklers and realise how effectively these types of fire sprinkler heads can fulfil a very valuable function while merging into its surroundings.
What Do Fire Sprinkler Heads Look Like?
Many people don’t understand how fire sprinklers work and only really notice fire sprinkler heads in places like warehouses or large department stores where the visual impact is considered relatively unimportant. After all, a large department store may have more of an interest in advertising the fact that their customers will be protected in the event of a fire than using Concealed Fire Suppression Systems in order to disguise them visually!
How concealed fire sprinkler heads work and why they’re so discreet
A residential concealed fire sprinkler head is a ‘fast response’, two stage devise, the size of a down light. The cover plates of these units are normally coloured white. In the event of a fire reaching its operating point, the flat plate will drop from the devise and the deflector plate of the sprinkler head will then drop below the ceiling level. As the temperature at ceiling level increase to 74 degrees Celsius, a bi-metal strip activates and releases the seal which enables the full flow of water to be directed towards the fire.
Needless to say, these devises are very inconspicuous and, looking up at them, all you can see is a small, flat plate approximately 60mm in diameter which is the same colour as the ceiling.
Maintaining open plan aesthetics with concealed fire sprinkler heads
Residential Fire Sprinklers can remove the requirement for compartmentation in modern open plan design. However, the impact of such an open plan design would be lost if the areas concerned were covered in unsightly fire sprinkler heads however, concealed sprinkler heads enable architects to provide a modern open plan feel to a design while at the same time satisfying the requirements of the building regulations to ensure the safety of the inhabitants of the building in the event of a fire.
The pipe work for a fire sprinkler system, as in any plumbing system in a house, is kept within the ceiling void and combined with concealed sprinkler heads, will ensure that the occupants are unaware that a Concealed Fire Suppression System has been installed in the property.
Are there any disadvantages of concealed fire sprinkler heads?
While concealed fire sprinkler heads have the advantage of being aesthetically pleasing, they are classified as ‘fast response’ heads and as such rely on the sprinkler system activating at an early point of development of the fire with a minimum quantity of water. This means that the cover plate must release at a carefully, pre-determined temperature – not too early which would result in false activations and not so late that the fire has grown too large to be successfully extinguished with the amount of water available.
The factors that would slow down the cover plate release could be something like decorators mastic applied around the cover plate or even a coat of emulsion paint applied at the time of re-decoration. If the cover plates are painted, the result is to slow down the operation of the concealed sprinkler head. This isn’t considered too much of a problem however if the systems are regularly serviced and a visual check of the cover plates is made annually
Frequently Asked Questions – Concealed Fire Sprinkler Heads
When you choose RAD Fire Sprinklers, one of our expert team will work closely with you to help understand what they best type of system might be. No matter what size your property, the budget you have available or the system you need, we’ll try to find a concealed fire sprinkler system that meets your needs.
We price all installations of concealed fire sprinkler heads on and individual basis to ensure our customers receive the best possible price. Get in touch with RAD Fire Sprinklers today and we’ll be happy to provide you with a quote.
Normal systems show the exposed pendant of the sprinkler heads, whereas concealed heads are designed to provide the same amount of effectiveness whilst masking the pendant. Many businesses and home owners choose to have concealed fire sprinkler heads.
If you’re interested in having a system fitted that uses concealed fire sprinkler heads, then all you need to do is get in touch with RAD Fire Sprinklers. We have been designing and installing systems for our clients for many years.
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