Top Causes of Fire Sprinkler Leaks

If you spot a puddle of water on the floor in your facility, it may indicate that you have a fire sprinkler leak. Some common causes of fire sprinkler leaks are equipment failure, corrosion, damaged sprinkler heads and pipes, and freezing. So how do these leaks happen?

Equipment failure

Fire sprinklers may leak due to a manufacturing or human error. Over 35 million 0-ring fire sprinklers remain in buildings despite the recall in 2001. O-ring seals exposed to water contaminants can cause the sprinklers to corrode and leak. Additionally, improperly designed, installed, or repaired sprinklers are also a root cause of the problem. These issues occur when someone overly tightens fittings or improperly installs sprinkler heads.

Corrosion

Microbiologically influenced corrosion was thought to be the primary cause of fire sprinkler corrosion for many years. But the real culprit is oxygen. If you come across a rotten egg smell, discolored water, rusting, or an obstruction then corrosion may have caused the leak. You can look for these signs on your own and hire a fire and life safety company to examine the system. They can perform an internal pipe inspection to uncover the source of the fire sprinkler leak.

Damaged Sprinkler Heads and Pipes

Sprinkler systems may become damaged accidentally and in some cases by acts of vandalism. Often, ladders, forklifts, or other equipment damage fire sprinklers during construction or renovation projects. A simple solution is to install protective cages around sprinkler heads to prevent them from being bumped or tampered with by vandals.

Freezing

There are a few scenarios that cause fire sprinklers to freeze other than heating system failure. Monitor the temperature to ensure it doesn’t drop below 40 degrees when the heat needs to be turned off in an area or insulation is removed in order to perform work. After finishing the work, turn the heat back on and replace the insulation. Additionally, fire sprinkler heads near open windows may freeze and leak. Remind people to close windows and to check for open windows throughout the facility to combat this problem.

You can take action in order to prevent fire sprinkler leaks from occurring at your facility. The best way to prevent this issue is to hire a fire protection system service provider who will create a fire sprinkler system maintenance program. They’ll design a sprinkler maintenance schedule according to NFPA 25 code requirements. Hiring a fire and life safety company to regularly service your system will help prevent fire sprinkler leaks.

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