What’s the Difference Between Fire Sprinkler and Fire Suppression Systems?
Fire sprinkler and fire suppression systems share a common purpose. Parts of their systems may look similar, but fire sprinkler and suppression systems are very different in the way they extinguish or control fires and their applications. There are even several types of fire sprinkler and suppression systems.
The main differences between a fire sprinkler and fire suppression systems are how they extinguish fires and their applications. Fire sprinklers use water to extinguish and control fires, while fire suppression systems use chemicals, clean agents, or gases. It is important to determine if water from fire sprinklers will cause additional damage to the property before deciding on using a sprinkler or suppression system.
How do Sprinklers and Suppression Systems Extinguish a Fire?
When fire sprinkler and fire suppression systems detect heat, smoke, or both they activate. Fire sprinkler systems use water to extinguish or control flames and minimize the spread of fire until firefighters arrive. Whereas the most common fire suppression systems use chemical, gaseous, or foam agents to suppress a fire.
Fire Sprinkler and Fire Suppression Applications
Fire sprinkler systems are ideal for everyday applications and to reduce property damage caused by a fire. When water can contain a specific type of fire, facilities use fire sprinklers. Water is typically used to suppress Class A, B, and C fires. In certain instances, a fire suppression system is the only option to extinguish a fire such as at an oil or gas facility. It’s also a viable option in cases where water would cause irreparable damage to the property it’s intended to protect. Facilities and certain areas of buildings that utilize fire suppression systems include computer rooms, data centers, paint booths, mechanical rooms etc.
Common Types of Suppression Systems and Applications
FM 200 Fire Suppression
- Requires no cleanup, leaves no residue
- Ideal for computer rooms, museums, historical archives, and many other applications
Carbon Dioxide
- Work quickly, efficiently, gaseous agent extremely dangerous to humans
- Printing presses, spray booths, flammable liquid storage, and dip tanks
Wet Chemical Fire Suppression
- Forms vapor suppression foam, effectively preventing re-ignition
- Ideal for kitchen applications
Dry Chemical Suppression
- Work quickly to extinguish flames caused by flammable and combustible liquids
- Mechanical rooms, furnace rooms, flammable liquid storage areas
Types of Fire Sprinkler Systems and Applications
Wet Pipe Sprinkler
- Always filled with water and ready to go
- Commonly found in office buildings, hotels, and high-rise buildings
Dry Pipe Sprinkler
- Fill with water when the system activates
- Ideal for unheated buildings such as warehouses
Deluge Sprinkler
- Sprinkler heads always open, pipes fill with water when activated
- Used in areas of high hazard such as aircraft hangars and chemical storage facilities
Pre-action Sprinkler
- Requires activation of a supplemental fire detection system
- Ideal in situations where accidental activation could cause a large amount of damage such as in libraries, data centers, museums etc.
Despite their differences, both fire sprinkler and fire suppression system’s purpose are to control or extinguish a fire. Based on the type of fire hazard and code requirements there’s a fire sprinkler or fire suppression system solution to fit your facility’s needs.
For more details on Fire Suppression Systems and their applications
Check out this Quick Overview of FM 200, Carbon Dioxide, Wet Chemical, and Dry Chemical Fire Suppression Systems
Categorized in: Education, Fire Sprinklers, Fire Suppression