The ABCs of Fire Alarm Systems - Part VIII

Extinguishing Systems

By Anthony J. Shalna 2009 Principal IMSA Representative to the Automatic Fire Alarm Association
President: Southeastern Signalmen of Massachusetts

Approvals Manager: Gamewell-FCI by Honeywell

We should understand how a sprinkler system works in

order to better understand applications for the supervisory
condition. Please note that this is an over-simplified overview
of sprinkler systems, since engineering of sprinkler systems
is a very complex matter. However, a fire alarm technician
needs only a general understanding in order to make the
proper connections to a sprinkler system.
Sprinklers, like heat detectors, are primarily intended for
property protection rather than life safety and are an integral
part of the balanced approach to fire protection. Sprinklers
are indirectly concerned with life safety inasmuch as sprinkler heads are intended to contain a fire, preventing it from
spreading and thus potentially avoiding multiple deaths.
With the balanced approach, smoke detection is used for
early warning and evacuation, while the sprinkler system
then responds to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading and endangering additional lives.
Sprinkler systems have been in use for many, many years
and fall into a number of categories, basically wet pipe, dry
pipe and deluge/pre-action. Various combinations of these
systems may be encountered, especially in buildings that
have been expanded or remodeled through the years.
Fire alarm control panels are now required to process a supervisory signal in somewhat the same manner as an alarm
signal except a supervisory signal need not sound evacuation appliances, notify the fire department, nor perform
auxiliary functions. The supervisory signal may share the
trouble sounder for audible signaling purposes, but common sense dictates that a separate audible/visual appliance
should be dedicated for this purpose unless the system is the
addressable type with alphanumeric readout. The audible
appliance ideally would sound different from the rest of the
appliances and a yellow flashing light is commonly used as
a visual signal, since evacuation is not an issue.
The purpose of a supervisory signal is to draw attention
when the sprinkler system has an off-normal condition, such
as low pressure, or signal that a tamper (gate valve) switch
has been operated, shutting off the water supply to the building. Other supervisory conditions may indicate a low water
condition in the roof top water tank (used in remote areas),
freezing condition in the tank, etc.
Tamper (gate valve) switches are used to shut off the water
supply to the sprinkler system. Older installations usually
had such switches wired normally-closed in series with an
initiating circuit, electrically located between the last initiating device (usually a waterflow switch) and the end of
line device. A tamper switch transfer in this case caused a
trouble signal in the circuit which was labeled appropriately.
The latest regulations no longer allow this arrangement
since the operation of a tamper switch could not be differ-

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entiated from a break in the initiating

circuit wiring. The fire alarm technician should be aware of this practice, however, as he/she is
very likely to encounter this scheme when servicing older
systems.
As previously stated, transfer of a tamper switch is normally
required to create a supervisory rather than alarm condition.
There are interesting exceptions to this, however. A few
years ago, a city near Boston had the requirement that gate
valve switches be wired into the fire alarm system to create
an alarm condition in the event they were operated. When
interviewed, the Superintendent of Fire Alarm explained that
the city had an ordinance requiring that the Fire Department
be notified before operating a gate valve switch, shutting off
a sprinkler system. He stated that the first thing an arsonist
does prior to torching a building is to shut off the water to the
sprinkler system. Therefore, within minutes of shutting off
a sprinkler system illegally, fire engines and police cruisers
would be at the site, available either to enforce the ordinance
or stop an arsonist before he could begin his work! Of course,
this was a smaller municipality where the fire department
was not overburdened and could afford to make extra runs
for this type of situation.
At any rate, the main thing to remember is to consult the
local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). This could be
the fire marshal, building inspector, wiring inspector or
anyone else possessing the authority by law of enforcing the
applicable codes. NFPA standards are an excellent guide,
but dont necessarily carry the force of law, since individual
states or jurisdictions can and do take exception to some
NFPA requirements and may or may not adopt them into
their codes.
WET PIPE SYSTEMS
The wet pipe system is the most common type of sprinkler
system. The wet pipe system consists of a network of pipes,
in which sprinkler heads are installed, regularly spaced, the
most common spacing being ten feet. A network of sprinkler
heads on each floor is connected to a riser that, in turn, is
connected to a water main via a check valve, often referred
to as a clapper valve. Water enters from the mains, and
the pressure of the water lifts the hinged clapper. This allows
water to fill the sprinkler system. Once the system is filled,
the clapper falls back, preventing the water from draining
out and re-entering the mains. A water motor gong is typically plumbed into the system, so running water will cause
the gong to sound.
Sprinkler heads have numerous designs, with an activating
temperature typically starting at around 1560 F. One common
design depends on a fusible alloy, similar to the alloy in a
fixed temperature heat detector. This alloy holds the head
shut until heat melts it and the head opens, allowing water

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IMSA Journal

The ABCs of Fire Alarm Systems Part VII . . .

to spray. Other types of heads contain breakable vials filled
with a chemical solution that expands with heat, shattering
the vial and allowing the head to open. Different chemical
mixes are used for other activating temperatures. Newer
types of heads are constantly entering the market, including
fast acting types. At any rate, heat causes the head to open
and allow water to flow through the system. The clapper
valve lifts, allowing an inrush of water to keep the system
filled. Large systems may have pumps installed that operate
during alarm to increase the pressure to assure a sufficient
water supply to the system.
Connection of a wet pipe system to the fire alarm system is
made by means of waterflow switches that operate when water is flowing through the sprinkler system. These switches
are installed by the sprinkler trade and the fire alarm installer
usually connects them to the fire alarm system. There are
two basic types of waterflow switches; pressure switches
and vane switches. These switches have normally open, dry
contacts that close upon alarm, and connect to the fire alarm
system in the same manner as any other initiating device.
There may very well be addressable pressure switches either
imminent or already being introduced on the market, since
microprocessor based systems are constantly introducing
new devices.
The pressure switch reacts to the increase in water pressure
that results from water surging into the system. A common
problem with this approach is that surges in the regular city
pressure, or air bubbles in the system can cause the switch
to transfer, creating an unwanted alarm. To circumvent this
problem, a switch equipped with a retard can be used, subject
to approval from the AHJ. The retard is usually a pneumatic
device that can be adjusted to inhibit switch activation up
to around 90 seconds, again with the time setting at the
direction of the AHJ. This is usually sufficient to eliminate
the problem in many systems. However, I wouldnt be surprised if microprocessor based addressable switches with
electronic time delay circuits either are now on the market
or soon will be.
The second most commonly used waterflow switch is the
vane or paddle switch which consists of a plastic vane attached to a stem which is in turn connected to linkage that
activates a microswitch. A hole is cut into the sprinkler pipe,
and the vane is curled and inserted into the hole. The vane
then uncurls and fits across the inside of the pipe. Vane
switches are made for all common sizes of pipe. When water
flows through the pipe, the vane is pushed by the flow, causing the switch to transfer. These switches are also equipped
with retards to inhibit alarms from surges, etc. Vane switches
are often used in smaller systems for waterflow alarm, but
are best suited for annunciation in larger installations, since
a violent surge of water entering the main riser could tear
the vane or paddle loose and jam the pipe.

Continued from page 36

be dedicated to the waterflow switches on each floor, while

another zone would be dedicated to the pressure switch at
the main.
In some areas, fluctuations in water pressure are too great,
and the retard is insufficient to eliminate false alarms. In
these instances, the AHJ might require the installation of an
excess pressure pump. This assembly consists of a motor,
small pump, control switches, and a differential or fixed
pressure alarm switch. The pump assembly is hard-wired
to the 120 VAC supply and the pump is plumbed in to the
sprinkler system just after the clapper valve. A differential
pressure control switch turns the pump and motor on and
off as necessary to maintain a system pressure set for a
specific number of pounds of pressure over that of the city
main. The pump itself has a small capacity and could take
a while to maintain this differential over city pressure. In
some areas, pressure fluctuations are quite frequent and
the differential switch is constantly cycling to keep ahead
of the city pressure. In this case a fixed pressure switch may
replace the differential switch. The fixed pressure switch is
set to a safe pressure above the average city pressure. Thus,
the pump will boost the system pressure to this point and
maintain it, rather than cycle off and on to follow a fluctuating city pressure.
Accompanying the excess pressure pump assembly are three
outboard switches: a waterflow alarm pressure switch, a
low pressure alarm switch, and a supervisory switch. The
waterflow alarm switch transfers whenever a sprinkler head
actuates and creates an alarm condition. It isnt equipped
with a retard, since the excess pressure pump eliminates
the surges that necessitate a retard. The low pressure alarm
switch transfers if the system pressure becomes dangerously
low, (possibly from a sprinkler head letting go while the water supply is shut off). An alarm condition results, because
this loss of pressure indicates a serious problem with the
sprinkler system. The supervisory switch creates a supervisory condition and gives an early warning in the event
of gradual decline in pressure due to a leak in the system,
freeze up or similar problem. It is often used in conjunction
with a remote supervisory panel in conventional systems.
This panel features a sounder, indicating light and silencing
switch. Operation of the switch will silence the sounder but
the light will remain lit until the pressure is restored, and the
sounder will again sound. (ring back operation)
In an addressable system with alphanumeric readout, the
supervisory panel wouldnt be required, as the system can
be programmed to create the supervisory condition and
display the status of the switch.
Our next installment will discuss dry pipe, deluge and preaction systems.

A typical large installation would use a pressure switch at

the clapper valve to signal a general water flow through
the system. Vane switches would then be installed on each
floor in a branch next to the riser. These are wired into the
fire alarm system to annunciate the floor where the sprinkler
head is operating. In a conventional system, a zone would

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IMSA Journal