A deluge sprinkler system is often used in areas that contain hazardous materials in large areas. For example, aircraft hangars, power plants, and chemical processing facilities. A deluge sprinkler system is an empty wet system where all the heads are open. Meaning the pipe is not prefilled with water. These heads lack a fusible element that sprinkler heads on a normal wet system have. It uses detection to operate or release the valve, or manual intervention. The biggest difference is that all the heads flow at the same time. When activated water flows from all heads attached to the system. Sometimes they use a combination of water and foam concentrate that mixes with water. Either way, it is effective in covering a large area.

Designing and Engineering

A deluge sprinkler system is unique, and your contractor should be highly experienced in designing and building these systems. Part of what makes these systems different is that the sprinkler heads are always open and are triggered electrically, hydraulically, or pneumatically, usually by a pull-down fire alarm. This means that deluge sprinkler heads uniquely lack a fusible link. Once the alarm is pulled, water and other agents go through the pipe. Because the sprinkler heads are always open regular maintenance needs to be performed to make sure all the moving parts are functioning properly.

Advantages and Disadvantages

A deluge sprinkler system is great for larger areas. They quickly apply a large volume of water or other fire suppressing agents and reduce the spread of the fire. These systems are helpful in areas where hazardous materials are stored. One downside to all the volume that a deluge system allows, is that the cleanup may be greater than your typical sprinkler system. However, the benefits of a deluge system far outweigh the cleanup.

If you are considering a deluge sprinkler system, give us a call. At Valley Fire Protection, we have the experience you need to design, engineer, and build your deluge system.

Related Topics: Fire Protection

By: Tom Hartel

I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.