Building engineering
Automatic sprinkler systems
Sprinkler networks and fire pump assemblies, built to standard.
An automatic sprinkler system is a network of pipes held under pressure and running to sprinkler heads fixed at ceiling level. Each head has its own heat-sensitive bulb that bursts at a set temperature, so water reaches only the area where the fire started and not the whole floor. The system works with nobody present and holds the fire while it is still small. At the same moment a flow switch registers the movement of the water and passes a signal to the fire alarm panel, so the alarm and the suppression begin together.
An office floor, a retail hall and a warehouse where goods are stacked several metres high differ in how much combustible material they hold and how fast it burns; that is what sets the hazard classification of the building. The classification produces two numbers: how many litres per minute have to land on a square metre, and over how large an area the system has to deliver that at once; from those two follow the pipe diameters, the spacing between heads, the pump duty and the volume of stored water. The layout then has to be coordinated with ductwork, light fittings and the ceiling structure, because an obstruction under a head disturbs the distribution of the water. The most common mistakes are a wrongly selected pump, a water-filled pipe run through an unheated space, and heads painted over or wrapped in plastic during the finishing works.
The whole calculation is put to the test on a single day: one head opens over one seat of fire, and the only thing that counts then is what stands behind it — the stored water and the pump, which have to hold the required pressure for as long as the calculation assumed. That is why, before handover, the pipework is pressure tested, the pump is proved on automatic start, and the signal path from the flow switch to the fire alarm panel is checked separately. The hydraulic calculation, the working drawings and the test records stay with the building, because handover of the system and bringing the building into service rest on exactly those documents. A correctly calculated system waits for years and earns its cost once; a badly calculated one either fails to start at the moment it is needed or floods the building with no fire at all.
What it covers
- Sprinkler network design and installation
- Fire pump station
- Sprinkler heads and pipework
- Hydraulic calculation
- Testing and handover
Where it applies
- Shopping centres and supermarkets
- Warehouses and logistics terminals
- Underground and enclosed car parks
- Hotels and residential complexes
- Clinics and teaching buildings
- Production and workshop buildings
Standards and regulations
A sprinkler design follows one of two normative systems: the European EN 12845 or the American NFPA 13. Both answer the same questions: how the hazard classification of a building is established, what design density goes with it, over what area of operation the system has to work at once, and how long the water supply has to sustain that regime. The fire pump is the subject of a separate standard, which in the NFPA family is NFPA 20, while NFPA 25 sets out the inspection and testing regime for water-based fire protection systems in service. Which buildings are required to have an automatic suppression system at all is determined by the fire safety technical regulation in force in Georgia.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a sprinkler system set off every head at once?
No. Each head has its own heat-sensitive bulb, and only the head heated by the fire opens. That is why the hydraulic calculation is based on the area of operation of the heads expected to work together, not on the floor area of the whole building.
Which buildings are required to have a sprinkler system?
It depends on the use of the building, its area, the number of storeys and how many people occupy it. Underground car parks, large retail premises and warehouses normally fall under the requirement. The exact answer comes from the fire safety technical regulation in force and from the documentation for that specific building, so the first step at a consultation is to study those documents.
How much does a sprinkler system cost?
The cost is set first of all by what the system has to do, not by how many metres of pipe are run. The hazard classification fixes how much water is needed and for how long, and from that follow the two most expensive items — the fire pump and the water tank. Two buildings of the same floor area therefore differ sharply in price if one already has a tank and a pump room and the other needs both from scratch. The pipework, the heads and the installation are the more predictable part of the picture, and they are firmed up after the hydraulic calculation.
Can sprinklers be installed in a building already in use?
Yes, though it is a harder job than during construction: pipe has to be routed through finished ceilings and coordinated with the existing ventilation and electrical installation. The first check is whether the building's water supply can deliver the required flow and pressure; if it cannot, a tank and a pump station become necessary. Work like this is normally split into zones so that the building does not have to stop.
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