What is the purpose of a drum drip?
The “drum drip” is an auxiliary drain for dry pipe and preaction systems in areas subject to freezing. Water that has entered the system, either because the valve has tripped or from condensation of moisture from the pressurized air in the system, must be easily drained to prevent freezing.
How do you check for a dry sprinkler system?
Open a valve on the system to release the air or nitrogen. Watch the system air or nitrogen gauge and document the pressure at which the dry valve trips. Immediately close tightly the system control valve and fully open the main drain valve.
How does a drum drip work?
Drum drips are designed to capture any water that may have entered a dry sprinkler system. Also known as auxiliary drains, drip legs, and condensate drains, drum drips work to keep water out of your dry sprinkler system, so it can perform properly in the event of a fire.
How does a ball drip work?
Under fire conditions, water pressure from a fire department pumper pumping into the FDC automatically closes this valve. When the pressure ceases, the ball drip automatically re–opens, permitting this piping to drain and thereby preventing freezing.
What is the main reason for using a dry pipe sprinkler system instead of a wet pipe sprinkler system?
Dry pipe sprinkler systems are filled with pressurized air or nitrogen instead of water to prevent frozen and burst sprinkler pipes in areas with colder temperatures. The pressurized air in the sprinkler pipes prevents water from entering the pipes.
What is a major disadvantage of a wet pipe system?
The main disadvantages of wet pipe systems are: They are not suited for sub-freezing environments. Damage to piping or sprinklers will likely result in water leaks and subsequent water damage.
Can a dry sprinkler system freeze?
A common misconception is that dry pipe systems do not need to be checked for freeze-ups. However, dry pipe systems have moisture in the compressed air within the pipes. When this water accumulates during cold weather it has the potential of freezing which can cause costly damages to your system.
What is the function of a jockey pump on a water based sprinkler system?
A jockey pump is a small pump connected to a fire sprinkler system to maintain pressure in the sprinkler pipes. This is to ensure that if a fire-sprinkler is activated, there will be a pressure drop, which will be sensed by the fire pumps automatic controller, which will cause the fire pump to start.
What is the purpose of performing a flow test using the inspectors test connection?
The inspector’s test is intended to simulate the flow of a single sprinkler. Often, the sprinkler installer will insert a broken sprinkler in the discharge orifice (see illustration). On a wet pipe system, the discharge orifice must be the same size as the orifice of the smallest sprinkler on the system.
Where is the ball drip valve located?
The ball drip is installed at the low point in the fire department connection piping of automatic sprinkler systems. Under fire conditions, water pressure from a fire department pumper pumping into the FDC automatically closes this valve.
