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Groovy design The performance and ease of installation of a newly launched innovative sprinkler head and sprinkler coupling has impressed following a first project in North America, writes Jose Sanchez.
N The new sprinkler coupling and sprinkler became available in North America in July; Southeast Asia will follow in October and Europe in November.
one of the 2,250 new grooved sprinklers that were installed in a warehouse in Ankeny, Iowa leaked during testing and no issues were reported during the following three months. The new technology that was first showcased at the National Fire Protection Association Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada in June included the first installation-ready sprinkler that is UL-listed and FM-approved, according to manufacturer Victaulic. The Firelock IGS Style V9 sprinkler coupling and Firelock IGS grooved sprinklers have been designed not only to enable fire systems to be installed quickly, but also to enable them to be easily reconfigurable in line with the demands of the storage and distribution market. The technology replaces threads on outlets and sprinklers with a coupling that connects 1" (2.5cm) grooved outlets to
The system manufacturer claims that the reduction in leaks is due to the lessening in torque applied to the sprinkler frame through a mechanical connection rather than a traditional friction connection.
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sprinklers with a grooved connection size of 0.5" (1.25cm), 0.75" (1.9cm) or 1" (2.5cm). Des-Moines-based fire sprinkler installer Summit Fire Protection volunteered to install the Firelock IGS Style V9 sprinkler coupling and V4702 Grooved SI 24.25 (K16.8) for the protection of the new 18,500m2 warehouse in Iowa. The installation, which started in April this year, consisted of a sprinkler fire system with 5,800m of 50mm-diameter pipe and nearly 1km of main piping fed by a 6.25 bar pump running at 5,600 lpm. According to Brett Carley, division manager at Summit Fire, the new coupling technology enabled the work to be completed two weeks ahead of schedule, with on-site work taking just eight weeks. What was most welcomed by Carley was the ease with which the new sprinklers could be installed. The traditional method for installing sprinklers involves the time-consuming use of tape/sealant, after which a wrench is used to tighten the sprinkler into place. The use of sprinkler wrenches is not only physically demanding to the fitter because of the strenuous repetitive motions, but also potentially damaging to the sprinkler frame due to the applied torque. In contrast, the mechanical connection of the new system only requires a power tool to tighten the bolt. “On the installation side, I’ve been in discussion with the field guys, and they said that they were not as tired at the end of the day. In an industry where a lot of people have shoulder issues, they could feel the benefits of not using a wrench,” says Carley. “There’s a distinctive fit with the sprinkler head so you know it’s in the right position. It almost pops into position, and when you feel that pop you know you are good to tighten it down.” One of the most interesting aspects for Carley, who has been in the industry for 19 years, was the fact that when the system was tested there were zero leaks. “It was very surprising. Normally you would have around ten sprinklers leaking, but we didn’t have any. It is also usual to have two or three leaks pop up after you’ve pulled offsite, but we haven’t been back in three months.” This is ascribed by the manufacturer to the reduction of the torque that is applied to the sprinkler frame through a mechanical connection rather than the traditional friction one, which reduces the likelihood of leaks when the system is pressurised. Daniel Wake, product manager at Victaulic, says that the market has been very receptive to the new technology. “This is particularly true in the warehouse space, where bigger sprinklers are installed, which require more force and torque to install – and nobody installs in the same way. What we have been doing with this is ensuring installation is consistent and dependable.” The technology also takes into account that if warehouse usage changes, the fire protection system can be adapted without major rework. “The straight-through couplings are one-inch on the outlet side, while the sprinkler side can be reduced to a three-quarter or half-inch, depending on the sprinkler size. So you can reconfigure the system without changing the whole branch line,” says Wake. The fact that the sprinkler is FM-approved is particularly important for Summit Fire, adds Carley, because around 20% of its customers demand FM-approved fire system components. The technology will soon be used again by Summit Fire locally on two warehouses totalling 152,000m2, the construction of which was due to be completed at the time of going to press with this issue.
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