Fire Sprinkler Discharge Cleanup in the United States

To keep the work on track, an ordinary spray head commonly moves 15 to 40 gallons a minute. Storage and warehouse heads move well over 100.

To control the loss, as national estimates, a head shut down within minutes in one room commonly runs $2,500 to $9,000. A head that ran 20 to 30 minutes and reached the floor below is often $10,000 to $40,000.

As our response moves forward, it has been sitting in steel pipe for years. That stagnant pipe water carries corrosion scale and oily residue, so the first flush arrives dark and it stains on contact.

As our response moves forward, much of it will if it is cleaned in the first day or two. Once the residue dries into paint, ceiling tile, packaging or fabric it often becomes permanent.

For a decisive response, whoever is authorized at your control valve, usually your building engineer or your sprinkler contractor. If there is any fire or smoke, call 911 first and let the fire department manage the scene.

As our response moves forward, no. We never close a control valve, replace heads, drain a sprinkler riser or perform the system recharge.

To control the loss, commonly yes, while the system is impaired. Your sprinkler contractor and the local fire official set that requirement.