Our Dry Sprinkler Systems Solutions
Is your home built in cold climate conditions? The most popular sprinkler systems, the wet pipe systems, will not help you quench water in cold climate conditions as the water would have been frozen in the pipes.
We design and install the dry sprinkler system with nitrogen pressurized in the pipe while the water is behind the valve. When it is the time for an emergency response, the nitrogen will give way to the water.
New York Engineers prides itself in a plethora of sprinkler systems we offer to our clients. These systems guard houses and save lives when faced with emergency fires. Their automation can put a call to the US Fire Department to send the fire brigade.
These systems are high risk and need qualified engineers for sign-offs. We will provide you with the best and cost-effective dry sprinkler systems.
Dry Sprinkler Systems in Summer?
Summer is notorious for endless fires; sprinkler systems are in high demand during summer. Can dry sprinkler systems work efficiently in summer? These systems work well in winter months - that is undeniable; however, summer is a different story.
Apart from its endurance of freezing temperatures, a dry sprinkler system is not a match to a wet sprinkler system. For this reason, wet sprinkler systems will remain the best choices in summer. You will have to wait a few seconds before water is discharged from a dry sprinkler system because the water is not readily available in the pipe.
New York Engineers can design, install and maintain whichever residential sprinkler system of your choice. Efficiency, convenience, functionality, and longevity are always in mind when designing these systems.
How Can Dry Sprinkler Systems Installation Help You
Although there are many varieties of sprinkler systems, wet sprinkler systems are the most common and more advantageous ones mainly due to their unparalleled benefits of always being readily available.
Wet sprinkler options do not work optimally in all climates. For instance, for temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the piping system may freeze and consequently, the liquid may also freeze, which could burst the pipe. The end result could be a failed system in fire protection services.
Dry sprinkler systems were developed to compensate for the limitations encountered by the wet sprinkler systems. As in the name, the dry sprinkler is “dry”; thus, there is no water in the exposed pipe but a pressurized nitrogen or air. Instead, the water is behind the dry pipe valve held in a closed position by the air inside the pipe. From this analysis, it’s evident that this system requires water plus air pipes, a combination that looks complicated to homeowners.
Apart from unheated spaces and colder climates, dry sprinkler systems do not surpass the efficiency of the wet sprinkler systems. Nonetheless, having this fire sprinkler system is much better than not having one at all. It has its downsides and upsides but still remains the better alternative to wet pipe systems in situations where the ambient temperature is not favorable.
The advantages of this system could change the mindset of many people and thus trigger multiple installations, predominantly in colder regions. Advantages of dry pipe sprinkler systems include the following:
- Protection against fires in colder environments where wet pipe systems would freeze with the water. The laws of physics highlight the heat transfer where the heat is transferred from high to low concentration. If the ambient temperature is too cold, the water stored in the pipe will also adjust to the coldness, and eventually freeze. Now, if the sprinkler head is triggered by heat sensors to dispense water, it will be mission impossible since the water would have frozen. Dry sprinkler systems are not susceptible to freezing at cold climates.
- No water leakage if the pipes encounter severe impact. Only the nitrogen gas will escape until you spot the discrepancy and fix it.
The above points are the main advantages of these systems. MEP engineers also consider such possibilities when designing low-cost houses in the United States. The main point is to ascertain that the surrounding temperatures will not affect the sprinklers adversely and thus compromise an optimal protection.
On the other hand, we are faced with several disadvantages:
- Costly maintenance: dry sprinkler systems have many components, from the dry pipe valve to pressure controls, a limited diameter of the gas pipe, sprinkler head and many more. For this reason, maintaining all these components becomes cumbersome and costly. The homeowner may want to schedule regular inspections with the experienced MEP engineer.
- Delayed response time: because the pipe is filled with gas while water is separated by the valve, it takes time to respond to a fire risk. The gas has to give way to the water flow before it can be sprinkled. Unfortunately, the fire would have advanced by the time the dry sprinkler system discharges its reserved water.
- Higher installation costs: these systems are too demanding as they have too many components to check for. This makes installation costly. You can, however, lessen the cost burden by finding the best engineering contractor to optimize the system for you, from pipe installations.
- The possibility of corrosion: the gas might eventually form moisture which could be detrimental to the pipes. Also, if the system has been discharged to extinguish the fire, it needs to be dried completely because any water drops could lead to corrosion since the pipes are not always fed with water.
In addition to the advantages of these dry pipe sprinkler systems, we highlighted the applications below:
- Cold garages
- Dry and water-sensitive storages
- Garden
- Unheated storages
- Freezer storage
- Cooler storage
The aforementioned applications and advantages dry sprinkler systems are evident enough that these systems are indispensable despite having numerous disadvantages than advantages. They are worthless in hot storages as they do not surpass the wet sprinkler systems besides their efficacy in colder climates.
Installing dry sprinkler systems
Installing dry pipe sprinkler systems is relatively challenging, but doable if you have technical know-how skills. The system has many components; you have to connect the sprinklers to the gas source and the water source. Also, you have to know how to manage the pressure controls. This shouldn’t be cumbersome when highly qualified engineers are available.
Dry pipe sprinkler systems, in particular, have restrictions in terms of the diameter size to carry the pressurized air.
The main build materials of these systems include the stainless steel, which, however, ends up being corroded if there are water drops. To prevent this, make sure the pipe is emptied thoroughly after any test or application.
Engineers often used an ultrasonic scanning device to diagnose the pipes and see if there is any corrosion. The best way could be to schedule maintenance for the professionals to inspect the system.
Conclusion
Dry sprinkler systems are important for homes built amid cold climates. Wet sprinkler systems may be common and efficient; however, they are vulnerable to freezing if exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Despite the cold climate inconveniences, wet systems are clear winners.
Dry pipe systems are helpful during low temperatures but are costly and hard to install if you are an amateur. Qualified contractors do not find anything challenging as they know how the system works. That said, outsource the installation responsibilities to experienced personnel before you compromise the safety of your property.
Unfortunately, wet pipe systems cannot be used across the climates. If it were possible, one would combine the two installations. Fortunately, there is an alternate system that acts as a hybrid between the dry and wet sprinkler systems. It combines both functions. In summer, water is filled in the pipes, and in winter the gas is filled.
