Where Are The Sprinklers?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Many years ago Architects and Interior Designers were stuck with three styles of fire sprinklers: upright, pendent and sidewall and with two finish choices: standard brass or chrome plated.  On top of that, the sprinklers needed to be connected to steel pipe with bulky cast iron fittings.  The sections of piping were joined to each other with those same fittings or worse, orange cast ductile iron couplings bolted to orange cast ductile iron fittings.  Never aesthetically pleasing in new construction and always an issue in a renovation.  Well times have changed. The three basic styles are still with us but the variations on those styles allow some to be virtually invisible.  Not only has the physical size of the typical sprinkler head been substantially reduced but the number of mounting and a finish options make it possible to provide fire sprinkler protection that can be integrated with the surroundings to satisfy any building design.  New pipe materials and fitting options allow for smaller profiles and smoother lines so that when they are properly located and architecturally treated you will be hard pressed to pick them out without a good long look!