Know anything about commerical fire sprinklers?

[mlmooney89]

Sounds like something that a marriage and a new place will solve.

Or a can of insulating expanding foam over the speaker.

Bahahaha I am working on that real hard. 18 days till the wedding! But unfortunately we are locked into our lease for another year. We don't wanna move till he finishes school which will be next spring. I do like the expanding foam idea though!

[Neo-Scholastic]

The tag is on what they call an annuciator panel. It monitors all the detectors in the building and its purpose is to show the fire depart where a fire is occurring in the event of an emergency. Every now and then the panel sends out a signal to all the detectors. If the detectors are working properly, then they reply back to the panel. If not, they send a trouble signal.

One of the detectors is a trip switch in the sprinkler pipes. If a sprinkler head goes off the detector reports water movement. It sets off the alarm and a light on the panel shows which head went off. In this case it appears that the panel does a self-test on the flow switch to determine if the water in the pipe is frozen. The device is failing the self-test and so the panel is beeping to let you know there is a problem, i.e. the flow detector is faulty.

This is a life-safety issue and must be fixed immediately. Report it to the Fire Department. I'm sure management will get off its butt after they get a citation.

[mlmooney89]

The tag is on what they call an annuciator panel. It monitors all the detectors in the building and its purpose is to show the fire depart where a fire is occurring in the event of an emergency. Every now and then the panel sends out a signal to all the detectors. If the detectors are working properly, then they reply back to the panel. If not, they send a trouble signal.

One of the detectors is a trip switch in the sprinkler pipes. If a sprinkler head goes off the detector reports water movement. It sets off the alarm and a light on the panel shows which head went off. In this case it appears that the panel does a self-test on the flow switch to determine if the water in the pipe is frozen. The device is failing the self-test and so the panel is beeping to let you know there is a problem, i.e. the flow detector is faulty.

This is a life-safety issue and must be fixed immediately. Report it to the Fire Department. I'm sure management will get off its butt after they get a citation.

Thank you so much for this. Just understanding makes me more confident in knowing what I should be doing to get it fixed. I didn't want to assume it was a big deal and make a big fuss only for it to turn out small. I knew that with how many smart people are on this site I would get good responses.

I appreciate all the input I have a few plans of action now from your help and will try to put them into play soon.

[Whateverist]

Okay I know this isn't a topic that has anything to do with religion but I'm getting nowhere with my apartment complex and could use advice. My apartment shares a wall with a small room that says;

Fire Sprinkler Room
Domestic Water Room

It has a beeping alert that goes off. This has been going on for a year or two. It will beep continuously in a maddening way that I can hear in my apartment. It will go off for a few weeks then stop for a few months. I have been naughty because while the door is locked it doesn't shut properly so I can access it. There is a switch that says buzzer silence. I have been hitting it just to stop the beeping. I have complained over and over and it does no good. I spoke with someone on Facebook and shared pictures. They said it might be that the sprinkler doesn't have enough water pressure to work properly and is trying to alert someone about it. Lately there is a new light that mentions a battery problem (The first light just say common trouble) and the beeping is more persistent. I mean I silence it and before I even get back to my front door it starts again. It won't stop. It wakes me up at night, I have to have the TV or music on at all times, I'm getting so frustrated. Apparently my neighbors are finally getting mad too because someone in a fit of rage the other night broke the door more so now it doesn't shut at all. This only proved to make the beeping louder due to the lack of being muffled by the door. I will try and attach pictures in a moment but does anyone know what this could be, if I have any hold in making threats to not pay rent until they get this fixed, or if I am in any danger of the sprinklers not working during a fire?

The people in the complex keep acting like it is a new problem or that they are surprised. They keep promising to fix it and now they won't answer my calls. They are never open when I am home so I am sending my fiancé but he is super nice and I don't know if he will get across how much of problem this is.

Sounds like something which would interest the fire marshall.

[Neo-Scholastic]

I appreciate all the input I have a few plans of action now from your help and will try to put them into play soon.

PM with any further questions. I would be happy to help more if possible.

[Neo-Scholastic]

I didn't want to assume it was a big deal and make a big fuss only for it to turn out small

On the one hand it is just a warning light/speaker and not a big deal. On the other hand, if a sprinkler pipe is frozen, then the fire the sprinklers won't work and the place will burn down. That's a big deal. In most jurisdictions, sprinkler systems must be tested every 6 months. It appears that management has ignored a life-safety trouble signal for 8 months so they could also be violating a local ordinance for not properly maintaining the system.

[Thumpalumpacus]

The people in the complex keep acting like it is a new problem or that they are surprised. They keep promising to fix it and now they won't answer my calls. They are never open when I am home so I am sending my fiancé but he is super nice and I don't know if he will get across how much of problem this is.

If the management is not responsive, quit trying to work with them. Go to Lakeway's Code Enforcement desk and report it there, and/or report it to fire inspector at Travis County. A malfunctioning sprinkler system in a high-occupancy structure is a serious violation and you will see motion, I bet.

[mlmooney89]

The people in the complex keep acting like it is a new problem or that they are surprised. They keep promising to fix it and now they won't answer my calls. They are never open when I am home so I am sending my fiancé but he is super nice and I don't know if he will get across how much of problem this is.

If the management is not responsive, quit trying to work with them. Go to Lakeway's Code Enforcement desk and report it there, and/or report it to fire inspector at Travis County. A malfunctioning sprinkler system in a high-occupancy structure is a serious violation and you will see motion, I bet.

I actually live further north. We aren't in Austin city limits but have an Austin address. We are in Williamson county. I'm assuming going to Wilco would provide the same results.

[Thumpalumpacus]

If the management is not responsive, quit trying to work with them. Go to Lakeway's Code Enforcement desk and report it there, and/or report it to fire inspector at Travis County. A malfunctioning sprinkler system in a high-occupancy structure is a serious violation and you will see motion, I bet.

I actually live further north. We aren't in Austin city limits but have an Austin address. We are in Williamson county. I'm assuming going to Wilco would provide the same results.

It should. Point being, get the government involved. Where there are fines involved, you'll see action.

[RobertE]

Don't commercial fire sprinklers put out commercial fires....?


*I'll get my coat*