NFPA 25 The Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems requires the testing or replacement of installed sprinklers at periodic intervals depending on the type and environment. Removing sprinklers for this requirement can be a hassle given the water that remains in the system after draining by gravity alone. The water trapped in drops and in low points of the system can be significant (Table 1).
When removing sprinklers from drops, this trapped water will start to come out of the system as soon as the sprinkler is loosened and will make a mess of both the technician and environment if not captured properly. If captured at each sprinkler, the contractor will have to setup their means of collection and then transport the captured water to an appropriate drain. Note that each gallon of water typically weighs a little over eight pounds.
To avoid this hassle, the trapped water can instead be removed from the outlet by using the Dropmaster DM12. After draining the system like normal, simply connect the Dropmaster DM12 to your main drain and then allow it to bring the system to 10” Hg vacuum before proceeding. With the sprinkler system under vacuum, as soon as a sprinkler is loosened, air will be pulled into the outlet and will carry the trapped water with it toward the Dropmaster DM12. The sump pump inside the Dropmaster DM12’s holding tank will automatically discharge the collected water to a nearby drain as needed. No more mess. No more smell. No more hassle.
Dyne Fire Protection Labs makes filling NFPA 25’s sprinkler testing requirements easy with free sampling kits, free shipping*, and the Dropmaster DM12. If you would like to request a free sample kit, place an order for a Dropmaster DM12, or have a questions regarding this article, please contact Dyne Fire Protection Labs at sales@dyneusa.com or (800)632-2304.
*Standard sprinkler kits shipped in the contiguous United States only