How To Maintain a Fire Sprinkler System

A fire sprinkler system is something that you hope your business never needs to use. However, it is a crucial part of ensuring the safety of your building. Here are several easy tips that any business in Minneapolis can use to perform routine sprinkler maintenance and avoid accidental activations.

1. Clean the Sprinkler Heads

Sprinklers will accumulate layers of dirt and dust that can interfere with the spraying mechanism that is crucial for putting out fires. Grease is particularly harmful to sprinklers, so be sure to clean sprinklers in kitchen areas thoroughly.

2. Check Control Valves

Control valves come in two types: electric and non-electric. Electric valves must be tested during inspections of the full sprinkler system. Non-electric valves should be checked manually on a weekly basis to ensure that they are fully open.

3. Check for Adequate Water Pressure

If any parts of the building seem to have low water pressure, it is possible that your sprinklers will not have enough pressure to spray water as far as they should. Even if the water pressure in your building is fine, it is still advisable to bring a professional in on a quarterly basis to perform sprinkler maintenance. It is possible for valves associated with the sprinklers to be accidentally turned off, which could lead to low water pressure if not addressed by a professional.

4. Prevent Accidental Activations of Fire Sprinklers

Make sure that employees know not to tamper with or hang decorations from sprinklers. If the sprinklers go off accidentally, be ready to contact a professional water restoration company to help you assess the damage and recover from the incident.

In addition to the above tips, you should have a professional inspect the whole system annually. That way, you can be sure that you have not missed anything. Sprinkler maintenance can help provide safety and peace of mind.