Frozen Sprinkler Pipes

1/17/2018 (Permalink)

Every winter thousands of sprinkler pipes freeze and burst because of lack heat or inadequate insulation.

We received over 100 calls from customers with frozen and busted pipes earlier this month.  Several area businesses had water damage when the lines in their fire protection sprinklers frozen and burst.  Our crews provided water damage restoration services for a restaurant in Sheffield, a dentist/oral surgery center in Sheffield and a nonprofit organization in Tuscumbia after the sprinkler pipes froze and burst. 

When water freezes, it expands up to 10 percent in volume. Sprinkler pipes tend to freeze before other water pipes because the water is not moving.  When a frozen sprinkler pipe bursts, the result is always extensive water damage.  Where the pipe bursts and the time it takes to shut off the water will influence the amount of water damage to the property. 

If your business has experienced water damage because of frozen sprinkler pipes, this is the first indication that you need additional freeze protection to prevent this from happening again. The following points will help reduce the risk of frozen sprinkler pipes.

• Maintain heat in all buildings and units
• Require an annual service and maintenance contract on all fire sprinkler systems
• Provide additional insulation for pipes in unheated areas such as attics
• Install water flow alarms to alert occupants that water is flowing in the sprinkler system
• Install freeze alarms to warn of potential freezing conditions before the pipes freeze

Additional information on freeze protection is available through the National Fire Protection Association (www. nfpa.org).