Frozen sprinkler pipe will stop your system from working properly and could cause damage when it thaws. Here’s how to avoid this happening to you.
Table of Contents
Why winterise your system
Winter in the UK has been known to reach lower temperatures than Antarctica. Sprinkler systems, just like the rest of your home, need to be protected from these extreme temperatures. If you’re looking for a guide on winterising your home as a whole, Forbes have a decent guide. Here, we’re focusing mostly on sprinkler systems and other pipework.
Frozen sprinkler pipe
Sprinkler pipe can freeze at 0o C, but is at greater risk below 25o C. The water in sprinkler systems is also pressurised, which lowers the freezing point of the water. Even so, we ask that the areas which contain the system be maintained at a temperature above 4o C. You’ll often find that home thermometers have a minimum setting of the same temperature. This is because your boiler and central heating have similar vulnerabilities. In practice, some insurers recommend temperatures as high as 12o C to protect your property.
Animals and birds, chewing cables and lagging
There are all sorts of wildlife that can invade your pipework in the winter. This makes sense given that the systems can often provide moisture, warmth, and protection from the outside world. Given that mains pipes for sprinkler systems are often larger than domestic water lines, the sprinkler system can introduce new challenges from wildlife that you may not have come across elsewhere.
A few examples of the kind of damage that wildlife can cause includes:
- Birds and squirrels stealing your insulation and lagging;
- Frogs and snakes in your pipework and tank;
- Insects around the drain pipe;
- Bacteria in the water.
If you’re looking for a way to avoid these risks, Mr Rooter has guide to keeping animals out of your plumbing.
Repair costs
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This idiom can take a very literal meaning when it comes to property maintenance. The repair costs from winter damage can be significant. Frozen sprinkler pipes can lead onto bigger issues further down the line which can be more expensive to repair than they would have been to prevent.
How can your system be affected by the winter?
There isn’t one single issue which can be brought about by a failure to winterise your home, or even by frozen sprinkler pipes themselves.
May not put the fire out
If you’re suffering with frozen sprinkler pipes, then naturally the water isn’t going to run as it should do. This will undoubtably prevent the system from putting out fires because the water isn’t able to reach the area or be discharged from the pipe. However, your system can be affected even once those frozen sprinkler pipes have defrosted.
Alarms may not work or may set off without needing to
Sprinkler alarms are usually triggered by sensitive components, such as pressure switches, flow switches, or probes. If one of these are too close to a frozen sprinkler pipe, it can be damaged, causing it to not work properly.
It can also be the case that an alarm is triggered as the system defrosts.
Freezing could cause leaks
As water freezes, it expands. This can cause the water to become too big for the pipework and burst. Of course, you may not notice this while the water is frozen, but this could become a very real and clear issue as the weather warms up again.
The tank could burst
Similarly, its not just frozen sprinkler pipes that can cause leaks. Tanks can too.
Pump damage
Pumps are one of the few components within a sprinkler system which are designed to regularly move. This can reduce the risk of freezing. However, the regular movement is still only once a week, as part of the weekly pump test. In practice, if there is frozen sprinkler pipe close to the pump, there’s a risk that the pump itself could freeze too. If the pump test is brought into action while this water is frozen, it could cause some serious damage to your pump, which should set off a fault alarm and would not be a cheap fix.
Pressure cylinder damage
Pressure cylinders have diaphragms inside of them which are essentially rubber linings. If the water inside of them freezes, it can burst this lining, preventing the cylinder from working properly. This issue won’t always be obvious, but a properly designed system should set off a fault alarm or be picked up during servicing.
How to prepare a fire sprinkler system for the winter
Many of the checks needed to prevent frozen sprinkler pipes in a domestic setting are the same as those needed to prevent frozen heating and domestic water pipes. United Utilities have a great video on how to prepare these pipes for winter.
Other measures that you can take to prevent frozen sprinkler pipes include:
- Using a thermostat to automatically maintain a minimum temperature;
- Updating your weather sealing around windows and doors;
- Check that warm air is reaching pipework in cupboards;
- Seal any cracks and drafts;
- Insulate your loft, walls, and rim joists;
- Add additional heating and insultation to exposed areas of the home, such as the garage door;
- Servicing your boiler and central heating to make sure its working properly;
- Bleeding your radiators;
- Clearing out your rain gutters to prevent damage and damp;
- Testing the stop valve on your mains pipe.
Can any of this be prepared during the installation?
A competent installer should consider the location of the pipework and water supplies when laying out their design. It’s possible to introduce enhancements at this stage, when it is cheaper to do so, and to make the maintenance itself cheaper.
Enhancements at this stage could include:
- A tank heater;
- Tank insulation;
- Lagging, including in places which will be hard to reach once the development is complete;
- Trace heating or heat tape;
- A heated GRP unit to house the pump
How to protect pipes in empty properties?
If your property will be left empty over the winter period, it’s best to get your sprinkler system serviced beforehand to avoid frozen sprinkler pipes. Empty properties can be at an increased risk of fire due to electrical components being left unmonitored. There’s also the human element. Empty buildings are known for being targeted by squatters (who may cause a fire by accident just as any other occupant might) and deliberate arsonists. Having a properly designed sprinkler system in operation can ensure that your building stays safe even when unoccupied.
Ideally in these scenarios, your sprinkler system should also have a remote monitoring and alarm system in place, potentially paired with an alarm receiving centre to ensure that someone is available to respond to any alarms, regardless of the time or day. In some cases, you may also want to enlist a specialist security service to monitor and visit the building itself at defined intervals. These services should monitor the integrity of the building, check for signs of attempted forced entry, as well maintenance issues such as frozen sprinkler pipes or damp.
It may be tempting to turn the heating off while the property is empty, but as explained elsewhere, this can risk issues with frozen sprinkler pipes, as well as the central heating itself. A minimum temperature of 4oC should be maintained at all times. Some smart thermostats can actually send a notification to your phone to warn you if the temperature in the premises drops below a set point.
If its not going to be possible to keep the property warm during this time. Then the system should be drained to prevent frozen sprinkler pipe from bursting and damaging the property.
How to identify frozen pipes
Abnormal readings on the pressure monitors could be a sign of frozen sprinkler pipes and, in any case, should be investigated. These readings can sometimes trigger fault alarms in your sprinkler system. Frost around the pipe itself can also be a sign of frozen sprinkler pipe.
It’s also worth considering the risk that, if other pipes around the home are frozen, you may be suffering from frozen sprinkler pipe too. Signs of frozen pipe for other services include:
- No running water from the taps;
- Just as with frozen sprinkler pipe: frost on the pipe itself;
- Unpleasant smells from the drain, which may indicate that foul water is stuck due to a blockage (which may be ice)
Services including central heating, drainkable water, and soil pipes (sewage) are all at risk of freezing in the winter.
What to do if you find your system is damaged in the winter
If you find frozen pipes, including frozen sprinkler pipe, first check for any obvious signs that the pipe has burst. The pipe may have done so in a way which hasn’t caused a leak due the water now being ice.
If there are no obvious signs of a burst, turn up the heating, opening any hatches or doors to areas where pipework may run. You can then apply warm water by using a sponge or damp cloth. Do not use a naked flame or hairdryer in case you melt the pipe. Do this until the pressure returns to normal.
Should you check your system in the spring?
Some of the damage caused in the winter may not be obvious, or could compound over years until becoming a bigger issue. We suggest servicing your system in the autumn and again in the spring to review any potential damage caused by frozen sprinkler pipe.
When should you replace your system?
When Should You Replace Your Commercial Fire Sprinklers? – Judd Fire Protection
How can we help?
Our specialist team can help you avoid these issues by:
- Installing a suitable system in the first place;
- Winter-proofing your existing sprinkler system;
- Running pre-winter checks and servicing in the autumn;
- Running post winter checks and servicing in the spring;
- Arranging a standard servicing plan with you to maintain compliance.
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