Sprinkler Riser

Fire sprinkler riser is like a bridge between your water supply and the sprinkler pipes in your building. That’s where water gets onto the building for fire extinguishing purposes. In actual sense, sprinkler riser is the main component of the sprinkler system. To even signify this, standard NFPA 13 stipulates some regulations about the placement and inclusion of valves, pressure gauges, and other crucial components on the riser.

Sprinkler risers can be complex and thus confusing for any DIY project. Nearby Engineers New York Engineers provides unmatched designs, installations, and inspections on these risers to ensure that your sprinkler system runs smoothly. Oftentimes, there is a sprinkler riser room where you house the riser compactly. There are recommendations on how the riser room should be like and these include having the external door, contrasting labeling colors, and setting the temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid freezing of the pipes.

Sprinkler risers are basically the same but differ in configurations and number of component parts: for example, valves. Back in the days, these risers used to come in parts to assemble and that took a considerably long time to assemble for most people. Because we’re experts in these designs, nothing seemed any complex.

Today, most sprinklers are pre-fabricated to just fit in with minor configurations and get going. Our engineers provide these pre-fabricated risers for any kind of sprinkler system. We can also set it up without you actually doing anything. Even more, we can connect your sprinkler piping system to run smoothly in a blink of an eye.

No, we don’t. There are subtle differences between sprinkler risers due to parts choices. The components of a sprinkler riser depend on the type of the sprinkler system used. Wet pipe sprinklers are the popular ones used due to their immediate readiness should the fire break out. The water is always under pressure ready to be discharged.

Typically, a sprinkler riser would house the flow switch, drain valve, pressure gauge and other components in line with the specifications set out by the NFPA 13 (Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems), NFPA 13D (Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes), and NFPA 13R (Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Low-Rise Residential Occupancies). All these standards give specifications to the installation of sprinkler systems and their components in both commercial and residential buildings. That said, there are no specifics.

If you feel your commercial building is large enough and need quality sprinkler systems and sprinkler risers, let Nearby Engineers New York Engineers be your go-to designer, installer and maintainer. No task is complicated for us. We have saved many businesses lots of money with our custom-designed sprinkler systems and risers. In all cases, we ensure that the systems run smoothly and all the standards are satisfied.

Here we highlight only a few main components of a sprinkler riser that play a crucial role in the efficient running of the system. The benefits of these components are only tied to the wet pipe sprinkler system which is a continuous flow of pressurized water into the building through sprinkler heads.

Pressure relief valve and drain valve are some of the important components of sprinkler risers. The pressure in the pipes should be kept constant lest it exceeds the maximum allowable pressure that could lead to water leakages and unplanned explosive discharges. In all our installations we make sure this isn’t the case. The pressure relief valve relieves the excess pressure.

The other main components include the ball valve and a test and drain valve. Pressure gauges are also important and are actually required by the aforementioned standards to ensure a proper pressure of water.

According to 2016 NFPA 13 edition, a commercial or residential riser with a check valve should have pressure gauges installed above and below the alarm check value. This helps measure the pressure rating of the water flow in the riser.

You also have the option between the ball valves and the test and drain valves. The ball valves, for instance, are installed in basic commercial and residential risers to help the sprinkler system to be drained. Testing of this valve should be carried with the inspector’s test and sight glass. Typically, the system should be drained and depressurized through the main drain before carrying out testing.

Then there are the test and drain valves, which is an alternative to ball valves. This valve is covered by NFPA 25 in that it provides the ability to perform hydrostatic testing on the sprinkler system without draining it first. Such ability is attributed to the sight glass included for water observation and the testing orifice that enables the discharge.

All these above-mentioned components are notably important to have on your sprinkler riser. Nearby Engineers New York Engineers can ensure that you have them installed effortlessly.

Furthermore, there should be a water flow detection alarm, alternatively known as the flow switch alarm, required by NFPA in a wet pipe system. The water flow detector connected to the alarm helps to activate it when it signals water flow. This is a sign that there is a fire emergency since sprinklers are automatic. The actuation of the alarm helps attract the attention of firefighters to attend to the fire.

Although these components are emphasized for the wet pipe system, there isn’t much of the difference compared to other sprinkler systems. Irrespective of the type of sprinkler you need for your premises, Nearby Engineers New York Engineers can fulfill that for you.

Provided you have the experience and the expertise like Nearby Engineers New York Engineers then it shouldn’t be difficult at all to install sprinkler risers. Either way, it is a demanding task to design, install and maintain sprinkler risers and systems when confronted with national fire and building codes to comply with. It makes the whole process burdensome since the building must pass tests in order to acquire a permit.

NFPA standards reasonably make DIY efforts null when coming to sprinkler riser installations and designs. Fire is, of course, a dangerous hazard to deal with as it puts human lives and property value in jeopardy. It is stipulated clearly that professional engineers or technicians should be the drivers behind sprinkler system installations. Engineers are well-rounded with the complexities of these systems and their components, which then makes it quite simple to deal with.

Connecting the sprinkler riser to the sprinkler system and the municipal water supply takes a highly specialized skill. One has to ensure that all valves and gauges are properly aligned with specifications so that the system runs smoothly. Without experience, you will not be able to decipher such complexities. We are available to make the process simple for you at affordable rates.

The work does not end with the riser but extends to a proper alignment of sprinkler heads in each of the residential or commercial units. This involves calculations the difficulty of which depends how professional you are. Like we said, it can be a daunting and burdensome task for any amateur attempting DIY on sprinkler systems.

Like any other system, the sprinkler riser needs to be maintained to ensure that it continues to work properly. With such a number of components, how does one start without experience? Our engineers can fulfill your maintenance obligations. We design, install and maintain sprinkler risers and sprinkler heads and their piping network.

In maintaining sprinkler risers, we check numerous components individually. These include pressure gauge, flow switch, alarm, and pressure relief valve. There are several drain valves in the riser so that maintenance can be carried out without shutting the entire system.

Although initial requirements didn’t make the sprinkler riser room mandatory, later editions included such requirements that regulate access to sprinkler riser rooms and fire pump rooms. They ensure that the riser is well-protected and accessible in case of the emergency. The riser should not be tampered with because that can jeopardize the entire sprinkler system stored.

The sprinkler riser should be put in a room that is accessible from the outside of the main premises where the sprinkler system is installed. There should be appropriate labels with contrasting colors to give others directions to the riser room. These labels should be approved. Moreover, the door of the riser room shall be locked at all the times but the keys should be accessible for ease of access should an emergency arise.

All these requirements can be daunting to implement if you do not have experience in installing sprinkler risers. Our engineers can help you accomplish all these requirements so that your fire safety measures are on par with the standards.

The importance of the riser room should not be underestimated apart from the amendments of the requirements. The success of sprinkler systems lies in the uninterrupted supply of water in the case of the wet pipe sprinkler system.

To ensure that the riser components never freeze during inclement weather conditions, the temperature should be set above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is actually a need for the wet pipe system since water is always readily available.

Nearby Engineers New York Engineers technicians are experts in sprinkler engineering and fire protection services. We design every component of sprinkler systems in a quest to help our customers comply with NFPA regulations and to also stay safe in the midst of fire emergencies. Our technicians have experience in designing, installing and maintaining sprinkler systems and sprinkler risers.

Choosing us will make sure that your riser is well taken care of from the design to the installation. We can also help you in erecting the riser room that isolates the sprinkler riser from the rest of the premises. This makes it accessible in the case of a fire emergency.

Moreover, our services are affordable with a 50% faster turnaround than our competitors. Give us a call today to get your riser set up.