How a fire sprinkler works. (featuring broken glass and spatter.)

I didn't realise you could buy sprinkler heads on eBay until I was looking for something completely different. Being fond of workwear I was trying to find an American supplier who would ship a Carhartt R28 carpenters overall to the UK. I discovered that particular style of overall is very popular with mechanical trades because of the built-in tool pouch. That makes sense as standard tool belts are prone to slipping down your waist when loaded with tools and hardware.
Seeing images of sprinkler fitters wearing them then reminded me of how intriguing fire sprinkler heads are. Especially the mysterious little vial of coloured liquid. So it turns out that you can buy them from China on eBay from the electronic component suppliers. And they're very cheap, probably because they're a mass produced item. Apparently 40 million sprinkler heads are installed every year. It's also interesting to note that buildings with sprinklers tend to have 96% of fires extinguished by the sprinklers alone.
With these accessories readily available it opens up the possibility of fitting your own home sprinkler system in critical areas like workshops, and just hooking it up to the cold water supply if it has good pressure.
I did get the overall. It's really rugged compared to typical European workwear.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of KZbin's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

[@pinterelectric]

I work for a pharmaceutical company and the covers are used in clean, sealed rooms that have positive pressures to keep the dust out.

[@eliotmansfield]

Jeff Pinter Also used in server rooms as you need to maintain integrity of the room

[@psirvent8]

Eliot Mansfield No, usually server rooms are equipped with water mist or gas systems. To prevent water damage of course. And the heads of those systems are not concealed.

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

I would think that it would be trying to fight electrical fires since they have to be fought in a different way. I bet the servers would be toast when the fire is cooking them (don't know a proper way of saying it).

[@copperhamster]

@@LOUDcarBOMB Magnetic spinning drives can be recovered after being subjected to hundreds of degrees C with enough dedication. SSD's even more so. A dedicated data center fire suppression system usually sends an emergency shutdown to the servers at one temp, a kill switch to all backup power at a higher temp, and finally trips the water. In some states halon, co2, etc systems are now illegal because people have been killed by them. In mine they're illegal for new installations

[@blameburr8722]

@@copperhamster some may use Halon gas, it really does vary but you can buy a lot of these things anyway (,such as CO2) so I can't understand why they'd be banned except for Halon.

[@highdesert50]

If I remember correctly from fire classes, the vial is called a frangible tube and contained alcohol. Keep in mind the hot air rises and temperatures at ceiling level can be hundreds of degrees higher than at floor level. Hence if you are ever in a house fire, roll out of bed, don't sit up, and exit low.

[@OZf1re]

highdesert50 interesting that Australian standards state they only contain water, might be different per region

[@chriseber7714]

Yet when they freeze and blow without there being a fire, the mess is just as big, if not bigger to clean up in the end

[@TorqueSlayer]

@ADEBISI ADEBISI fuck you bitch

[@drusha]

It would be pretty ironic, if there would be flammable liquid in a fire extinguishing sprinkler glass pellets.

[@koosnaamloos]

Im gonna make sprinkler heads now with flamble liquids

[@stanpatterson5033]

Uncle Stalin, you'll be really popular with the insurance companies :)

[@TehMG]

The amount in the glass vial is so small, in the grand scheme of things even if the liquid is flammable, it will have a negligible effect on the spread of fire, especially since the liquid is soon followed by vast amounts of water!

[@throttlebottle5906]

in wet pipe system not flushed often, the water can separate into oxygen and hydrogen gases, when it release you get pockets of highly flammable gasses. vast majority here is dry-type systems, so they don't freeze up in unconditioned spaces. and not to forget, some may have had alcohol as antifreeze. booo

[@davidturbo8566]

MGKZbin Account the flammable effect would be so vague ..

[@tobylatino8737]

This guy has a way of asking every possible question and i love it

[@eddeh0772]

No idea how I came across this video, but “a pride flag of explosive liquid capsules” has such an oddly lovely layer of poetry to it, and your observations were surprisingly interesting. I’ve literally never thought about sprinkler systems before this, but learnt a lot. Great video, thank you!

[@CableGuyJoeCCTV]

Many years ago before I retired as a volunteer firefighter we saw the Inception of residential sprinkler a new product on the market came out made of PVC and they're calling it something along CPVC fire-sprinkler systems... it's a fire rated sprinkler that works wonderful in the house about 3000 to $5,000 more in a build .. in a big house it could be a lifesaver also there are the old systems that used to use lead that melted Hutchins fire doors and fire curtains and a garage roll up tight door that would bust the piece of lead, thus eleasing the door or and cause a sprinkler head to go off.. thanks sir always enjoy your videos.... my boys at my work call me Pooh Bear when I'm in my brown Carhartt winter coveralls..

[@darkangle16]

Those pvc pipes are made differently then normal pvc pipes.They are much harder to break and cut .

[@twocvbloke]

A damned firework went off nearby right as that vial popped, didn't half make me jump... :S But that aside, you'd probably want to have a separate water supply for the sprinkler system, such as a header tank system, this way you wouldn't contaminate the mains water supply given that most sprinkler systems are unused for years while they're filled with water that is going yucky... :)

[@bigclivedotcom]

Theoretically for a home system the pipework could form part of the normal supply, so water flowed through it continually on a daily basis.

[@twocvbloke]

I suppose that could work, the only thing I'd be concerned about there (as mentioned in other comments) is pipe knock, where something like a washing machine suddenly stopping the flow of water could damage the sprinkler valve, or at worst, pop the vial from the physical shock, probably something worth testing there, outdoors of course... :D

[@Peter_S_]

It's worth noting that these may be built using a leaded alloy which is banned in the US for domestic water supplies. They used to make most faucets from such alloys because they form good seals and they're easy on the mill tooling, but they've since been banned.

[@danohstoolbox]

It would have a check valve in line of the supply line

[@rockinatmidnight]

Doubt it would be set from a header tank or similar set up. Could still save your life, then kill you from Legionaires!

[@Richard-zu3gz]

Don't suppose you could point the heat gun at the cover and see what happens?

[@GigsVT]

Richard Berridge I popped a fusible cover off a heat sensor trying to test the rate off rise without popping it... Its somewhat anticlimatic. In my case my reaction was whelp there goes $20. I did get to take it apart after. Clever simple mechanism in heat detectors.

[@Spartacusse]

I think it's more likely, because it's cheaper and easier to manufacture, that instead of melting the metal tabs holding the cover, it's actually supported by a very thin metal bent inwards, when the whole case becomes like an oven from the heat, the glass breaks and and just the water weight is enough to unbend the metal tabs and release the cover. The drop down defuser looks like it's purpose is to stick out of the case to spread the water, but even before it's allowed to drop down, when the glass breaks the whole case is already filling with water.

[@al35mm]

Wouldn't they be bimetalic strips that will bend with heat?

[@jaredd9297]

To cover drops off 20° before the head activates. So with a head that is 155°F the cover drops off at 135°F. Those just are solder points where he was pointing.

[@rich1051414]

Pretty sure the covers are soldered on under leaf spring pressure, so the instant the solder melts, it pops off with force, albeit, very light, unspectacular force. Just flings off and hits the cook in the head. :) (Since the only place I have seen them was when I was a cook, and once one popped off and flew right at me in the middle of dinner in a packed house). Thankfully, the glass part didn't pop, just the bottom part with the cover. I can confirm that the bottom cover releases FAR before the glass does. I assume that one popped loose too early because the solder was old, but at least it fails by breaking loose when it shouldn't instead of not breaking loose at all when it should.

[@edmundfisher4951]

From earlier experimentation when younger you can't 'pop' them with consumer grade lasers, it reflects most of the light in an interesting pattern (into the perpetrator's eye if you are lucky).

[@linuxthemoon]

Still better than aiming at airplanes!

[@thefishguy8229]

What about my 5 watt blue laser

[@RyanBrooks]

Neat! I always assumed that they were more complicated inside, for some reason. I guess this explains why the sprinklers in my workplace seem to be dripping very slightly... the seals on the plungers are probably getting old.

[@71dembonesTV]

Pete S. Do you know if they were Omega brand heads? I worked at a building where we still had some of them in vacant suites even though the majority got recalled and replaced

[@RusstyGX]

Recalled heads were Made by a company called Central. If you look at them you will see they have a flat Seat where the bulb meets the main body. The recalled heads are Central GB’s. Omegas should still be fine.

[@71dembonesTV]

Tyler Jones The building is in Los Angeles county area, CA. They were definitely Omega brand heads but it was probably a specific model. The recall occurred in the early 2000s from what I can tell. Most of them were replaced then but some got missed and were replaced earlier this year. Unsure what the recall reason was but the ones I saw never leaked. Maybe they didn't activate when they were supposed to?

[@RusstyGX]

@dembones yup that’s the exact reason why. Some of them wouldn’t activate during a fire. It was a national recall but there are still buildings out there with them installed!

[@warphammer]

(Ancient, I know, but important) According to the recall FAQ, this is backwards. GBs are the replacements that were specified, and the Omegas were the recalled heads.

[@senatorsmiles]

Man, I just want you to know that during this quarantine I have been binging on your videos. I absolutely love your style of explanation and presentation. I learn a lot from you and I appreciate it!

[@RusstyGX]

I️ worked on special hazard fire-sprinkler systems for 7 years as a service tech in the DC Metro area prior to getting hired by the fire department. Its neat to see someone cover this stuff on KZbin. Some of the comments on here make me LOL pretty hard. If you have any questions let me know! Sprinkler systems can be fascinating and some can move a lot of water very fast. Cheers!

[@terrydavis3620]

Old post but just stumbled across this. Love yer vids Clive. I design these systems for a living. The heads themselves can withstand more but the typical system working pressure is 175psi. Installed systems are tested at 200psi or 50psi above the expected working pressure before being placed in service. Each manufacturer makes 1200+ different variations. Into which they have invested millions of dollars in testing. Subtle deflector changes dramatically effect performance. Choosing a sprinkler for a specific application requires some experience. All sprinklers have to be proven and then listed by Underwriter Laboratories to be used in a system here in the states. The Chinese Ebay variants are likely not UL listed. A properly designed sprinkler system is proven hydraulically based on the available water supply. The pipe sizing is dictated by this math. This math in effect simulates a fire condition and proves how the system will perform in that scenario. There are minimum application densities needed for a given/expected fire load. Also, a system for your home has a different set of parameters than a commercial building.

[@h8GW]

_heats up glass vials_ "Oh it just splattered everywhere. Yes, and hit me in the face, too." -Big Clive, 2017

[@31TimM]

then "I wonder what that liquid is... it looks like blood splatter."

[@rmd2387]

These are part of a wet sprinkler system, which is essentially using the sprinkler as a valve per source. There are dry systems where there is no water in the plumbing and it’s typically held in a reservoir until an alarm is tripped so that series of sprinklers can be activated, ie in grids, rooms or sections. Each system has an appropriate application. In our fire company we also carry sprinkler plugs that are wedge shaped devices with rubber plugs on the sides so that it blocks the water flow on an activated sprinkler.

[@rmd2387]

I should also mention that the dry system sprinklers have no vials, they’re simply open so they can flood a compartment or wide area at once.

[@jamiesuvo7420]

Yes it is the Bubble expansion and size I've been a sprinkler fitter for 30 years my older brother is a sprinkler fitter my two sons my nephews and even one of my sister's boyfriend is a sprinkler fitter now good to see that's some people use in mind to work things out that is intelligence right there

[@patprop74]

it works almost a principal of the egg, easy to brake from it sides but stronger on its top and bottom . interesting video

[@AdhamOhm]

All these years, I never knew that the color of the vial fluid indicated its break temperature. I just thought it varied by manufacturer. You learn something new every day.

[@mattypants]

The liquid inside is glycerin, which expands as it heats up and you are correct, the flush mount caps are soldered on with solder that has a melting temperature about 10% lower than the burst temperature of the glass vile. This way they fall off right before the vile pops.

[@n00bhotline]

I love these videos where you take a fairly in depth look at a simple or ubiquitous technology!

[@mariuslambacher8743]

Regarding your comment on filling those glas tubes using a vacuum: that would also be an easy way to quite precisely control the size of the air bubble! The lower the residual pressure in the tube is, the less remaining gasses are in there -> the smaller the air bubble becomes; the higher the pressure is, the bubble becomes larger. This only my speculation though!

[@Doramius]

Someone may have already covered this in the comments, but you'll commonly see the green, blue & violet ones in high temp areas. Many Restaurants have the green and blue ones near the oven hoods. It would really cause issues if the cook set one off lunch or dinner service. ;)

[@Robothut]

I would think water and glycerin or glycol, but not alcohol, you don't want to feed the fire. Very interesting video Clive, the bubble control never entered my mind. Thank you.

[@GigsVT]

Robothut A fire large enough to set a sprinkler isnt going to care either way about 2ml of alcohol. They dont go off on small fires.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The quantity is tiny, and would promptly be followed by gallons of water.

[@Robothut]

Yes I understand that fact, but you have to understand the way LAW makers think, the guys that set the rules are not logical like us. You are right it would not make any difference, I agree but I also do not think that the device would be allowed to be made with Alcohol in it. Great topic !

[@Bigrignohio]

Please tell me you were wearing safety glasses! Now why not light one up with a LED. There are residential sprinkler systems that use PEX tubing. They are plumbed in with the regular plumbing (often the toilet) so you do not have to regularly flush them out. The diverter plates are shaped for the spread pattern. You can get close-to-wall 180 degree patterns, side wall emitters, etc.

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Bigrignohio I'm always wearing glasses for at least some protection.

[@Bigrignohio]

I knew you wore glasses. However I am constantly surprised by how many consider standard glasses to be sufficient protection. Still some protection is better than no protection. I am just as guilty of that feeling. Which now is so much worse because I had vision correction surgery and sometimes forget to wear goggles when I should.

[@ERIFNOMI]

Engage safety squints.

[@twocvbloke]

Regular glasses are indeed inadequate for eye protection, I know this only too well when I was grinding a metal part down, and a fragment of hot metal flew off and went almost dead-centre in my right eye, and stuck to the cornea, was fun extracting that, but left my eye a bit useless for a week before it started to heal up and clear, I got lucky though, others may not be so lucky...

[@cheerfultrout4381]

I was wondering if this sort of tie in was possible, thanks.

[@MrAsBBB]

And that necklace! Will make you an absolute fortune!

[@lawrencegenereux8567]

Another method by which these function is to hold the water pressure back with a plug of an indium/bismuth alloy that is blended to melt at the desired temperature. This is also used in self-closing fire doors, where the doors are held open by a two-piece chain held together by a slug of indium/bismuth alloy.

[@mrtemple728]

I’m a sprinkler designer and your topical patterns for head going off is 3 out of all the systems heads will go off in a normal fire they cover around 9 metres squared depending on types of heads and what type of instillation but your typical 68 degree heads what are usually installed cover a 9 meter squared block

[@mrtemple728]

Their are loads and I mean loads of rules for types areas covered and the head you didn’t understand is a pendant head it face downwards it’s for racking

[@jamesvalentine925]

Thank you bigclivedotcom, today I wen't into pound land while out shopping with the other half. I wondered around and was overwhelmingly attracted to USB power banks and mini torches. I ended up buying a couple of bits which I will take apart and inspect.

[@anameorsomething7241]

My dumbass thought the title meant sprinklers that shot fire instead of water. 😂

[@bigclivedotcom]

It would be "interesting" if the sprinkler system was pressurised with gasoline.

[@carolynmmitchell2240]

bigclivedotcom I would love to see that

[@paulmaxwell8851]

I'm in central British Columbia, Canada. I installed sprinklers in my super-insulated off-grid home, using Pex tubing runs over a 5/8 inch firestop drywall ceiling. Contrary to popular belief Pex IS suitable for residential sprinkler systems. I'm seriously considering converting to a dry system so I can add exterior sprinklers.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Interesting. The behaviour of PEX would be interesting in a fire as the flow of water to a ruptured sprinkler would theoretically cool the PEX and stop it rupturing. But if it did it would rupture in the area of greatest heat and that would be where the water was needed.

[@wickieworld]

Try the Duluth Trading Company for overalls. They appear to ship to the UK. Their products are super durable.

[@NightOfTheLiving8bit]

Wow, it's crazy thinking that I was one of Clives first 1,000 subs...and here he is, at 300k now! Yikes!

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's crazy for me too.

[@K-Riz314]

Likewise! 583k now!

[@lucadivine3862]

Kinda surprising how simple the mechanism is, but thinking about it, as these need to go off in emergency situations, the simpler and more self-contained the better. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.

[@TheTravelingmystic]

The liquid is a mixture of glycerin and water, the percentage of glycerin in the mixture and the size of the bubble determines how much pressure is exerted on the ampule when heat is applied to it.

[@StRoRo]

Such a simple device and works so well

[@Legion563]

One of the most stressful jobs I have had recently was cleaning around these in a school after it was damaged by flooding. Sat 30ft+ in some scaffolding cleaning the rafters with sprinkler heads everywhere. One slip up and you have flooded the school all over again :/

[@ifell3]

I always thought they were triggered by the alarm system. Nice one Clive

[@StreuB1]

Living in Northern Illinois, I grew up with and love my Carhartts. Might I suggest also the Carhartt style #100632 zipper front hooded sweatshirt with the rutland thermal (waffle weave) inner liner? I am a big guy, 6'4" tall, 255lbs, and as such, carry a lot of body temperature around. Likely you have the same problem? Because of this, I don't wear heavy coats until the temperature really drops (or there is a lot of wind and I need a wind break). This sweatshirt is my most worn item once it gets chilly out because it breathes, its very warm, its thick but its loose fitting and has the Carhartt cut for working guys n gals so it moves well with you. Mine is chocked full of cuts and holes from working and welding but its still the most comfy thing I own. I highly recommend it. The 3-season midweight style 100631 is also stellar!

[@willybee3056]

Hello Clive,, Thanks again for your good work. .. Back in the day, they used Wood's Metal for the trigger instead of the glass vial. In an old Machineries Hand Book, there was a listing of the recipes for Wood's Metal. EACH different concoction had a melting point one degree higher. And I think it started at 141°F.... I found some on Amazon that melts at 158°F.... Thanks again for your great videos. ..

[@willybee3056]

Pete S. THANKS for the reply. In the machine shop, in order to turn a thin walled tube, we would first bore and grind the inside if needed. AND then fill the bore with Wood's Metal. Because it does not take much heat to melt, it does not shrink when cooled. Then we would turn the outside of the part . And would melt out the Wood's Metal with hot tap water... I see where Amazon is selling it for 25 bucks a pound.... At those prices ,, we played with thousands of $ of the stuff,,,

[@bigbadjohn10]

The recessed type would also be good for places like houses, hotels etc where protection is wanted but without the sprinkler heads being visible at all times.

[@ChoppingtonOtter]

Fascinating! I remember first ever seeing these in Woolworths when I was a kid in the early 70s and being been curious about them.

[@richardpowell84]

Ones under lower pressure [bigger bubbles] will take more heat for it to reach the pressure needed to break the glass. Little bubble ones go off at lower temps, because they are under more initial pressure.

[@mauricewalshe8339]

Years ago (80's) I worked for a RnD place that was doing research into improving the efficiency of these sprinkler systems - I built a system using exotic Ferranti A0 digitizer to digitize photos of the sprinkler cloud.

[@PlasmaHH]

I always thought that the concealed ones simply pop open due to the water pressure. The image you showed is used in other languages wikipedias. The colour/temperature is usually chosen to be ~30°C over expected ambient temperature, so if you are in a machine shop doing something hot you better get a blue or violet one. It obviously is a bad idea to have a flammable liquid in there. I would not be surprised if it was just water. Interesting other facts: There are dry systems that are filled with air and only when it pops the air gets out and water comes after it. This can be coupled with other detection systems that open the water valve only in certain conditions.

[@darkangle16]

Those sprinklers with the white cover are mostly cosmetic and used in certain areas of a building.Just like certain colored sprinklers are used for other types of rooms.

[@darkangle16]

Also the tops of the sprinklers dictate on where the water goes,i.e the radios aroubd the sprinkler.Also there are ones that allow the water to go in one direction in radios.

[@LNC4P]

The reason why there are different temperature vials is because there are different purposes of fire detection/suppressant systems. For example, your living room will mainly stay at a relatively low temp while your attic will be normally at a higher temp and also your kitchen may have a higher temp still.

[@dailytransparencywithcovid4666]

Sprinkler fitter with union local 821 here to drop some knowledge on yall. The liquid inside of the capsule is mercury and yes, the bubble does control when the head explodes. Depending on what environment the head will be used in depends on what head is to be installed. For instance, a 155 degree head, ie the red one is used in commonplace where it typically wont be exposed to high temperatures while a green one or a 200 head would be used in say, a power room because if may be exposed to extra heat and you dont want it to go off on accident and short anything. You have 3 main types of sprinkler heads, concealed heads, the one with the plate (called an excussion) an upright sprinkler head and a pendant head. When it ruptures the water is under pressure and hits the head and spreads the water.

[@ericcarabetta1161]

134.6 °F 154.4 °F 174.2 °F 199.4 °F 285.8 °F 359.6 °F

[@mat2941]

Eric Carabetta lol

[@Anvilshock]

Those numbers mean nothing to me ...

[@samuelruiz7377]

Mr.Noodle _ thanks for the freedom translation

[@synchronizeddissonance6243]

Weak.

[@gamingcujo9443]

I was confused by this comment til I realized dude was translating temperatures for the Mericans lol

[@mman454]

I’ve heard of the higher temperature sprinkler heads being used in data centers or server rooms of large businesses. In that case, they would have a halon system as the first means of fire suppression. If that were to fail to put the fire out, then the sprinkler heads would go off.

[@mman454]

Michele Marie Dalene You are right that halon was phased out of production, but you can still obtain recycled halon to recharge existing systems. Some systems do use pressurization of a room with nitrogen, but my understanding is that halon and it’s replacements like FM200, FE25, and NOVEC 1230 are more common.

[@johncundiss9098]

I think residential applications cause issues. Residential homes by themselves are alot of times left completely alone and there is no way to turn off the sprinklers once fire is out. Where as commercial buildings, apartments, places where there is always people, there is someone around to deal with the water once it starts.

[@volvomad]

Clive - the very slack threads on that enclosure appear to allow the water pressure to blow the cover off.

[@joelwatts9042]

If you mounted an led where the glass vial was, would make a cool lamp. Maybe several on different arms each projecting the diverter pattern on the walls and ceiling.

[@SuperFredAZ]

I have them in my house in Scottsdale, AZ. The pipes carrying water are just schedule 40 pvc pipes.

[@AlaaIssa]

In the one with the white cap, i don't think there's any sort of alloy that melts or anything like that. Simply when the vile is heated it breaks allowing the water flow to push the deflector which in turn pushes the cap off. The cap contact-points with the base must be easily breakable i'm guessing. I'm also guessing is that the lowest temperature rated capsule is used in this sprinkler since the metal base and white cover would deflect some, if not most, of the heat away.

[@swallin19]

I remember a story from Val Guest, the film director, who first met the Crazy Gang in 1937, they were all standing in the film studio, staring at a sprinkler on the ceiling. Bud Flanagan said shush, they were doing a sweepstake on when it would go off, as they had lit a fire in the storage room next door....nearest took the pot

[@jerremm]

The size of the bubble might be controlled by the strength of the vacuum. For example if you draw 90% vacuum, there will remain a bubble of 10% * the chamber volume. Just a guess.

[@bmatt2626]

If not for the color, you could make ampules with relatively random-sized bubbles, and sort them by weight.

[@newjerseybill3521]

Not sure I would trust Chinese quality and tolerances for a life safety appliance. :(

[@valrina]

Well they control the bubble by adding different amounts of fluid💯

[@antreaskonstantinou8585]

I love old devices. Because they didnt have the technology at the time they used physics and chemistry. For example take a look at these sprinklers. Also in old rice cookers we took advantage of the fact that when a magnet is heated up it looses its magnetism and it acts as a thermal switch. There are other things too like fluorescent light bulbs or crt Televisions

[@zilog357]

Hey! Thank you for the great information as always. I always wondered how those things work. Did you notice? It is easy to say which color will act faster than the other by association, as they happen to be aligned to energy amount. Purple = highest temperature, Purple light = highest frequency. Red = lowest temperature. Red light = lowest frequency. And the same with all the other colors.

[@deathdrummer1019]

Im guessing the sprinkler head is filled with colored alcohol within different vacuums designed to hit the boiling point at different temperatures depending on the vacuum and then shatter the glass with when it becomes positive pressure due to the steam "my guess" BTW i believe the bubble size would change depending on the vacuum.. higher the vacuum the larger the bubble

[@onafehts]

Well, I was in the office yesterday and they installed one of these. I even mentioned it... 24hour later this pops up... Suspicious work Android phone

[@maxpayne438]

Great video clive, didn't know how they worked.

[@terry987654]

you have got to test one out. take one outside fully assembled rig up a garden hose and light a fire underneath it.

[@UKMonkey]

I'd put money that the cover doesn't melt off because of an alloy - but is pushed off by the water once the glass has broken.

[@TMACLE10]

I had a fire sprinkler ad on this video 😂

[@THESEASONE416]

I am a high rise plumber in toronto and i love my black carhart overalls and i have also tried to remove a seinkler head once and it blew ans flooded floors hahaha luckily i knew how to shut off the water

[@easydoz1]

Everyone talking about stagnant water... They should of installed a drain pipe used to flush all the pipes. And keep the water fresh.

[@XSpImmaLion]

Odd bit of information/curiosity: Here in Brazil, most places don't have these. Perhaps in factories, but my apartment building for instance does not have a sprinkler system, neither did my previous, or ones from friends I visited and family. And we also don't have smoke/gas leak detectors. Perhaps some hotels, specially if they are international names. Not entirely sure why these never caught on here. There have been some tragic fires and incidents on highly populated buildings and clubs in the country before, but I've never seen a push towards making them part of regulation. In a couple of weeks I'm going to a condominium sponsored firefighter day of training that according to regulations all condominium staff are supposed to have, and better if part of apartment owners also do. There's also all these regulations around fire extinguishers, fireproof door access and maintenance, among other stuff... but oddly enough, no mention of sprinklers and detectors.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

Silly Clive not wearing safety glasses! **tisk, tisk, tisk** :P

[@bigclivedotcom]

+Robert Gaines I always wear glasses. But safety ones, but still tough enough to defect most low velocity missiles.

[@StevieCooper]

I’ve genuinely always wondered about these things! KZbin isn’t always just a time wasting exercise. For me anyway. Thanks for everything you do Clive 🏳️‍🌈😉

[@hunterstokes7113]

hahaha i thought the picture of the pants was a diagram for the sprinkler. it makes sense that a glass tube would seat on that cone shape (witch was the crotch of the pants) and the water pressure would push it down keeping it sealed and when the glass broke the pressure would push everything out of the way. But nope its just pants.

[@rasmis]

Could you perhaps do a test, where you place the vials in an oven with a thermometer, to check if they actually burst at the specified temperatures?

[@FusionDeveloper]

Cool, I always thought these were much more complicated with electronic components and temp sensors.

[@anchorbait6662]

That's awesome. I watched the same Ave video you were referring to. He made some good points. Maybe you could test the lazers

[@KageShi]

All the systems I've seen use only air pressure to hold back a master valve. When one pops the water hammer effect views out the rest on that leg. I'm unsure if a normal water main can drive these you normally see an 8-12 inch main valve on such systems in commercial systems.

[@tiikoni8742]

3:15 Those blue and purple ones are used for example in public saunas where near 100'C temperatures are normal.

[@psirvent8]

Can you send a picture please ? I have actually never seen fire sprinklers in saunas.

[@tiikoni8742]

Hmm, never thought about taking picture of fire sprinkler heads :-) And people wouldn't be very happy someone waving camera in public saunas, haha :-D I do not install these myself or anything, I've just seen them and paid attention to different, non-red color of the liquid inside. Last time I saw these in sauna of a cruise ship from Helsinki to Stockholm. Google image search for 'fire sprinkler in sauna' brings up some pictures but unfortunately I can't provide any of my own.

[@deltacx1059]

over in the us they sometimes have galium in place of the vial

[@bubba99009]

The 58C is really low - surprised any of them are set to go off at that temp. If you had a bunch of computers running in a closed room you could hit that temp. Surprising how much variation there is there on the trigger temp. Apparently they go all the way up to 650F at least. That is a hot room.

[@khirasier]

yea you wouldnt want those red ones in australia or you would have sprinklers going off left and right in the summer, and those super high temperature ones i would take a wager are for large commercial kitchens especially near grills and stoves as commercial kitchens do get very very hot.

[@badthesolguy4057]

For a moment, I thought Clive modded some sprinklers, making them spit fire instead of water. I'm almost disappointed

[@dandel351]

Nice to know that you and good ol' uncle Bumblefuck are referencing each others work now . I'd love to see a video with both of you in it.

[@gristlevonraben]

very cool, I was curious how they worked too. Thank you!

[@TheRustAdmin]

the liquid is just coloured water for cheapness. It's purely air pressure I expect :)

[@thepurdychannel8866]

The different colours of the fluid inside which is alcohol or mercury just like in a thermometer depends on what temperature it goes off at red is the lowest blue is medium and black is the highest

[@nilz__]

@4:30 I think the pressure of the water will shoot the "drop down system" out at such force that it will knock the lid off, rather than the lid melting off. and @7:40 did you really think you could light the fluid, that's inside a vial that is supposed to break when a fire is going on? :)

[@AntroOMEGA]

I got an ad for fire sprinklers by blazemaster? Relevant marketing I guess.

[@unmanaged]

"Trigger element for a sprinkler US 4938294 A ABSTRACT The response time of the trigger elements of permanently installed glass barrel sprinkler installations can be shortened by the use of special expanding liquids having a low heat capacity coupled with rapid heat absorption. In particular, lower alkyl homologs of benzene such as, for example, toluene and o-xylene, or halogen derivatives of hydrocarbons such as, for example, tetrachloroethylene, are more suitable for this purpose than the hitherto used expanding liquids based on alcohols. However, aliphatic hydrocarbons of medium chain length, lower cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons, esters of ketocarboxylic acids and simple lower ketones can also be used. The fast response of the glass barrel sprinklers allows fires to be fought at an earlier stage and reduces the water requirement and hence the installation costs."

[@misium]

This was better than AvE's episode

[@bigclivedotcom]

I like to think that every video on the same subject just adds to a wider knowledge.

[@Ajengineering]

Super video sir

[@brickley2000]

I always thought they were some sort of wax pellet. HEY,.....my mom was wrong and I did learn something from my time on the internet.

[@leerobinson8709]

I wonder if the bubble is there because of air compresses. The bigger the bubble, the more compression therefore the higher the temperature for which it can stand before the capsule bursts? The colours are purely there to indicated its failure point rather than any affect on its failure point?

[@lumpyfishgravy]

"I'm tempted to light it" lol. The Roadies' Creed says you should drink it tho.

[@Greameable]

You likely could check the spray shape/pattern by putting them on the end of a garden hose. They probably fit.

[@throttlebottle5906]

if he used an adapter yes, most common sprinklers are 1/2"-14 TPI thread(what he has), there are large volume/GPM (gallons per minute) with 3/4"-14 TPI thread but not used nearly as often. and garden hose is 3/4"-11.5 TPI(threads per inch) so no go threading together :)

[@Greameable]

British standard hose is generally 14tpi actually.

[@throttlebottle5906]

and I hate to say, but "brits" are a splash upon the overall garden hose market. not being an arsehat just funny

[@Greameable]

But he lives in the Isle of Man (In the British Isles)

[@throttlebottle5906]

doesn't matter IRL, because they are still 1/2" vs 3/4" , the thread pitch was not needed 100% ;)

[@MaltaMcMurchy]

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@DualorProductions]

RIP Clive, killed by ominous red liquid ;D

[@Culturedropout]

"This was kinda predictable, wasn't it...?" ROFL Oh, Clive.

[@povvercrazy]

I think Andrew @backofficeshow would look good with a sprinkler necklass !!

[@Forty1Performance]

I thought so many times he was going to just break it with his hands