Tuesday Home Tips: Flushing Your Home Fire Sprinkler System

[@BonnieHan88]

I just tried flushing the sprinkler system today for the very first time since I bought my house new back in 2004, but the fire sirens failed to turn off after I completed the flush with the valve turned back to off position. I called the fire department and the fireman came and told me i am not supposed to flush the system and told me to never do it again. They couldn't fix the alarm issue and told me I had to call a fire system service company instead. Luckily the fireman was able to at least help me silenced the sirens by turning off the electrical breaker (which unfortunately was also connected to my fridge which means I will have no power for it till problem fixed..). So it wasn't a pleasant experience. The serviceman I called also told me I am not supposed to flush it. So maybe there's different standards and best practice in different state (I am in California)? I had neighbors in the same street with same system installed who did this and was able to complete with no problem. I think what happened in my case is I had a problematic issue in my system (the red box in the video), which got triggered / surfaced when I flushed the system. So the act of flushing wasn't necessarily the problem itself, though it was an unnecessary process I did (at least for my case based on what I was told by fireman and the serviceman) that triggered a problem (one that doesn't really impact it's ability to properly function at time of fire i.e. if the sprinkler system eventually got triggered due to real fire, and the siren failed to stop at that time, would have been fine to just fix and deal with that issue at that point instead of now). It sadly cost me $650 to replace the red box in the picture. Just wanted to share my experience for others as a reference and to consider the risk of triggering other problem (esp. if flushing isn't necessary to begin with). Again this is just my case. Maybe there are some systems that warrants regular flushing. Hope this helps.

[@tyroneharris8345]

Great video, thanks! The pressure gauge on my riser is reading a static of 200 psi. Is that considered too high? I'm concerned about my pipes!

[@TrulyRadiantJ]

That was extremely helpful. Thank you

[@davjamzz9971]

Nice video and informative

[@keeyoni]

Thanks for that tip, I was able to do that maintenance today!

[@gotagent7641]

Hi Sean, I just watched your video and I'd like to ask you about an issue in my home that I want to tackle. Our home was built in 2017 and it has fire sprinkler lines in the attic, main level and basement. We're located in the D.C. Metro area and it doesn't happen very often, but we sometimes do have temperatures that drop well below freezing. That's not a problem per say, but it could be a major problem if we lose power for an extended time with those low temperatures. I'm guessing that it wouldn't take long for the sprinkler pipes to freeze (especially in the attic) and what a mess that would be if any of them burst. One of our neighbors had it happen recently because the coil in their air handler wasn't working and their heat pump wasn't providing enough heat. They've been in a hotel room for the last few months because of the extensive damage to the home. Can you tell me if it's possible to be able to drain our sprinklers in the nightmare event that I mentioned above would happen? In other words, I'd want to drain them if we lose power in a really cold spell and then refill them when the power comes back on. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[@ErikTheGenErik]

Hi Sean. Are there any drawbacks (ie unnecessary wear down) on the sprinkler system or riser if this flush is done weekly?

[@michaellandry9943]

Sean - Question: My house is equipped with a sprinkler system has a regulator attached to my master bath toilet to fill off of the sprinkler system water to keep it fresh - my toilet is slow to fill and a plumber told me I needed to replace the regulator - the home is 6 years old and I seriously doubt that the regulator is bad - would you attempt to increase the pressure on this regulator to add water pressure to fill the toilet tank? What pressure would you suggest? Regards, Mike

[@patrickbecker1147]

How do I shut it off to repair a leak without it filling back up? What is the best way to fix a slow leak at the coupling

[@beentb4805]

How often does it need to be flushed I'm in a Commercial building and having a smell that we pick up every little bit

[@joshanderson924]

Where im from its required to have either a backflow prevention device on the fire sprinkler line to prevent cross contamination of the potable water supply or they have whats called a flow through system which is connected directly to the potable water lines, this ensures they get flushed regularly also prevents people shutting off their sprinkler system because they won't be able to use their other plumbing fixtures.

[@tstreets1835]

You know if you were to block that flow switch that alarm wouldn't go off..🤜🏾🤛🏾..

[@sanctealphonse4510]

This doesn't do anything except flush the system from the water feed to the drain valve. If you want to replace all the water in the system you need to do a drain down (not shown) and then refill. However, this method is good, and recommended, for testing the water flow switch and alarm/bell activation. Water in CPVC systems do not get all cruddy as they do in commercial black steel systems but those are governed by NFPA 25 and are required by the local authortiies to be tested annually. Single family homes, condos etc. designed to NFPA 13D do not fall under NFPA 25 so it's the owner's responsibility to maintain the system.

[@Joaquinf-j6k]

Does the flow switch set off the smoke alarms in the house?

[@seanh2973]

No. There’s just a warning bell that will go off. Smoke alarms are set to go off under different circumstances.

[@ianmitchell1699]

You don’t need to flush your home fire sprinkler sprinkler system unless you don’t want the fire to put out with old water. Just make sure it works and your alarms go off. The pipes are plastic and don’t cored.

[@nunyamarie9044]

I guess it’s everyone’s choice but the manufacturer of our sprinklers had to replace the sprinklers in my home a year after purchasing the house (due to a recall). They advised us to flush the sprinklers annually and left written instructions matching this video. I’ll go with the manufacturer’s instructions.

[@EOE808]

@@nunyamarie9044 friendly reminder to all, nowadays let’s to be a bit more mindful about recycling that water. We’re hurting for it now. We’ll miss it later

[@ironmatic1]

@@nunyamarie9044 He's right. CPVC doesn't need to be flushed of corrosion gunk the way steel pipe in commercial does. Just open to test the flow switch and alarm.

[@patrickbecker1147]

Mine corroded

[@patrickbecker1147]

What if the flush valve does t flush any water out when I turn it

[@rainierfireprotection2993]

This is not necessary to do for the reasons that you provided. Your system is installed using CPVC material which does not promote the growth of bacteria. It is likely also a "stand alone" system in which is has a backflow prevention device so it is completely separate from any other water in your home. It will not contaminate or cause odors due to the material of the pipe, thus no clogs either. If there is for any reason a clog in your system, flushing it in this manner can actually cause you to send the obstruction down in to one of the drops (where the sprinkler head drops down from the branch lines) and thus, the sprinkler head will not deploy if that head goes off due to a fire. This is unlikely to happen due to stagnant water and would only be if some material was left in the pipe such as burr. This should have been flushed out as part of the post-install flush/flow test in front of a fire marshal for the system acceptance, though. If your system is what is known as a "flow through" or "passive purge" where it is tied in with your domestic water, then you are constantly flushing water through the system any time a water device in the home is used like a bath tub, faucet, washer, hose bib, etc. also eliminating the need for yearly flushes. The best and only reason to test your sprinkler in your home every year is simply to make sure it still causes the smoke alarms to sound and if you have it connected to a monitored security system, that they still receive the signal if water flow is detected by the flow switch. Be sure to alert that company before doing the test so they know it is a test and not to dispatch local FD.

[@sanctealphonse4510]

True, but this won't cause debris to get into a drop since he's only flushing from the underground feed to the drain valve. The drops are downstream and the water downstream essentially remains static during this test. I agree w/ everything else you said though.

[@Maximum4security]

Curious…. Did the fire fighters come????

[@prosql]

Unless hooked into a separate alarm system or phoned in by a neighbor because of the exterior alarm, no, they wouldn't come. There is a vane based trigger for the alarm that works off of flow per minute and it triggers the alarm bell/claxon. That *may* be hooked into your whole house alarm system. If it is, then you would want to put that on bypass while doing this flush. It's a good thing to know whether it is/isn't regardless (mine is not).

[@mackenziecohen7131]

It's plastic it doesn't build up sediment it does not turn dirty it stays clean the entire time you don't need to flush a sprinkler system

[@sanctealphonse4510]

You're right but you're supposed to flow water annually to ensure the water flow switch is working as well as the alarm/bell. 13D systems don't fall under NFPA 25 so it's up to the owner to maintain the system. But I agree...flushing is useless though for these systems and in the case of this video he's only flushing the few feet of piping from the water supply to the main drain, not the entire system, which would require a drain down and refill.

[@bluelude2001]

Stinky water is still wet. Stinky water will still contain a fire. No need to flush. Just get it inspected per your local codes and know where to shut it off at (in case of a leak or frozen pipe)

[@miahzzeebest701]

No if you have a fire and one of the sprinklers activates then you’ll be dealing with very nasty dirty even sometimes black moldy water and the damage from fire. Sometimes if you haven’t flushed it, then the shower heads could clog when activated and not even work at all to put the fire out.