SAFETY FIRST!!!!

My friend Pheenyx's son turns 6 this weekend. 5 days ago, this smart young man looked around their house and says, "I wish there were sprinklers in this house, to put out fires," much to Pheenyx's delight. As a former firefighter and a current fire protector design engineer, he knows the ins and outs of sprinkler systems and their benefits.

I was reminded of his son's words when I woke up this morning and found myself staring at the sprinkler above my bed. I stood up, on my bed, and snapped this picture. Then I asked Pheenyx for some information about it.

Here is what I now know about the sprinkler system in my house.

It is a Viking model M4, 155 deg F, quick response, residential, 4.3K X 1/2" thread, semi-recessed sprinkler. It is designed for the lower water pressures in residential applications, but sprays further, using less water. The sprinklers in my apartment are not a deluge system, if one goes off, the others will not go off unless the fire spreads to that area.

There are sprinklers in every room except the bathrooms, and my kitchen/dining area has 3.

Here's the product description from the manufacturer(received from a PDF file sent to me by Pheenyx, such a fire safety geek :P):

Viking's FreedomTM Residential Pendent
Sprinkler SIN VK430 is a small,
high-sensitivity, glass-bulb residential
sprinkler available in several finishes
and temperature ratings to meet design
requirements.

The orifice design, with a K-Factor of
4.3, allows efficient use of available water
supplies for hydraulically designed
fire-protection systems. The fast response
glass bulb and special deflector
combine speed of operation and areas
of coverage to meet residential sprinkler
standards. During fire conditions, the
heat-sensitive liquid in the glass bulb expands,
causing the glass to shatter, releasing
the pip cap and sealing spring
assembly. Water flowing through the
sprinkler orifice strikes the sprinkler deflector,
forming a uniform spray pattern
to extinguish or control the fire.

The Technical Data:
Glass-bulb fluid temperature rated to
-65 °F (-55 °C).
Rated to 175 psi (1 207 kPa) water working
pressure.
Factory tested hydrostatically to 500 psi
(3 448 kPa).
Testing: U.S.A. Patent No. 4,831,870
Thread Size: ½" (15 mm) NPT
Nominal K-Factor: 4.3 U.S. (6,2 metric*)
* Metric K-Factor shown is for use when pressure is
measured in kPa. When pressure is measured in
BAR, multiply the metric K-Factor shown by 10.0.
Overall Length: 2-1/4" (56,2 mm)

Thank you, Pheenyx!!