Rising to the Occasion: Utilizing Upright Sprinkler Heads for Efficient Fire Suppression

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A well-maintained and properly installed fire sprinkler system is one of the most effective ways to protect a building and its occupants from the dangers of an uncontrolled fire. While many people assume that all fire sprinkler systems have the same basic design, different fire sprinkler heads are specialized to tackle certain scenarios and challenges. 

From concealed head fire sprinklers with a more discreet and aesthetically pleasing profile to sidewall fire sprinkler heads, which are useful in locations where ceiling installation would be impractical, you can find sprinkler heads that will offer efficient and effective fire suppression for your property. 

Today, we will explore upright sprinkler heads. More specifically, we will explain how they work and how they can offer practical and efficient fire suppression for your property’s unique needs.

We will also introduce the Shutgun, an essential tool for quickly and easily deactivating fire sprinkler heads so you don’t need to deal with the costly consequences of widespread water damage

What Are Upright Fire Sprinkler Heads? 

As the name suggests, upright fire sprinkler heads are specialized sprinkler heads designed to be installed in an upwards-pointing direction. Unlike more traditional pendant fire sprinkler heads, which are pointed downwards and hang from pipes along the ceiling, upright sprinkler heads are designed to project water upwards and outwards. 

How they expel water makes them more effective in scenarios where obstacles like beams, ducts, or vents obscure piping along the ceiling. Since the sprinkler head is pointed upwards, the water is propelled upwards, then cascades down in a more widespread pattern, giving the ejected water more opportunity to extinguish any flames in the vicinity. 

What Are the Benefits of Upright Sprinkler Heads? 

Like other sprinkler heads, upright sprinkler heads have advantages that can make them better suited for certain situations. The following are just some of the features that make them a practical and functional option for the needs of certain fire sprinkler systems: 

1. Widespread Water Distribution

As mentioned, upright sprinkler heads are designed to disperse water upwards so that it falls in all directions. The dome-shaped pattern of the cascading water helps cover a wide area. In addition to covering more of the ground than other types of sprinkler heads, the water is forced upwards, extinguishing any flames that may cover the ceiling. 

If you have a large room that requires more comprehensive coverage than a space with smaller dimensions, like a hallway, a series of upright fire sprinkler heads might be a more practical solution than traditional downward-facing fire sprinkler heads. 

2. Versatile Installation Capabilities

Upright fire sprinkler heads can be a practical workaround for ceilings with various obstructions, like ventilation shafts, industrial fans, or exposed HVAC systems. This partially explains why they are commonly used in industrial properties like factories and warehouses. 

Since they spread water out in a wider direction, they are also a good option for higher ceilings. Fewer sprinkler heads can cover more floor space when you choose upright sprinkler heads. Not only does this mean they provide better coverage, but they can also do so without using as much water, making them a more water-efficient option in certain types of buildings. 

3. Ease of Installation

Since they are mounted on the top of water supply pipes rather than beneath them, they are much easier to install and maintain, especially if the ceiling is crowded with other structural elements. 

Top-mounted sprinkler heads are also easier to inspect and maintain in buildings with high ceilings. Again, this makes them a more practical option for industrial buildings with high ceilings. 

Preventing Water Damage with Upright Sprinkler Heads 

While upright fire sprinkler heads can certainly offer effective and efficient fire suppression capabilities, it is always worth mentioning that they can also cause property damage when they are allowed to run at inappropriate times. 

Whether they are expelling water as a result of a misfire or accidental activation, leaking due to impact damage or corrosion, or simply running after a fire has been successfully extinguished, the uncontrolled flow of water can lead to significant and extremely costly water damage to the property and its contents. 

When left uncontrolled, the water flowing from any type of sprinkler head, including upright fire sprinkler heads, can cause serious structural damage to ceilings, walls, floors, and more. Not only can the immediate damage to the property and the equipment and inventory housed within be costly, but the unseen long-term damages can be just as bad.

Pooling water can cause mold and mildew to spread, compromising the structural integrity of the entire building and leading to health and safety issues for those working inside of it. 

How Can the Shutgun Help? 

The Shutgun offers a reliable and affordable solution to the destructive and costly water damage an uncontrolled fire sprinkler head can cause. 

This relatively simple tool immediately shuts off the flow of water from the activated or leaking sprinkler head, putting a rapid stop to water that would otherwise be destructive and expensive to clean up. 

The Shutgun is designed for straightforward, one-hand operation, meaning it can even be used from a ladder or scissor lift. This makes deactivating even the most hard-to-reach upright fire sprinkler heads possible. 

Shutguns are also incredibly versatile, with models explicitly designed to handle various fire sprinkler heads, including concealed and upright head models. To help ensure that you have the correct number and types of Shutguns for your property’s unique needs, we highly recommend building your own Custom Shutgun Case

Once you have the correct Shutguns for your needs, you can distribute them throughout the building by mounting one within reach of every fire extinguisher. This way, you will know where they are at all times, and they will always be within close reach in an emergency. 

We recommend using the Shutgun Wall Mount and the Laminated Instruction Cards to make this easier. Rather than scrambling to locate the Shutgun and its instructions, you will always be able to reach both quickly. Given that a single fire sprinkler head can release upwards of 60 gallons of water per minute, you do not want to waste precious minutes searching for your tools! 

Final Words 

Upright sprinkler heads can offer unique advantages, but it is also important to remember that each type of sprinkler head can be useful for different situations. To ensure that you are using the correct type of sprinkler heads for your property’s fire protection needs, we always recommend scheduling a professional fire sprinkler system inspection and assessment

We also highly recommend mitigating the risks of serious water damage by investing in the Shutgun today! Get yours by clicking the link below: 

Find the Right Shutgun for Me

Concealed Sprinkler Head Shut Off Tools – What Is the Best Choice?

Close up of fire sprinkler head on ceiling of building

A well-maintained fire sprinkler system is one of the most important pieces of fire safety equipment any business can have. Designed to protect lives and property at all hours, your fire sprinkler system can be the difference between catastrophic losses and a small-scale incident. 

With that said, fire sprinkler systems can misfire, start leaking due to physical damage or corrosion, or even be accidentally activated. When these scenarios unfold, being able to deactivate the fire sprinkler head quickly can help you and your business avoid tens of thousands of dollars in water damage. 

Today, we will explore the importance of having the right tools to shut off fire sprinkler heads when they are not needed. More specifically, we will cover the best option for shutting off concealed sprinkler heads—the Concealed Head Shutgun

What Are Concealed Fire Sprinkler Heads? 

As the name suggests, concealed fire sprinkler heads are a unique type of sprinkler head that is designed to blend into the ceiling or wall where it is attached. The lower profile and solid covering make them more aesthetically pleasing than traditional fire sprinkler heads, which have a very industrial and noticeable profile.

Their more inconspicuous profile makes them popular in customer-facing businesses and residential buildings, like hotels, offices, showrooms, and condominium buildings. Essentially, any type of business or residential building where maintaining a clean and professional appearance is important will often opt for concealed fire sprinkler heads over the alternatives. 

How Do Concealed Fire Sprinkler Heads Work?

Basically, the sprinkler head itself remains behind a decorative cover plate. When a fire is detected, the cover plate drops, allowing the sprinkler behind it to expel water more effectively. 

While their concealed design certainly gives them a more attractive appearance than a typical fire sprinkler head, the fact that they remain behind a cover plate can make them more challenging to manage if the sprinkler starts to leak or is accidentally activated.

This is why it is so important to invest in a shut-off tool specifically designed to handle the unique challenges a concealed fire sprinkler head creates

Why Is It Important to Shut Off Fire Sprinkler Heads Quickly? 

Given that a single fire sprinkler head can release up to 60 gallons of water in a single minute, it’s incredibly important that they are shut off as quickly as possible when they are not needed. Whether caused by some form of accidental activation or a severe leak due to physical damage, the resulting water damage can be incredibly expensive

Not only can water damage electrical equipment and inventory, but the long-term damage to ceilings, walls, and flooring can also be disastrous.

In businesses that house critical pieces of equipment or high-end buildings outfitted with expensive furnishings, the water damage caused by a running fire sprinkler head could even exceed the damages caused by a small fire, which is why it’s also important to deactivate a running sprinkler head as soon as it has successfully extinguished the flames that triggered it. 

Mitigating Water Damage Risks with a Concealed Head Shutgun 

Rather than waiting for first responders or a trained maintenance crew, giving yourself the right tools to shut off running fire sprinkler heads is incredibly important. 

The Concealed Head Shutgun was specifically designed to handle fully concealed sprinkler heads, which can be the most difficult and time-consuming to deactivate using conventional tools. Rather than fidgeting with a screwdriver and vice grip, our unique Concealed Head Shutgun addresses the unique challenges posed by concealed head sprinklers in the easiest way possible. 

The following are just some of the benefits that explain why it stands out as the premier option for concealed head sprinkler systems: 

One-Hand Operation

Like the original Shutgun Fire Sprinkler Head Shut-Off Tool, our concealed head version of the Shutgun can be operated with a single hand. This allows trained personnel to safely and effectively use the tool from a ladder or awkward angle, enhancing safety and the speed with which it can be used. 

Tailor Made for Concealed Head Sprinklers

Unlike low-quality, generic sprinkler head shut-off tools, our Concealed Head Shutgun was explicitly designed to overcome the challenges posed by these more discreet sprinkler heads. For starters, the longer probe of this type of Shutgun was engineered to reach into the small opening of the water source, which is recessed inside the body of the sprinkler head. No more struggling to reach; simply deactivate the sprinkler head with a tool made for the job! 

Compact and Portable

Like the other Shutgun variations, the Concealed Head Shutgun was designed to be carried with ease and used in tight spaces. The compact design also means you can discreetly distribute them throughout your property, ensuring quick access to the tool when needed.

In fact, we recommend building a Custom Shutgun Case to ensure you have the right number and variety of Shutguns for your exact needs. Once you have the appropriate type and number of Shutguns, you can use the Shutgun Wall Mount to position one Shutgun with each fire extinguisher. 

To learn more about how the Concealed Head Shutgun works and why it is superior to the few alternatives out there, we highly recommend watching the following video: Concealed Head Shutgun Training Video

Why Should You Invest in the Concealed Head Shutgun? 

When you consider the fact that the Concealed Head Shutgun is a low-cost tool that addresses an incredibly costly issue, it is one of the better investments you can make in your business. 

In a situation where a fire sprinkler head is expelling water rapidly, do you really want to find yourself fumbling for tools or trying to figure out how to use what’s in your toolbox to try and address the situation? Of course not. You want a quick, simple-to-use solution that will actually work. 

Another unique advantage of the Shutgun is that the tool is equipped with a built-in fusible link that will release if it is exposed to temperatures exceeding 164°F (73°). This ensures that the fire sprinkler system will continue to remain operational in the event of a real fire. 

So, if your fire sprinkler head was activated accidentally, you do not have to leave your business unprotected while the Shutgun is attached. Rather than mangle the sprinkler head to deactivate it with tools not designed for the job, you can rest assured that you can quickly and safely turn the sprinkler head off while still maintaining its fire protection capabilities. 

Final Words 

Having the correct shut-off tool is essential if your building relies on concealed sprinkler heads for fire protection. The Concealed Head Shutgun provides a fast, safe, and efficient way to address incidents without compromising your property’s overall fire safety. 

Make sure that you can deal with issues quickly and effectively—place a Concealed Head Shutgun near every fire extinguisher today. Click the link below to learn more and order your own! 

Get My Concealed Head Shutgun

Institutional Shutgun Is Safe Alternative For Correctional, Mental Health Facilities

Accidents involving fire sprinkler heads can be a costly reality facing institutional and correctional facilities today.

Detention and correctional facilities pose unique fire protection design and installation challenges. These types of buildings includes any facility where people are restrained by locks they do not control such as prisons, some mental health facilities and juvenile detention facilities. The fire protection design for these buildings is particularly difficult with concerns including the potential for vandalism to the fire protection equipment and specifically the automatic sprinkler systems themselves.

The “institutional” sprinkler heads used by these types of facilities have been designed to be “tamper resistant” – making them more suitable than other types of sprinkler heads for installation in environments where vandalism is a concern. They are also designed to reduce the likelihood of attaching heavy loads to the device prior to failure; an important feature in correctional or mental health facilities where there is the possibility exists for self inflicted injuries.

The team at Shutgun has developed a new Institutional Shutgun specifically engineered with these types of unique characteristics in mind – it gives facility managers peace of mind of having the proper sprinkler system in place for fire protection and patients’ safety, while shutting down any extensive water damage due to accidental activation.

Secondly, Because many correctional facility employees are not familiar with the workings of sprinklers and how they operate, a high level of confusion exists when vandalism occurs and the sprinkler head activates. Shutgun has made it simple with their trademark, one handed squeeze.

Shutgun will be displaying their prototype of their Institutional Shutgun at the 146th Congress of Correction trade show in Boston, MA from August 7th and 9th at booth #1619 !

sources: Viking Group PDF

Keep your Shutgun Within Easy Reach – new Shutgun Case*

The Shutgun system was designed to respond to emergencies, therefore it needs to be accessible at all times. Ideally, we recommend that you place your equipment in a highly visible, labeled location. But let’s face it, sprinklers don’t discharge every day. So, it is easy for the equipment to be inadvertently placed into a toolbox or into a drawer.

When your sprinklers are accidentally discharged, the last thing you need to worry about is finding your Shutgun. Scrabbling in a drawer or a toolbox for the shut off system increases the risk of damage. Time is of the essence.  Purchasing the Shutgun is the first step to ensure quick shut off occurs, but what if you can’t find the equipment?

That why we’ve recently developed and launched a new Shutgun protective case with space to hold three versions of our Shutgun products.

At Technicraft Product Design, we are continually responding to the unexpected.  We believe that ease of access is as essential as ease of use; and so our new case that not only holds the equipment but is a bright yellow to ensure that you can find it when you need it.

The decision to develop the case was not made lightly. We knew that it wasn’t just about protecting the product, but keeping it of top of mind.  The case needed to be lightweight while ensuring that it could be found within seconds. Yellow/orange is the color frequently associated with danger, and so it subliminally communicates that this is something that we need.

The golden color not only reflects the Shutgun brand but is visible in all lighting conditions, and by those that are colour blind. When those sprinklers are discharged, the last thing you need to worry about is finding your tools,  so we created a case that your eyes will be drawn towards.

The extremely durable, waterproof exterior protects your equipment in the case of water damage or falls. While the interior is designed to hold not just one, but three Shutgun products, ensuring that you have the right product for all sprinkler heads – standard, sheared head or recessed.

Visit our product section to purchase this product online, and fill it with the Shutgun products tailored for your specific building or facility needs.

Shutgun Enhances Online Shopping Experience

A note to our valued customers:

We at Shutgun, have revised our shipping methods and online billing to simplify your purchase transaction experience.

Now, when you populate your cart with multiple items from our product list,  the individual weights of each item are automatically calculated as you progress through your transaction. 

 When you are ready to check out, the weight is compared to a shipping chart and the cost for the postal service is automatically attached so that you can see the total for your transaction including the shipping. 

This saves time and frustration, as well as a few steps.

We thank you for your patience as we strive to make your online purchasing experience as simple, fast and reliable as the Shutgun itself!