Automatic Fire Sprinkler System

The automatic fire sprinkler system was one of the earliest sprinkler systems placed into effect. The origin of the modern day automatic sprinkler system dates back to the early 1800’s. The first automatic sprinkler system was created in England in the 1806 by John Carey. It consisted of a pipe with valves held closed by counterweights attached by string. When flames burned through the string the counterweight dropped to the floor, which opened the valve that released the water and extinguished the fire. As the 1800’s progressed, the basic pipe system for sprinklers was becoming more prevalent across England. It began to pop up in textile mills all through out the country. In 1864, as sprinkler system use grew, Major Stewart Harrison of the 1st Engineer (London) Volunteers invented the first automatic sprinkler head. A few years later two gentlemen by the names of Henry Parmelee of Newhaven, Connecticut, and Frederick Grinnell of Providence, Rhode Island, added to the sprinkler head to give it a more practical application. Parmelee took the automatic sprinkler head and added to it a fusible link that broke at about 160oF. This allowed the system to control which heads broke so the whole system wouldn’t drown the whole structure in water, it would only release where there was sufficient heat to break a head. Grinnell invented a head that could withstand higher water pressures without break as well as distribute water more evenly. Each of these inventions increased the efficiency of the systems greatly. Now in today’s modern fire protection era, automatic sprinkler systems are used to protect everyday buildings around the world. It is most commonly in commercial use buildings. This includes but is not limited to schools, hospitals, office buildings, warehouses, and convienent stores. Today’s automatic sprinkler is simple in operation with huge benefits. It operates basically the same as in the late 1800’s, just a bit more efficiently. A fusible link in a sprinkler