Call the fire department if the alarm is sounding, and let your sprinkler contractor or the building's responsible person close the control valve. Then call (413) 603-1274. We remove the water and dry every floor it reached.
Why sprinkler pipes burst in winter
Wet sprinkler systems are full of water at all times. Any branch line in an unheated attic, stairwell, loading dock, canopy or exterior wall can freeze in a Chicopee cold snap. When it splits, it releases a lot of water fast, and it keeps going until someone closes the control valve. Dry systems and antifreeze loops fail too when drains are not maintained or the antifreeze is weak.
In larger buildings the water often travels through several floors and units before anyone finds the source. Mill conversions, apartment complexes, condos, schools and churches are all common sites.
What to do right now
- Keep people safe. Stay away from wet electrical rooms and sagging ceilings.
- Close the sprinkler control valve. Only a trained person should do this, and the fire department and your sprinkler contractor need to know. A closed system means the building is not protected.
- Cut power to affected areas if water reached panels, lights or equipment.
- Tell every unit or tenant below to check their ceilings and move belongings.
- Photograph the break, the water and every affected unit before cleanup.
- Call us. (413) 603-1274.
Fire sprinkler piping is life-safety equipment and is repaired and recertified by a licensed sprinkler contractor. We handle the water removal and the drying of the building and coordinate with your sprinkler company so the system is back in service as quickly as possible.
What we do
- Map the water. Moisture readings floor by floor and unit by unit, so nothing wet is missed.
- Extract standing water. Pumps and extractors on every affected floor.
- Remove what cannot be saved. Soaked ceiling tiles, insulation and carpet pad.
- Dry the structure. Large dehumidifiers and air movers sized to the space.
- Document. Photos and daily moisture logs for the owner, the association and the insurers.
Buildings with sprinklers in Chicopee
Chicopee has a lot of large old buildings: mill conversions along the Chicopee River and the canal, apartment complexes, townhouse and condo communities, schools, churches and business parks near Westover. Many have long sprinkler runs through unheated stairwells, attics and loading areas. One frozen branch line in a cold snap can affect dozens of units.
Who pays
In a condo or apartment building, the association's or owner's master policy usually responds to building damage, and each resident's own policy covers their belongings. Read condo water damage and apartment water damage. General information only.
Sprinkler water is not clean water
Water that sits in sprinkler pipes for years is dark, can smell, and may carry rust, scale and, in some systems, antifreeze. When a sprinkler pipe breaks, that water stains ceilings, carpet and furniture and has to be treated as dirtier than a burst tap water line. Ceiling tiles and insulation it soaks usually have to go. Hard surfaces need cleaning, not just drying.
Before the system is turned back on
A fire sprinkler system protects the building, so it should be out of service for as short a time as possible. Repairs to the sprinkler piping itself, and putting the system back in service, are handled by a fire protection contractor, and the building owner or manager is often required to notify the fire department while a system is down. Our job is the water: extraction, removing what is ruined, drying the building and documenting the damage, while the sprinkler contractor handles the system. Ask your fire protection company or the Chicopee Fire Department about notice rules for your building.
Preventing a winter break
- Keep heat on in stairwells, attics, loading areas and anywhere sprinkler pipe runs
- Check that dry systems in unheated areas are drained of condensation before winter
- Keep doors to unheated spaces closed in a cold snap
- Have the system inspected on schedule
Sprinkler burst questions
How much water does a burst sprinkler pipe release?
A lot, quickly. A sprinkler line runs at system pressure and keeps flowing until the control valve is closed, which can soak several floors in minutes.
Can tenants stay in the building?
It depends on which units are wet, whether power is safe and whether the fire protection is back in service. The building owner and fire officials make that call.
How do we stop it happening again?
Keep heat in every space with sprinkler piping, keep doors to stairwells and attics closed, and have your sprinkler contractor check dry-system drains and antifreeze before winter.
Sprinkler burst in your building? Call now
Call (413) 603-1274 now. Locally owned in Chicopee. See also commercial water damage and areas we serve.