DC-powered valve is key to domestic fire safety

Sprinkler systems designed and developed by Nimbus Fire Protection Systems employ 12V floating diaphragm valves from Asco Joucomatic to isolate domestic supplies during sprinkler operation.

Statistics show that over 80% of fires occur in the home, many with fatal consequences.

One effective and increasingly popular answer to this problem is the sprinkler systems designed and developed by Nimbus Fire Protection Systems.

Always primed for immediate response, these systems employ 12V floating diaphragm valves from Asco Joucomatic to isolate domestic supplies during sprinkler operation.

Domestic sprinkler systems are used widely in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand but have, until recently, been slow to take off in the UK.

This situation is now changing due to improved promotion of the benefits of the technology and the realisation that sprinkler systems can make a real contribution to reducing the human cost of fires - in the UK alone two people die each day and over 18,000 people are injured each year in household fires.

One of the most publicised applications of domestic sprinkler systems in the UK came with the building of the Studley Green Estate in Wiltshire.

This site is not only the largest social housing development in the UK to include sprinkler protection, but is also the largest in Europe.

All the sprinkler systems, 212 in total, used in the initial phases 1 and 2 of the Studley project were supplied and installed by Nimbus Fire Protection Systems, a member of the Residential Sprinkler Association (RSA).

Nimbus has been supplying sprinkler systems for over 6 years, the company being granted a patent in 1997 for its "Small bore domestic fire fighting system".

Heading up Nimbus is Malcolm Black, inventor of the small bore system and a founder member of the RSA.

"Now that we have been able to establish a new British Standard for domestic sprinkler systems, costs have come down and system uptake has increased considerably", he said.

"Last year, alone over 30,000 systems were installed in the UK, an uptake that can only result in a reduction in deaths and injuries from fires over the long term.

Let's not forget that all fires start small, but if detected and tackled early enough, they can be controlled with very little water.

Typically a sprinkler discharges 10gal/min.

Compare this in terms of damage caused through water damage, with a fireman's hose discharging 200+ gallons of water per minute".

"All of the equipment used in our small bore fire fighting system has to be Water Authority approved.

This was one of the reasons we decided to use the Asco 210 series of valves for control of domestic supplies.

We also like the fact that the 210 Series is highly resistant to water hammer and has a brass body so corrosion is not a problem.

Also, crucially, the 210 Series can be operated from a 12V supply, which is the procedure when the sprinklers are activated in the event of fire".

"Another major reason for using Asco Joucomatic valves is the excellent technical backup service.

We know that, in the event of any operating difficulties, there is always an expert at the end of the phone".

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