Andre, I agree with Mike Watts on accelerators as many just don’t understand them or how they work. Why back in the day when we would install an accelerator we would keep the manufacturers spec sheet as they always towards the back had a trouble shooting section and also a maintenance section that was very helpful to see how to tear them down to clean. But also too many are just in a hurry and don’t clean them out correctly or make sure to wait and remove all the water so it doesn’t build up. Another thing that I used to do was make sure the accelerator did set up 100%. I would disconnect the discharge side and take a cup of water and hold it over the discharge pipe as sometimes in valve rooms it was super loud and I could hold the cup of water and see if any air bubbles were coming out. That way I was sure it was set up 100% or was leaking by a little and I needed to clean it out better. Too many are in a hurry and accelerators should be put back in service or documented on their inspection report as to why and told to the customer.
Matt Bass, CFPS | Technical Program Manager AMZL-GSF-AGL, Fire Protection & Life Safety | Global Reliability Team | WNC6 – North Carolina, USA E: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Wiki: Fire and Life Safety<https://w.amazon.com/bin/view/BaseBuildingManagement/Fire_Life_Safety/#H5ProjectsandPreventive2FCorrectiveActions> Slack: #fire-life-safety-help [cid:[email protected]] From: Mike Watts <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2025 10:48 AM To: Discussion list on issues relating to automatic fire sprinklers <[email protected]> Subject: [EXTERNAL] [Sprinklerforum] Re: Dry valve actuator CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you can confirm the sender and know the content is safe. A lot of times You will find an accelerator valved out and that is totally wrong. The accelerator is there because the system volume. The time it takes to get the water to the outlet in the event of a fire. The accelerator is looking for a 3psi drop in pressure, and it will activate the the system, making a trip faster. Most of them put air pressure on the intermediate chamber, which changes the surface area ratio of the valve and makes the valve open to get water to the fire within the amount of time for the hazard of the area. Most of the time, the accelerator is not the problem. It is something to do with the air supply. Lots of techs are afraid of them because they don't understand them, so they just leave them off. If I recall right nfpa states, they should be monitored i totally agree with monitoring them. Mike Watts Sprinkler Service Manager Firetrol Protection Systems 4616 W. Howard Lane, Suite 700 Austin, TX. 78728 512-687-0115 Office 512‐660-4411 Cell [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ From: Mike Watts <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2025 9:42:59 AM To: Discussion list on issues relating to automatic fire sprinklers <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [Sprinklerforum] Dry valve actuator Are you talking about an accelerator? Mike Watts Sprinkler Service Manager Firetrol Protection Systems 4616 W. Howard Lane, Suite 700 Austin, TX. 78728 512-687-0115 Office 512‐660-4411 Cell [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ From: Andre smilz <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2025 9:04:20 AM To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: [Sprinklerforum] Dry valve actuator What is the purpose of an actuator on a dry valve I've come across so many out of service are they really that difficult to clean out and put back in service? Having a hard time finding info on how to clean them out and put back in service. What is the purpose of an actuator on a dry valve I've come across so many out of service are they really that difficult to clean out and put back in service? Having a hard time finding info on how to clean them out and put back in service.
_________________________________________________________ SprinklerForum mailing list: https://lists.firesprinkler.org/list/sprinklerforum.lists.firesprinkler.org To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
