How to Determine the Right Connection for Fire Sprinklers

 

Pipes and fittings for fire protection devices and equipment are typically made of carbon steel or ductile iron. When it comes to manufacturing high-quality and robust fire fighting systems, the best material for pipe fittings is stainless steel. However, the material is not the only factor that matters. To ensure the robustness, structural integrity, and proper working of a fire protection device, you also need to choose the right type of connection.

To connect fire pipes and fittings, four types of connections can be used, namely:

·        Grooved connection

·        Flange connection

·        Butt-weld connection

·        Threaded connection

 Butt-weld connections are used in fire sprinklers that are not internally coated with anti-corrosive coating. However, you need to make sure that the welding work must be done according to relevant guidelines, standards, and specifications.

If fire pipe material is hot-dip galvanized, a butt-weld connection is not recommended. While making connections in an automatic sprinkler system, you should never use butt-weld connections. Instead, you should opt for thread connections, flange connections, and grooved connections.

Thread connections are suitable for galvanized fire sprinkler pipes with a diameter less than 100mm. It is worth noticing that there is nothing specified about not using the threaded connection for automatic sprinkler systems in the case of pipe diameter more than 100mm.

If the pipe material in fire pipeline water supply systems is galvanized steel and the diameter is more than 100 mm, you can use groove connections or flange connections. One should keep in mind that the flange and groove connections should be used at a certain distance on the pipe with a diameter greater than 100 mm.

To make groove connection, it is recommended to use stainless steel grooved fittings as they are corrosion resistant, robust, and have higher strength and durability.

What You Should Know About Groove Connections

While making a groove connection, you need to consider the diameter and pressure of the groove joint for fire pipes. The groove depth and the groove connection must conform to the requirements specified for the groove-type pipe joint.

The maximum working pressure for a grooved pipe joint with a nominal diameter DN250 or less is 2.5MPa. On the other hand, for a grooved pipe joint with a nominal diameter of DN300 or more, the maximum working pressure is 1.6 MPa.

While making a groove connection, a professional connects fitting through a groove on the pipe end without damaging the internal wall of the pipeline. However, it is not possible in the case of welding or flange connections because they damage the internal coatings. Thus, with welding and flange connections, one will need to fix the internal damage.

 

Fire pipe groove connection is also known as clamp connection. This connection is the most recommended connection type for liquid and gas pipe systems, especially in fire sprinkler pipe systems.