Whether you own or manage a building that is made up of several floors installation of the right kind of fire suppression system is crucial. In recent years in the UK, the number of deaths related to fires in multiple floor buildings has been highlighted. One of the main components of a good fire suppression system in such buildings is a dry riser.
However, as you aren’t a qualified fire officer you probably aren’t sure what a dry riser is. So to help you we are going to provide an explanation as to what they are and why you need them.
What Is A Dry Riser?
This is a main vertical pipe that is used to help distribute water to various different floors within a building as part of its fire suppression system. The pipe when not in use doesn’t contain any water, unlike the other type the “wet standpipe or riser” system. In a wet riser system, the pipes are full of water to be used for either manual or automatic operations when fire fighting.
Along with the pipes, a dry riser system includes valves that also are placed on every floor within the building. Any dry riser installation in Middlesex is made up of just three components. These components are as follows:
- External Inlets – Firefighters need to be able to access these easily in an emergency
- Pipework – When not in use the pipes are pumped full of compressed air, then in an emergency the air gets released allowing water to flow through them
- Outlet Points – These particular components are located on the upper floors of a building to allow firefighters easy access to water when a fire occurs
Any dry riser installation in Middlesex by law is now required to have adequate fire engine access. This means that fire engines should be able to get within 18 meters of the inlet box of any dry riser system.
When Are Dry Risers Needed?
Today in the UK as per national building regulations any building that stands more than 18 meters in high or has floors that are more than 10 meters below ground have to be provided with a fire fighting shaft and rising main. The height is measured from where the fire brigade has access to the top floor in the building.
Why You Need A Dry Riser
As you can see above the right kind of dry risers installed in a building can prove very effective in helping to combat fires should they occur in the future. But you may be wondering why you may need a dry riser system installed in your premises in Middlesex. Well below are just some of the reasons why installation of such is necessary.
- Dry risers are now a building regulation requirement as set out in Building Regulations Approved Document B (Fire Safety) for any building over 18 meters tall
- Dry risers are required where access is limited or where buildings are made up of various compartments for example car parks, hospital corridors or basements made up of several different levels
- You may find that your insurance company are unwilling to provide insurance if you haven’t got the correct kind of fire prevention system installed within the building
- Will help to provide the right level of protection against fires for the whole building
As you can see above it is very important that if you own or manage any building that has multiple floors and occupation in Middlesex then installation of a good dry riser fire suppression system is crucial.
If you would like to find out more about the kinds of dry riser installation in Middlesex that are now available then please call us here at ResidentialSprinklers.co.uk on 0208 864 3914. Alternatively, you can email us at info@residentialsprinklers.co.uk or by completing our online enquiry form. We will then arrange for a member of our team to call you to discuss your requirements further.
