I wonder if someone who could help me with a question regarding a sprinkler system flood in my parent's condo from a failed head.

The head burst during the morning after a snow storm. Their unit is on the top floor, so the pipes are between the ceiling and the building roof. We were concerned that freezing of the pipe may have contributed to the incident in some way.

The home owner's association refused to have the pipes inspected for poor insulation, because the sprinkler company told them that since the pipe didn't burst at the point of the head it wasn't a problem with freezing. They claim a freeze at some point up the line may result in a burst where it was frozen, but not a burst at the head.

I'm trying to determine if this really is good advice.


Thank you

now, what would you expect the sprinkler company to say? mea culpa??
a visual inspection of the burst head will tell alot. without that, you will have to take them at their word.

With all due respect to HOA's, they are mostly made up of residents. Residents know little to nothing about sprinkler systems and what was told to them is ... hearsay at best. You might require expert advice from someone in the Fire Prevention Business... and get it in writing for YOU. You can present a copy of this to the HOA and hope they reconsider, otherwise you might have to seek counsel from a lawyer.

Did the contractor who installed the fire system giving the HOA a warranty of the product after the installation? Will your insurance or the HOA's insurance cover this?

I hope it works out for you in the end.
Best Wishes

This claim about the freezing is coming from the sprinkler company. The HOA is refusing to inspect based on their finding. I don't know how easy it is to inspect the pipes. It's a flat roof, so I don't think there's much if any crawlspace.

Now I'm just trying to determine how likely it is that a freeze up the pipe could have contributed to a burst at the head, to gauge how concerned we should be about this happening again.

And for that very reason I suggested a different Fire Protection expert. Bring them on and let them make the expert evaluation and documentation. You don't have the expertise to evaluate this, but I also realize that you have your opinions.

This could, in theory, happen again if it is not resolve this time.
Best Wishes

Anything reasonable is possible until ruled out following analysis by a credentialed expert.

You need to engage an expert, or the unit owners need to file a claim with their insurance company and let them fight it.

If there is evidence to be preserved, time is of the essence.

If the HOA is uncooperative you may wish to advise them that you will hire a lawyer. The lawyer can file for an injunction to ensure that any damaged pipes, heads, joints, etc. are not disturbed, or at the very least are professionally photographed and videotaped before being secured for expert inspection.

If parties don't know the technology, don't have all the facts, and disagree about the causes, it's unreasonable to expect them to act impartially, since each party has in interest in an outcome absolving them of responsibility. That is why it is best to hire professionals. If the facts indicate the HOA is at fault, a good lawyer will tell them to settle. If the facts indicate your parents are at fault, a good lawyer will tell them to settle. Paying enough to win at all costs is probably not worth it.

May you deal with reasonable people who understand their own biases and interests.

*******************************
Links to the State of Wisconsin Plumbing Code:
[docs.legis.wisconsin.gov]
*******************************
I am not a plumber.
*******************************

Insulation will NOT prevent freezing, but can slow the process down. Since the fire line is proabaly a separate system the water would be stagnant, which means it would NOT get any infusion of "warmer" water to minimize the possibility of it freezing. A system CAN break anywhere that the ice forms, whether it is at a head or in a line. The dynamics, however, would favor it breaking at a head, because the pipe, depending on the material, might be able to absorb the expansion, which a fitting could not. What specifically do you mean by a "failed head" because there could be several definitiosn for that.



Edited 1 times.

quote; Did the contractor who installed the fire system giving the HOA a warranty of the product after the installation

Do you, or would you even, give a warranty that any plumbing system you installed would NOT freeze? And if it did would you cover the damages?

ANY water carrying pipe installed in an "attic" can freeze if the weather gets cold enough, and if it freezes once, it CAN freeze again if the conditions are the same or colder.

I been a commerical plumber for most of my career and 99.9 % of the time of fire sprinklers are installed in an area where freezing my occur t use a dry system.
A dry system is filled with air and when a head pops the system fills with water.

what was the temperature outside when this happened?

Those are used in commercial systems. I have never heard of a dry residential system, if for no other reason than than the equipment it needs to maintain it.

they don't worry about freezing sprinkler systems in phoenix..

A cheaper, easier alternative to a dry system is filling the system with a glycol or glycerin solution rated for use in wet systems.

*******************************
Links to the State of Wisconsin Plumbing Code:
[docs.legis.wisconsin.gov]
*******************************
I am not a plumber.
*******************************

Thank you everyone for a lot of great advice.

Nope, just tall fork trucks.

As long as it is NOT flammable.

tall fork trucks in a top floor condo???

No, in our warehouses, which is what damages most of our sprinkler lines.

According to my suggestion you should consult to water damage service.water has unique property like it expands as it freezes.Sometimes eXpanding water can cause pipes to break.Pipes which run against exterior walls genreally has little insulation are also cause of freezing.