28 — August 2024 — Owners, Developers & Managers — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marej.com
O wners , D evelopers & M anagers
By Jonathan Epstein, JTJ Tech and Edwin Frieden, Ryan Fireprotection Pipe Freeze is Preventable! Preparing Fire Systems for Winter…
I
t has been said that fire sprinkler systems aren’t winterized; they
for building safety, as is their regular maintenance. Ensur- ing that fire sprinkler systems
faulty system discharge. Multiple insurance compa- nies list damage from pipe freeze as their most “costly and frequent” claim source. One insurance company disclosed that their average cost of dam- age from sprinkler pipe freeze was over $137,000! The good news is that Pipe Freeze is Preventable! We recommend using the late summer months to lever- age your network of service contractors, including insurers and sprinkler contractors, to
help you ensure that every- thing is covered and protected. Routine winterizing tasks can simply begin with a walk- through of the property paying special attention to be on the lookout for potential vulner- able areas subject freeze, such as vacant areas, stair towers, attics, trash rooms, vesti- bules, etc. At the same time, local heating, thermostats and programming should be checked to ensure everything is working, especially in places serviced by wet pipe systems.
Most licensed fire sprinkler contractors are happy to par- ticipate in walkthroughs like these and may be aware of nu- ances unique to the particular system or building. For those properties ser- viced with dry fire sprin- kler systems, management personnel should be famil- iar with the regular and proper procedure to purge a drum drip (also known as a low point drain or auxiliary drain). Drum drips are verti- cally mounted cylindrically shaped lengths of pipe with a ball valve at both the top (the isolation valve) and at its bottom (the condensate relief valve). Drum drips are condensation accumulation devices found at low points of a dry fire sprinkler system. Because the air-filled (“dry”) portions of these systems col- lect condensation, moisture accumulates and collects in the drum drips. On a 20-de- gree day, it does not take long for a little condensation accumulation to freeze and burst the bottom ball valve and discharge the system. For instructions about purg- ing a drum drips, please visit: PipeFreezeIsPreventable. com/DrumDrip Owners should also cre- ate procedures that include steps to maintain their fa- cilities in the event of excess cold snaps, severe storms and power loss. Regardless of most circumstances and weather conditions, it re- mains the owner’s obligation to maintain working fire sprinkler systems! Additionally, consider in- corporating new technolo- gies such as Salamander that monitors conditions within wet and dry fire sprinkler systems and alerts to pipe freeze symptoms in real-time of to prevent pipe freeze failure. These small investments now can keep you protected when the weather turns! For a free winterizing checklist designed specifi- cally for commercial property owners and managers, please visit: PipeFreezeIsPreventable. com/checklist Jonathan Epstein is president of JTJ Tech. Edwin Frieden is vice president of sales at Ryan Fireprotection. MAREJ
are “main- tained.” And, if a system - and building - is properly maintained, the risk of pipe freeze should be significantly diminished.
are working as designed is ultimately the responsi- bility of build- ing owner- ship. Failure to maintain life safety systems can be fatal to oc-
Life safety fire sprinkler sys - tems are incredibly important Mid Atlantic RE Journal Ad accompanying article Jonathan Epstein (610) 390-2909
cupants and extremely costly in the events of pipe freeze and Full Page Ad 8’’w x 8.25’’h 081424 ⚠ WARNING ⚠
Jonathan Epstein Edwin Frieden
GET INFORMED. NOT FROZEN! SALAMANDER ALERTS TO PIPE FREEZE SYMPTOMS TO PREVENT PIPE FREEZE FAILURES. (and saves money, too!) 137,155 1,978 AVERAGE COST OF PIPE FREEZE INCIDENT: (Favor & Co.) STARTING COST OF A SALAMANDER SOLUTION: (Includes 2 years of continuous monitoring and real-time alerts via e-mail and SMS)
JTJ Tech, LLC Jonathan Epstein, President (610) 810-1833 · je@jtjtech.com GetSalamander.com
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