×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

(OP)
I've had a string of leaking sprinklers in a mall over the past year. They all seem to be occurring in the same area, a barber shop. There seems nothing significant about this area. It's a steel wet pipe system. Pressures in this area are typically 95psi. The sprinkler heads themselves are 1983 Viking model M SSP. Upon close examination there is a coating around the seal washer that has come away. I've attached two pics (hopefully). One is from a leak the other day where I have taken the sprinkler apart. Damage on the bell plug is from my doing so. The other pic is from a leak this morning. Has anyone encountered problems with these heads before?

Regards
Dave

RE: Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

I have seen similar problems occur in freezing conditions even when it appears to be warm at the height of the drop/drywall  ceiling. Is the space above the ceiling getting cold during winter months? It could be the water is freezing just enough that it is expanding the brass  head seat and yet not enough to damage the stronger steel hex coupling or drop piping. Just my view as we did not examine the seats etc. that closely because we found some ice still in the drop and the area above to have cold air blowing in from gaps in the structure.  

RE: Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

are there same heads in adjoining spaces, or did a company do this one space with different heads???


Send one to someone for analysis and testing???

RE: Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

Defective heads or excessive pressure most likely. Have a representative sample tested and/or have someone document the system pressure during the afternoon when the system piping is hot (when the weather is >85-95F). You might find 95 psi in the morning and 250-300 psi or more at 3-4PM. I identify and resolve excessive pressure problems on a very regular basis!

Good Luck!

RE: Leaking 1983 Viking Model M .. several

(OP)
Actually Sprink09 nailed it on the head - as it were. There was some poor insulation around a roof penetration and it got cold enough to create a bit of ice in the 1/2" sprinkler fitting at the 1 x 1/2" which was enough to scour the teflon seal off the seat and cause the head to leak as opposed to breaking it all together.

Thanks to the Viking Technical Support people for being very helpful when I was thinking they might be otherwise, given the CSC debacle.

Regards
Dave  

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources