FACT SHEET - Plumbing Industry Commission

FACT SHEET – Options for cutting water use in fire sprinkler maintenance
A fire sprinkler system water saving project launched in 2008 aims to cut up to 90
percent of the estimated 500 million litres of drinking water annually discharged into
Melbourne drains through fire sprinkler system maintenance – without compromising
fire protection.
The project is funded by City West Water, South East Water, Yarra Valley Water and
the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment. It is led by the Plumbing
Industry Commission with the support of the Building Commission under the
PlumbSmarter umbrella.
Fire sprinkler water-saving options have been evaluated at 14 case study sites
including high rise CBD office buildings, suburban shopping centres and large
manufacturing sites.
The case study findings and water saving recommendations have been compiled in a
Guide to Fire Sprinkler System Water Saving. The Guide is intended for use by the
fire services maintenance industry and owners and facilities managers of large
commercial and industrial properties.
The Guide identifies seven options for cutting water consumption through
maintenance of fire sprinkler systems.
1. Pressure settings adjustments
Pressure settings adjustment (PSA) projects can be carried out quickly and
safely, and are likely to produce a high level of water saving for large pumpboosted
sprinkler installations without tanks.
PSA projects will typically include:
• increasing the pressure relief valve operating pressure to reduce the
amount of water discharging to drain during testing
• increasing pressure relief valve pressure in diesel pump raw water heat
exchanger lines to reduce cooling water flow to drain
• adjusting pump start pressure switches in multi-pump installations to
ensure multiple pumps do not operate simultaneously during testing
• provision of a pressure schedule.
PSA projects are estimated to cost between $2,000 and $4,000. The annual
water saving will continue for the remaining life of the sprinkler installation.
2. Adoption of Australian Standard 1851-2005 and monthly testing
Sprinkler system testing is traditionally undertaken on a weekly basis. A major
cut in water consumption can be obtained by switching to the latest fire
sprinklers maintenance standard Australian Standard 1851-2005, taking up the
option of monthly testing within the framework of this regime.
This approach is expected to cut weekly-testing water consumption by 75
percent and total periodic testing consumption by more than 50 percent at most
large fire sprinkler installations. Increased risk as a result of reduced testing

frequency is counter-balanced by other safeguards introduced under the
maintenance regime.
3. Pressure reducing projects
Reducing pressure in pumps that over-pressurise can save millions of litres of
water consumed in weekly testing of fire sprinkler systems. Pressure reducing
projects on pump boosted sites may include decreasing pump speed,
decreasing the size of the pump impellor or installing pressure reducing valves.
4. Recirculation of fire sprinkler water
An alternative to draining thousands of litres of water is to recirculate fire
sprinkler test water. Water needed to test the operational readiness of a fire
sprinkler system can be drawn from a tank and recirculated during the test.
Incorporating a tank and recirculation will be particularly effective when there
are pressure relief valves in pumping systems and they discharge directly into
drains. It is estimated that installing a 10,000 litre recirculation tank with
connections to the system will cost between $40,000 and $60,000.
5. Recycling fire sprinkler water
The water discharged after fire sprinkler testing cannot be treated as drinking
quality water but it can be captured and reused for the sprinkler system or put
to other uses such as urban irrigation, cooling towers, toilets or car washing.
Recycled fire sprinkler water can become part of a property’s large water
capture and re-use system that may also include rainwater, stormwater or
greywater.
6. Better zoning of fire sprinkler installations
Fire sprinkler system water consumption can be cut through improved
draindown zoning where draindown water is captured in a tank and drawn on
for recharging the system. Zoning enables portions of a sprinkler system to be
isolated while major refurbishment of a building or modification to a system is
being undertaken.
Draindown consumption is a significant water saving opportunity for large to
medium shopping centres, including centres that do not have pump-boosted
systems, and for high rise building renovation projects.
7. Better management of fire sprinkler draindowns and recharging
If zoning is not provided, better draindown management will be an effective tool
in reducing water consumption at properties subject to frequent draindowns.
By efficiently managing sprinkler installation draindowns through the
development of strong drain management systems, water use and pollution can
be reduced. This may supplement and or replace the need to install valves to
zone sprinkler installations.
The complete Guide to Fire Sprinkler System Water Saving is available through the
Plumbing Industry Commission website www.pic.vic.gov.au.
For further information contact Haydn Wood at the Building Commission on 03 9285
6438 or email hwood@buildingcommission.com.au.
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