Releasing control unit for a residential fire protection system

A fire control panel for a fire protection system in a residential dwelling unit as defined in the 2002 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association Standards 13, 13D and 13R, the fire control panel comprising:

• a housing;
• a main connection disposed in the housing and connectable to a pressurized fire-fighting fluid source;
• a control valve coupled to the main connection in a normally-closed state that prevents fluid flow through the control valve;
• a system connection disposed in the housing and coupled to the control valve so that when the control valve is actuated, the system connection is in fluid communication with the main connection;
• an auxiliary pipe having first and second ends, the auxiliary pipe first end in fluid communication with the system connection via a first valve and the auxiliary pipe second end coupled to a pressurized gas source via a second valve so that the auxiliary pipe and the system connection are capable of being filled with pressurized gas from the pressurized gas source, the first valve of the auxiliary pipe having a closed state defining an isolated pressurized gas pressure within the auxiliary pipe;
• a first sensor disposed in the housing and coupled to the system connection to provide a first indicator of a magnitude of pressure in the system connection;
• and
• a second sensor disposed in the housing and coupled to the auxiliary pipe to provide a second indicator of a magnitude of the isolated pressurized gas pressure in the auxiliary pipe to directly control the pressurized gas source.

A method of determining fault in a residential fire control system having a network of dry pipes in fluid communication with respective bodies of residential fire sprinklers and a control panel, the control panel having a housing, a control valve coupled to a main connection, a system connection coupled to the control valve, an auxiliary pipe coupled to a gas supply source at one end of the auxiliary pipe and in fluid communication with the system connection at the other end of the auxiliary pipe, the control panel being connected to a fire detection device, a first sensor, and a second sensor, the method comprising:

• isolating a pressurized gas within the auxiliary pipe from a network gas pressure to define an isolated pressurized gas pressure in the auxiliary pipe;
• sensing a value of the isolated pressurized gas pressure with the second sensor, the second sensor directly connected to the auxiliary pipe;
• operating the gas supply source based on the isolated pressurized gas pressure in the auxiliary pipe;
• and
• indicating a fault condition in the fire protection system when the network gas pressure is below a first magnitude using the first sensor.

A residential fire control panel comprising:

• a housing;
• a first manual control valve and a second manual control valve located within the housing, the first and second manual control valves each having an outlet and an inlet, the inlet of the first manual control valve being configured for communication with a fluid main, the outlet of the second manual control valve being configured for communication with a network of pipes having at least one sprinkler;
• a normally-closed solenoid control valve disposed within the housing between the first and second manual control valves to provide a first communication between the outlet of the first manual control valve and the inlet of the second manual control valve, the first communication maintaining a fluid pressure provided via the fluid main;
• a drain line coupled to at least one normally-closed drain valve communicating with the solenoid control valve to provide a second communication between the outlet of the first manual control valve and the inlet of the second manual control valve;
• a compressed air conduit in communication with the inlet of the second manual control valve via an isolation valve that isolates a pressure in the compressed air conduit from the inlet of the second manual control valve when the isolation valve is in a closed state;
• an air compressor disposed within the housing in communication with the compressed air conduit to provide a supply of pressurized air to the compressed air conduit;
• a first pressure switch to detect an air the isolated pressure in the compressed air conduit outside a first range of pressures and a second pressure switch to maintain the supply of pressurized air in a second range of pressures, the second pressure switch being in communication with the air compressor and controlling operation of the air compressor based on a status of the first pressure switch;
• and
• a controller coupled to a power source and having at least one input for receiving a low pressure signal and a high pressure signal, the controller being in communication with at least one alarm to actuate the at least one alarm upon the controller receiving a signal of at least one of the low and high pressure signal.

A method of using a residential fire control panel having a housing disposed between a main source of pressurized fluid and a branch pipe of a residential sprinkler system, the method comprising:

• isolating a gas source from the branch pipe with an auxiliary pipe and an isolation valve both disposed between the gas source and the branch pipe to define a pressurized gas pressure of a pressurized gas within the auxiliary pipe when the isolation valve is in a closed state;
• initiating a flow of the pressurized gas through the isolation valve in response to the pressurized gas pressure;
• pressurizing the branch pipe to a first magnitude with the pressurized gas from the gas source located within the housing;
• sensing a low pressure in the branch pipe from a sensor disposed in the housing, the low pressure being a second magnitude of pressure below the first magnitude;
• controlling introduction of fluid from the main source into the branch pipe through the control panel in response to the low pressure, the fluid passing through three open valves connected in series to provide a pressurized communication between the main source and the branch pipe, the pressurized communication being the only available pathway for the introduction of pressurized fluid from the main source to the branch pipe.

A residential unit fire protection system for a residential dwelling unit having at least one dwelling as defined in the 2002 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association Standards 13, 13D and 13R, the fire protection system comprising:

• a fluid supply source along a main line;
• a network of pipes including a first branch in communication with the at least one dwelling the first branch including at least one sprinkler to discharge a fluid over the at least one dwelling area within about fifteen seconds of sprinkler activation;
• at least one fire control panel disposed between the main line and the branch pipe, the at least one fire control panel comprising:
• a housing;
• a gas source disposed in the housing;
• a normally closed control valve disposed in the housing, the control valve having an inlet and an outlet;
• a main connection providing communication between the main line and the inlet of the control valve via a first manual control valve, the main connection having an internal surface that defines a first flow passage along a first flow axis, the first flow passage defining a first inside diameter about the first flow axis of less than two inches;
• a system connection having an internal surface that defines a second flow passage along a second flow axis, the system connection providing communication between the first branch pipe and the outlet of the control valve via a second manual control valve to provide controlled fluid communication between the first branch pipe and the fluid supply source;
• a drain line communicating with the normally closed control valve at a point disposed between the first and second manual control valves;
• an auxiliary pipe with first and second ends, the auxiliary pipe first end communicating with the system connection via a first isolation valve, the auxiliary pipe second end coupled to the gas source via a second isolation valve, the first and second isolation valves defining an isolated auxiliary pipe pressure therebetween when the first isolation valve is in a closed state, the gas source providing pressurized gas in response to a magnitude of pressure of the isolated auxiliary pipe pressure;
• and
• a sensor disposed in the housing and coupled to the system connection to detect a threshold reduction in the system pressure.

A residential unit fire protection system for a residential dwelling unit having at least one dwelling as defined in the 2002 Edition of the National Fire Protection Association Standards 13, 13D and 13R, the fire system comprising:

• a fluid supply source along a main line;
• a network of pipes including a first branch in communication with the at least one dwelling the first branch including at least one sprinkler to discharge a fluid over the at least one dwelling area within about fifteen seconds of an activation of the at least one sprinkler;
• at least one fire control panel disposed between the main line and the branch pipe, the fire control panel having a pressurized gas source communicating with the network of pipes via an auxiliary pipe, an isolation valve disposed between the auxiliary pipe and the network of pipes that defines when in a closed state an isolated pressurized gas pressure of the pressurized gas in the auxiliary pipe, a switch controlling an operational status of the pressurized gas source based on the isolated pressurized gas pressure;
• and
• at least one detector spaced from the at least one sprinkler at a defined sprinkler-to-detector spacing, the at least one detector generating a signal before an activation of any one of the at least one sprinkler.