Fire protection sprinklers and systems for attics

An attic fire protection system comprising:

• a plurality of fluid supply manifolds for supplying a fluid, each positioned at an effective height below and parallel to one or more portions of the underside of a roof having a non-zero pitch angle;
• a plurality of two-port angled fittings each having an inlet port and an exit port that are co-planar with each other and that are positioned at a fixed oblique angle relative to each other, connected such that said exit ports of said two-port angled fittings are positioned parallel to the underside of the roof;
• and
• a plurality of horizontal sidewall sprinklers each connected to a respective exit port of one or another of said two-port angled fittings.

In combination, a fitting for directing the flow of a fluid, and a horizontal sidewall fire protection sprinkler,

• the sprinkler comprising:
• a sprinkler body having an output orifice;
• a seal cap to seal a flow of fluid from the output orifice;
• a thermally-responsive element positioned to releasably retain the seal cap;
• and
• a deflector having a first face that is transverse to a direction of fluid flow from the output orifice, a shelf positioned above and substantially perpendicular to said first face, and second and third faces connected to said shelf along edges of said shelf that are perpendicular to said first face,
• wherein at least one of said second and third faces is connected to said shelf at an oblique angle, and
• said fitting comprising:
• a fitting body;
• at least one inlet port in said fitting body, for connecting to a fluid supply manifold;
• at least one exit port in said fitting body, for connecting to the sprinkler and directing the flow of the fluid, wherein said fitting body is structured to cause the fluid to exit through said exit port in a direction that is at an oblique angle to a direction in which the fluid passes in entering said inlet port,
• wherein the oblique angle is substantially the same as a pitch angle of the underside of a roof under which the fitting is positioned.

An upright fire protection sprinkler, comprising:

• an upright sprinkler body having an output orifice for directing fluid along an axis;
• a seal cap to seal a flow of fluid from the output orifice;
• a thermally responsive element positioned to releasably retain the seal cap;
• and
• a deflector having means for directing flow in at least a first direction away from the axis, and for directing flow toward the axis in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and to the axis.

An upright fire protection sprinkler comprising:

• a body having an output orifice;
• a seal cap to seal a flow of fluid from the output orifice;
• a thermally-responsive element positioned to releasably retain the seal cap;
• and
• a deflector having a rectangular base connected to the body facing the output orifice, the deflector having a first pair of opposed sides extending from a longer edge of the base towards the output orifice and having a second pair of opposed sides extending from a shorter edge of the base towards the output orifice, wherein at least one side of the second pair of opposed sides has at least one slot extending from an outer edge thereof, and wherein the outer edge is perpendicular to the first pair of opposed sides.

An attic fire protection system comprising:

• a fluid supply manifold for supplying a fluid, positioned at an effective height below and parallel to the underside of a roof having a first non-zero pitch angle;
• a plurality of fittings each having at least one exit port for directing the flow of the fluid, the fittings being spaced within at most a maximum effective distance apart from each other and being connected perpendicular to said supply manifold, wherein said exit ports are structured to supply the fluid in a direction, along the pitch of the roof, that is at a second angle relative to the underside of the roof, said second angle not being equal to the first pitch angle;
• and
• a plurality of horizontal sidewall sprinklers each connected to a respective exit port of one or another of said fittings.