Operational experience from sprinkler installations in churches and other culturally and historically valuable buildings
Since the beginning of the 2000s, sprinklers have been installed in a large number of Swedish churches and
other culturally and historically valuable buildings. “Sprinkler” here refers to both traditional sprinkler systems and more modern water mist systems. The experiences from the installation of sprinkler systems in nine wooden churches that were carried out between 2004 and 2006 were documented in “An overview of fire protection of Swedish wooden churches, Brandforsk project 500-061”. One conclusion is that the installations are discreet and well executed, but that several of them are relatively complex. This risks making the systems maintenance-intensive, which requires time, training and commitment from the facility manager. The suitability and choice of antifreeze was a question that came up because the systems become complicated and there is a risk that some antifreeze agents will damage sensitive surfaces if leakage occurs.