Open Forum

Hi everyone,

I am working on an assignment as part of my Masters of Museum Studies and was wondering if I could get some information about the types of sprinkler systems or fire proofing systems used in your museums, especially in your storage areas. Do you use traditional water based sprinkler systems, a fire suppression system, or something else? Any information you're willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

------------------------------
Rachel Moats
Masters of Information Archives and Records Management
Masters of Museum Studies
Rachelemoats@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message------

Hi everyone,

I am working on an assignment as part of my Masters of Museum Studies and was wondering if I could get some information about the types of sprinkler systems or fire proofing systems used in your museums, especially in your storage areas. Do you use traditional water based sprinkler systems, a fire suppression system, or something else? Any information you're willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

------------------------------
Rachel Moats
Masters of Information Archives and Records Management
Masters of Museum Studies
Rachelemoats@gmail.com
------------------------------

i have mixed feeling about having we-pipe system in areas where artwork is displayed or stored. someone could accidentally knock off a sprinkler head and cause significant water damage. Most museum have  Pre-Action systems that require the activation of a smoke or heat detector before the sprinkler pipes are charged with water.

in our art storage areas we have  FM200 an Halon dry extinguishing agent which much safer for art.

------------------------------
Faiz Mohammad CIPM
Director of Protection Services
Portland Museum of Art
Portland ME
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2019 12:40 PM
From: Rachel Moats
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

Hi everyone,

I am working on an assignment as part of my Masters of Museum Studies and was wondering if I could get some information about the types of sprinkler systems or fire proofing systems used in your museums, especially in your storage areas. Do you use traditional water based sprinkler systems, a fire suppression system, or something else? Any information you're willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

------------------------------
Rachel Moats
Masters of Information Archives and Records Management
Masters of Museum Studies
Rachelemoats@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message------

i have mixed feeling about having we-pipe system in areas where artwork is displayed or stored. someone could accidentally knock off a sprinkler head and cause significant water damage. Most museum have  Pre-Action systems that require the activation of a smoke or heat detector before the sprinkler pipes are charged with water.

in our art storage areas we have  FM200 an Halon dry extinguishing agent which much safer for art.

------------------------------
Faiz Mohammad CIPM
Director of Protection Services
Portland Museum of Art
Portland ME
------------------------------

​An historic house museum I work with has a dry-pipe system installed about 25 years ago.  "Dry" is a misnomer as an air compressor is used to maintain pressure against the water valve and this creates condensation in the pipes.  This, combined with the periodic flooding of the system for a required trip-test of the valve produces significant corrosion in the iron pipes from the inside out.  When the system is filled with water- either from a planned test or the failure of the air compressor- filthy, rusty water leaks wherever this corrosion has compromised a coupling or the pipes themselves.

------------------------------
John Turner
Archivist
Tallahassee FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2019 12:40 PM
From: Rachel Moats
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

Hi everyone,

I am working on an assignment as part of my Masters of Museum Studies and was wondering if I could get some information about the types of sprinkler systems or fire proofing systems used in your museums, especially in your storage areas. Do you use traditional water based sprinkler systems, a fire suppression system, or something else? Any information you're willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

------------------------------
Rachel Moats
Masters of Information Archives and Records Management
Masters of Museum Studies
Rachelemoats@gmail.com
------------------------------

Are you looking for information about the pros and cons of various fire suppression systems for museums or are you trying to find out what museums actually use (and perhaps why)?    You might get better results for the latter if you create a survey (Survey Monkey works well for this kind of thing) and posted the link here and on various listservs, particularly the Collections Stewardship one.

------------------------------
Janice Klein
Executive Director
Museum Association of Arizona
Tempe AZ
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-16-2019 09:31 AM
From: John Turner
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

​An historic house museum I work with has a dry-pipe system installed about 25 years ago.  "Dry" is a misnomer as an air compressor is used to maintain pressure against the water valve and this creates condensation in the pipes.  This, combined with the periodic flooding of the system for a required trip-test of the valve produces significant corrosion in the iron pipes from the inside out.  When the system is filled with water- either from a planned test or the failure of the air compressor- filthy, rusty water leaks wherever this corrosion has compromised a coupling or the pipes themselves.

------------------------------
John Turner
Archivist
Tallahassee FL

Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2019 12:40 PM
From: Rachel Moats
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

Hi everyone,

I am working on an assignment as part of my Masters of Museum Studies and was wondering if I could get some information about the types of sprinkler systems or fire proofing systems used in your museums, especially in your storage areas. Do you use traditional water based sprinkler systems, a fire suppression system, or something else? Any information you're willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

------------------------------
Rachel Moats
Masters of Information Archives and Records Management
Masters of Museum Studies
Rachelemoats@gmail.com
------------------------------

I had the same question as Janice.  I would be happy to discuss offline the options for fire suppression for cultural heritage institutions.  Many factors go into making the decisions for fire protection of irreplaceable collections. There are a number of publications and sources that discuss the options for fire suppression for cultural heritage institutions and for collection storage.  I made a short list below.

In response to Faiz Mohammad CIPM, while FM 200 is still listed as an available clean agent for collections storage, we are not longer specifying it for new projects for the following reason:
As of October 2016, HFCs like Chemours' FM-200® (HFC-227ea) and FE-25™ (HFC-125), as well as Fike's ECARO-25® (HFC-125), are scheduled for global production phasedown under the Montreal Protocol. FM-200® and other hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are following the path of halon. Although these HFCs are clean agents that do not deplete the ozone layer, they are potent greenhouse gases - more than 3000 times more potent than CO2. The European Union's HFC phasedown started in 2015 under the F-Gas regulations and the HFC phasedown in the United States and other developed countries begins in 2019 under the Montreal Protocol. 
Because fire suppression systems for cultural heritage institutions are often intended to last for 30 years or more, FM-200® and other HFCs have become unsustainable clean agents. Novec 1230 fluid, or it equivalent, is now specified.  Novec 1230 fluid has no ozone depletion potential and a climate impact less than CO2 and it's not targeted for phasedown or phase-out. 

Helpful sources include: 
NPS Museum Handbook, Chapter 9 on Fire Protection (recently revised).
SAA's Archival and Special Collections Facilities (2009 - under revision for US and Canada)
NARA 1571S
Library of Congress guidelines
Smithsonian guidelines
NEDCC 3.2
Government of Canada - Agent of Deterioration: Fire
NFPA 232

MICHELE F. PACIFICO
Archival Facilities Consultant
PO Box 1490, Jackson WY 83001
301-908-8720
martinpacifico@comcast.net
www.pacificoarchivalconsulting.com




------------------------------
MICHELE F. PACIFICO
Archival Facilities Consultant
PO Box 1490, Jackson WY 83001
301-908-8720
martinpacifico@comcast.net
www.pacificoarchivalconsulting.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-17-2019 04:07 PM
From: Janice Klein
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

Are you looking for information about the pros and cons of various fire suppression systems for museums or are you trying to find out what museums actually use (and perhaps why)?    You might get better results for the latter if you create a survey (Survey Monkey works well for this kind of thing) and posted the link here and on various listservs, particularly the Collections Stewardship one.

------------------------------
Janice Klein
Executive Director
Museum Association of Arizona
Tempe AZ

Original Message:
Sent: 05-16-2019 09:31 AM
From: John Turner
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

​An historic house museum I work with has a dry-pipe system installed about 25 years ago.  "Dry" is a misnomer as an air compressor is used to maintain pressure against the water valve and this creates condensation in the pipes.  This, combined with the periodic flooding of the system for a required trip-test of the valve produces significant corrosion in the iron pipes from the inside out.  When the system is filled with water- either from a planned test or the failure of the air compressor- filthy, rusty water leaks wherever this corrosion has compromised a coupling or the pipes themselves.

------------------------------
John Turner
Archivist
Tallahassee FL

Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2019 12:40 PM
From: Rachel Moats
Subject: Sprinkler Systems for Storage

Hi everyone,

I am working on an assignment as part of my Masters of Museum Studies and was wondering if I could get some information about the types of sprinkler systems or fire proofing systems used in your museums, especially in your storage areas. Do you use traditional water based sprinkler systems, a fire suppression system, or something else? Any information you're willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

------------------------------
Rachel Moats
Masters of Information Archives and Records Management
Masters of Museum Studies
Rachelemoats@gmail.com
------------------------------