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How can I verify my water supply is sufficient to support the fire suppression system?

Before starting your installation, you must determine if your suppression system has an adequate water supply. Some contractors will take your money before they have verified the water available. You can get a good idea of what your water supply is like using the following method:

Fully open your bathtub tap, and if you can fill up a 10-litre bucket in 1.5 minutes, you know the flow rate is approximately 10/1.5 = 6.66 Litres per minute.

The typical water flow in the UK household is 10 to 25 lpm. As Automist does not require more water than a standard power shower, it can be installed in most homes without a water infrastructure upgrade. Automist must be connected to a reliable water supply, which delivers 8 litres per minute (lpm) flow at a minimum of 1.5 bar (150kPa) and a maximum of 16 bar (1.6 MPa) static pressure at the point of connection. The pump only requires only 6 lpm and 1 bar pressure, so a safety margin is embedded in this requirement.

All other systems on the market require at least 12 litres of water per minute flow at the point of connection. This requirement for traditional systems increases with the maximum number of nozzles in an area because of the assumed maximum area of operation (AMAO). AMAO is the area within which the sprinklers are most likely to operate in the event of a fire, and it directly relates to the number of nozzles which operate in the coverage area.
 

To obtain the appropriate flow, if you do not opt for Automist, you will require the following:

1. Permission from the water authority for direct connection to the town main and/or
2. Installation of a priority valve (~£300) and/or
3. Installation of a large, stored water tank (~£1200)