The first ten minutes
Call 911 or the fire department non-emergency line
In most buildings, a flowing sprinkler sends a water-flow alarm to a monitoring company and the fire department responds. If no alarm is sounding, tell dispatch it is a sprinkler release without fire so they can send the right help.
Find the building contact
Property managers, maintenance staff and the building owner know where the riser room and the control valve are. In an apartment or office building, call the emergency maintenance number posted in the lobby or on your lease.
Do not close valves you were not trained to use
Closing the fire system valve leaves the building without fire protection, and it often requires a key, a specific valve and a record of who shut it. Leave it to the fire department, a fire-protection contractor or trained building staff.
Clear the area and cut power if it is safe
Water from a sprinkler is often dirty and spreads fast through ceilings below. Keep people out of wet rooms and away from light fixtures, and unplug equipment you can reach from a dry spot.
Why sprinkler water does so much damage
A single open head can discharge more water in a few minutes than a burst supply line does in an hour, and it keeps flowing until someone closes the valve. The water has often been sitting in steel pipe for years, so it can come out black, oily or smelly. It soaks ceiling tile, drywall and carpet in the room and runs down to the floors below through penetrations and light fixtures.
Common causes are a head struck by a ladder, a box, a forklift or a ball; a head painted over or damaged during remodeling; heads in an unheated space that froze; and old or recalled heads that fail. In Englewood, mixed-use buildings along Broadway and Hampden, medical office buildings, and newer apartment buildings near CityCenter all have sprinkler systems that a resident or tenant might accidentally damage.
Once the flow is stopped, the system has to be restored and the head replaced by a licensed fire-protection contractor before the building is considered protected again. Until then, the building may need a fire watch.
Who handles which part
| Building side | Tenant or resident side |
|---|---|
| Shutting the control valve and draining the zone | Calling for help and keeping people safe |
| Replacing the head and restoring the system | Moving personal property out of the water |
| Notifying the alarm company and fire department | Taking dated photos of the damage |
| Arranging a fire watch if required | Telling your own renters or business insurer |
| Reporting to the building's insurer | Keeping receipts for cleanup and replacements |
Common questions
Who pays when a tenant breaks a sprinkler head?
That depends on the lease, what caused the break and both parties' insurance. Report it honestly and promptly; the insurers sort out responsibility.
Why is the water black?
Water that sits in steel sprinkler pipe picks up rust, scale and sometimes treatment chemicals. Treat it as dirty water and clean surfaces it touched rather than just letting them dry.
General information for Englewood, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.