Which type of automatic sprinkler system is defined by having all sprinklers connected to a piping system and a valve opened by a detection system in the same area?

• A. Deluge System
• B. Wet System
• C. Dry System
• D. Manual Deluge

Answer: (A)

Deluge systems have all sprinklers connected to the same piping network and all heads are open. The water supply is kept from the pipes by a single deluge valve, which is opened by a detection system in the area being protected. When that detector signals, water quickly floods the entire piping network and flows out of every sprinkler head at once. This automatic release in the same area uniquely defines a deluge setup, as opposed to wet or dry systems (where water is already in or released into pipes in different ways) or manual deluge (which requires a manual valve release).