Facility Executives Can Reduce Costs With BlazeMaster® Fire Protection Systems

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For facility executives planning a fire sprinkler system, whether for new construction or retrofit, protecting people and property is the top priority. But cost is also an important consideration, both for installation and long-term maintenance.

That’s a key reason BlazeMaster® fire sprinkler systems are the right choice for a range of commercial projects.

Saving Money on Sprinkler Systems

Compared with steel pipe, installing BlazeMaster pipe and fitting systems can save up to 30% on labor and material costs. Long-term, facility executives will enjoy less maintenance costs – and hassles – because BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems naturally resist corrosion and scaling (mineral build-ups).

Here’s a deeper dive into three primary ways BlazeMaster pipe and fitting systems deliver lower costs:

1. Superior hydraulic performance reduces material costs

BlazeMaster pipe and fittings offer a smoother interior surface than steel pipe. This ensures more reliable hydraulic performance – and allows designers to use smaller pipe sizes, which significantly reduces material cost.

Here’s the science behind this advantage: Reliable hydraulic performance is critical for ensuring enough water reaches a fire to extinguish or suppress it. The Hazen Williams C-Factor formula was developed to calculate how a pipe’s surface impacts hydraulic performance.

BlazeMaster pipe and fittings have a C-Factor of 150, and it retains this rating throughout its lifespan because the material is naturally resistant to corrosion and scaling By contrast, steel pipe has a lower C-Factor of 120, and that rating drops throughout its life as the pipe as the surface deteriorates due to corrosion and scaling.

Because of this issue, BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems offer a significant hydraulic advantage that impacts both system performance and material cost.

2. Ease of installation offers lower labor costs than steel pipe

BlazeMaster pipe and fittings are much easier to install than steel pipe, which reduces labor costs. Compared to traditional metal pipe, BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems are:

• Lightweight. Steel pipe is 84% heavier than BlazeMaster pipe and fittings. As a result, there’s no need for special equipment to move it around the job site and have multiple installers in an area.
• Flexible. Installers can readily fit it into tight, hard-to-reach areas. That’s a key reason a contractor reduced labor costs by 35% on an office complex retrofit.
• Easy to cut and join. Trained installers use basic hand tools and our quick, one-step solvent cement welding process, which makes fabrication and installation a one-person job. By contrast, metal pipe requires torches, loud threading machines and costly hot-work permit – and multiple installers. BlazeMaster pipe and fitting systems reduce labor costs because fitters spend more time installing pipe and less time carrying power machines around a job site.
• Adaptable. When there are changes, fabrication can be completed on the spot. With steel pipe, parts of the fabrication are often performed offsite in advance by a fabricator, which adds another step – and therefore cost and time – in the process, especially when there are changes during installation. By contrast, BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems are fabricated onsite.

The clean, quiet and fast installation method also enables contractors to:

• Minimize Disruption During Retrofits. For instance, the largest dorm in the United States – more than 1 million square feet – was retrofitted in record time with no student relocations.  By contrast, the noise, open flames and large work crews required for steel installation mean occupants typically must vacate a building.
• Meet Tight Deadlines. The fast, simple installation method for BlazeMaster Fire Protection Systems helps contractors meet the tightest timelines. For example, using BlazeMaster pipe and fittings enabled a contractor finish a massive live-work-play project quickly to help the company respond to strong market demand.

3. Natural corrosion resistance keeps maintenance costs low.

BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems resist corrosion – even in salt air environments and areas with fluctuating pH balances where steel pipe is more prone to corrosion. BlazeMaster is also naturally immune to scaling that impedes the flow of water. Natural resistance to corrosion and scaling is a key reason BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems are designed for a 50-year service life.

However, steel is prone to corrosion, which eats away at the interior of the pipe. This creates friction along the surface and eventually causes pinhole leaks that result in costly, disruptive repairs. The combination of water, water treatment chemicals and oxygen can cause corrosion to start within as little as two years after installation.

Wide Range of Commercial Applications

Specially engineered to ensure the protection of people and property around the world, BlazeMaster pipe and fittings are listed for all light hazard applications as defined by NFPA 13. That means BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems are an ideal for many commercial buildings, including:

• Clubs
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Libraries
• Museums
• Offices
• Institutional
• Nursing homes
• High rises
• Places of worship
• Theaters and auditoriums

Achieve Sustainability Goals

Compared to steel pipe, BlazeMaster pipe and fittings offer significant green advantages for those committed to eco-friendly building techniques. In fact, BlazeMaster fire sprinkler systems outperform steel systems in 12 out of 13 environmental categories in an ISO-compliant, peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment.

Science, Service and Safety

Backed by Lubrizol Corporation’s nearly 60 years of CPVC experience, BlazeMaster pipe and fittings deliver the security and service expected of any fire protection system. Our commitment to science, service and safety has established BlazeMaster pipe and fittings as the most specified system of its kind.

Find out more about how BlazeMaster Fire Protection Systems is right for your next project at BlazeMaster.com.

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