Discussion Main / TelepathicSprinklers

Re: "Filthy, stagnant water", as someone who works in construction I can verify this... even in newly-installed systems the water comes out black as ink, and foul-smelling, mainly because of the excess lubricant and waste from the process of cutting and threading custom lengths of pipe, which are not cleaned out before being installed (unless the client has the budget and need for the water to come out clean, a case which I've never even heard of but may exist somewhere).

Probably not an example? If a system is automated and being hacked all bets are off — some systems allow centralized activation. If this is an example, please merge in the conversation to make a unified example.

• In Hackers, Dade Murphy (AKA Crash Override, AKA Zero Cool) hacks into the school's fire suppression system and schedules a sprinkler system test for a specific time the next morning. Naturally, all sprinklers go off, causing most students to laugh and run. Why this would even be an option is unclear, as considerable damage would be done to all the classrooms.
  • Well, many fire-systems were becoming computerized at the time, and in some systems, especially with places with large amounts of flammable material, specifically designed sprinkler heads could be activated on a zone-wide or system wide basis using "bump pumps" which over-pressurize the system causing the heads to activate.
    • There's also applications in areas with explosive materials where all the sprinklers in a particular area will activate in the presence of heat or a drop of pressure indicating that one head opened to make ensure wide area suppression before the fire gets hot enough in adjoining areas.