My store almost burned down too

[KhirasHY]

The problem is that room damage in those situations is more widespread than you think, unless you're lucky and it's on a lower level. Generally speaking, when a sprinkler head goes off, several things happen at once: the staff sprints up to where it is, and verifies that it's putting out water. They confirm whether there is a real fire or not, and after confirming there are no flames/evidence of flames, they run and hit the water shutoff valve (the sprinklers will put out water at a consistent rate until the water flow is turned off). Now, say the room is on the top floor of the hotel, you have water damage to the furniture, carpets, walls, etc. But there's a problem: most hotel walls are drywall.

Now, you take the amount of time it takes to get to the room, verify what's happening, and turn off the water, and you have time for around 300-600 gallons of water to move (they put out water FAST). That water seeps through the drywall, which causes some damage to the surrounding rooms, and then gravity takes effect, causing the water to pour downward and outward, damaging dozens of rooms below it. The worst I ever saw was at a hotel with over 1,000 rooms and almost 40 floors. A sprinkler on the 35th floor being set off caused damage to about 60 rooms across 8 floors, with the most minor being on the lowest rooms. The carpets and walls had to be ripped up to prevent mold from growing, and it cost well into the 6 figures mark (I don't remember the exact number, but it was high). It took about 3-4 minutes to investigate and shut the water off.

It was caused by someone batting around a volleyball in their room, and hitting the sprinkler

Now, had that happened on the ground floor, it wouldn't have been as bad...but on a high floor in a hotel, it's a disaster.

[Gilhelmi]

and it cost well into the 6 figures mark (I don't remember the exact number, but it was high). It took about 3-4 minutes to investigate and shut the water off.

It was caused by someone batting around a volleyball in their room, and hitting the sprinkler

I have a question.

If a person did that, wouldn't they be on the hook for the damages? Or would the hotel just assume the person could not reimburse them and just go strait to the Insurance company? Or would it be both, where the Insurance company sues the guest?

[KhirasHY]

I have a question.

If a person did that, wouldn't they be on the hook for the damages? Or would the hotel just assume the person could not reimburse them and just go strait to the Insurance company? Or would it be both, where the Insurance company sues the guest?

That I don't know I dealt with the immediate issue...I left the complicated stuff to people who get paid enough to care

[Chromatix]

FWIW, the "classic" sprinkler design uses a small glass bulb filled with a type of alcohol that boils - or at least will expand sufficiently to burst the bulb - at a specific temperature. The standard "red" bulb is rated for 68°C. If the bulb reaches such a high temperature, it's a pretty safe bet that there's a substantial fire in the room.

That type is probably also susceptible to physical impact damage, as well as the more obvious "hold a lighter under it" sabotage, but probably less so than a smoke detector.

The "melting metal link" type actually predates the bulb type sprinkler; the earliest 19th-century designs used solder.

[mhkohne]

That type is probably also susceptible to physical impact damage, as well as the more obvious "hold a lighter under it" sabotage, but probably less so than a smoke detector.

Also, sprinkler heads of both types are susceptible to handcuffs...

http://fancyclopedia.wikidot.com/disclave-flood