Component line 01 / Sprinkler heads
Quick response sprinkler heads, K5.6 ≡ K80, 155 °F ≡ 68 °C, ½″ NPT
Glass bulb sprinkler heads in the specification data centre drawings ask for, supplied as components with escutcheons, guards and spare head cabinets. Referenced to UL 199 and to the FM Approvals sprinkler category. We do not install them and we do not design the system they go into.
Standard references only. Listing certificates are issued with their own document numbers, see Certification.
The stocked specification. Other K-factors, ratings and thread forms are quoted against the listing model list.
One orifice, two unit systems, one part number
K5.6 and K80 are the same discharge coefficient expressed in US and metric units. 155 °F and 68 °C are the same rating. Projects in the Gulf and in Southeast Asia often carry a metric drawing set with a US purchase order, so both figures are printed on the datasheet and both appear on the quotation.
The bodies are the ordinary ones: pendent, upright, sidewall, recessed pendent and concealed pendent, all with a ½″ NPT inlet, a brass frame and a 3 mm glass bulb. The 155 °F rating is identified by a red bulb, which makes a mixed box easy to check on site without opening a datasheet.
Engineering note · quick response
Quick response corresponds to a response time index of 50 (m·s)½ or lower. The index describes how fast the heat-sensitive element reacts to a gas flow, which matters in a data hall because the cooling load keeps air moving across the ceiling. A faster element means a smaller fire at the time the system operates, which is the whole reason the quick response heads are specified in occupied equipment spaces.
01 / Specification
Datasheet
Figures below are the stocked specification. Anything a project needs outside this table is quoted against the listing model list rather than assumed.
| Nominal K-factor | 5.6 gpm/psi½ ≡ 80 L/min/bar½ |
|---|---|
| Temperature rating | 155 °F ≡ 68 °C |
| Bulb | 3 mm glass, red at this rating |
| Response classification | Quick response, RTI ≤ 50 (m·s)½ |
| Inlet thread | ½″ NPT (½″ BSPT on request) |
| Deflector | Standard spray |
| Frame | Brass, two arms |
| Orifice | ½″ nominal |
| Maximum working pressure | 175 psi ≡ 12 bar |
|---|---|
| Factory hydrostatic test | 500 psi ≡ 34.5 bar |
| Standard finish | Brass |
| Optional finishes | Chrome plated, white polyester, RAL on request |
| Escutcheon | Two piece or three piece, Ø 75 mm nominal |
| Cover plate, concealed body | 135 °F ≡ 57 °C, solder link |
About the coating question
Wax coatings, paint and after-market plating can change how a thermal element responds. If a project needs a corrosion-resistant head, ask for the factory finish that the listing covers rather than coating a standard head on site. A coated head that is no longer the listed article is the kind of finding that stops an acceptance test.
Spare heads
Installation standards require spare sprinklers of each type and rating to be kept on site with a matching wrench, so that a damaged head can be replaced with the identical article. We supply the spare head cabinet, the correct wrench and a bulb shield set. Tell us the mix of heads on the project and the cabinet is configured for it.
Where the designer decides
Coverage per head, spacing, the branch line layout, whether the space is wet or dry, and whether sprinklers are the primary protection or a secondary measure in a room protected by clean agent: all of that is the designer of record's decision. We quote the heads, not the layout.
02 / Model list
Model designations
Add the designations you need and they are carried into the enquiry form. The model list printed on the listing certificate governs; our quotation states both the designation we supply and the certificate it appears on.
| Model designation | Body | K-factor | Rating | Inlet | Finish | Add to model list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMS-SP56P-QR | Pendent | K5.6 / K80 | 155 °F / 68 °C | ½″ NPT | Brass | |
| EMS-SP56U-QR | Upright | K5.6 / K80 | 155 °F / 68 °C | ½″ NPT | Brass | |
| EMS-SP56S-QR | Sidewall, horizontal | K5.6 / K80 | 155 °F / 68 °C | ½″ NPT | Brass | |
| EMS-SP56R-QR | Pendent, recessed | K5.6 / K80 | 155 °F / 68 °C | ½″ NPT | Brass, two piece escutcheon | |
| EMS-SP56C-QR | Concealed pendent | K5.6 / K80 | 155 °F / 68 °C | ½″ NPT | Cover plate 135 °F / 57 °C | |
| EMS-SP56G-QR | Pendent, with guard | K5.6 / K80 | 155 °F / 68 °C | ½″ NPT | Brass, wire guard | |
| EMS-SP56-WR | Spanner wrench | For the above | Not applicable | Not applicable | Steel | |
| EMS-SP56-CAB6 | Spare head cabinet | Six positions | Mixed ratings | Not applicable | Steel, wall mount | |
| EMS-SP56-ESC | Escutcheon set | Two or three piece | Not applicable | ½″ nominal | Brass or chrome |
Model designations above are EMS-Safety designations for the stocked specification. Other K-factors between K2.8 and K25.2, ratings from 135 °F to 286 °F and additional thread forms are quoted against the listing model list on request.
03 / Scope
What this line ships, and what it does not
Ships from us sprinkler heads
- Sprinkler heads in the bodies and finishes listed above
- Escutcheons, guards, bulb shields and spanner wrenches
- Spare head cabinets configured to the project mix
- The datasheet, the model list and the listing certificate with its document number
Not from us by others
- Pipe, fittings, hangers and the branch line layout
- Hydraulic calculation and coverage per head
- Installation, pressure testing and flushing
- Dry pipe, preaction or antifreeze system design for unheated spaces
- Commissioning, acceptance testing and submittals
04 / Where they go
Application notes for equipment spaces
In a data centre the sprinkler heads usually sit on a wet pipe system above a suspended ceiling or directly over the white space, with the ceiling void and the raised floor void left to other detection. Three things come up on every project:
- Air movement. A quick response element is swept by the air the cooling load produces, so it operates on a smaller fire than a standard response element would. That is why the quick response classification is written into the specification for occupied equipment areas.
- Mixed boxes. A site with several temperature ratings in one delivery is a site where a head gets fitted in the wrong place. The bulb colour exists for this reason, and it is why the spare cabinet is configured to the project mix rather than filled with whatever is on the shelf.
- Finishes. Concealed heads in an office area, brass or chrome in a plant room, guards where a rack or a trolley can strike the head. Agree the finish before the order, because a finish change after manufacture is a new order.
Caution
Never paint a sprinkler head or its cover plate on site. Painting the thermal element changes the response and takes the head outside the article that was tested. If a painted finish is wanted, order it painted from the factory.
05 / Questions
Sprinkler heads, asked and answered
Is K5.6 the same as K80?
Yes, they are the same discharge coefficient written in two unit systems. The K-factor expresses flow per square root of pressure: 5.6 gallons per minute per square root of psi in US units, and 80 litres per minute per square root of bar in metric units. The orifice is the same and the part is the same.
What does the quick response classification mean in numbers?
A quick response sprinkler has a response time index of 50 (m·s)½ or lower. Standard response sprinklers sit in a much higher band. The index describes the speed at which the thermal element reacts to the gas flow around it, which is why it is the figure that matters in a space with continuous air movement.
Do you supply the pipe and fittings as well?
Not from this line. We supply the heads and their accessories. Pipe, fittings, hangers, the branch line layout and the hydraulic calculation belong to the installing contractor and the designer of record.
Can you supply a head for a corrosive or washdown environment?
Tell us the environment and we will quote the factory finish that the listing covers. What we will not do is supply a coated head and describe it as a corrosion-resistant listing it does not have. If the exposure is severe, the honest answer may be that a sprinkler head is the wrong device for that location, and we will say so.
Do the heads come with the certificate?
The listing certificate is issued with the quotation and again with the shipping documents, carrying its own document number and naming the holder. The certificate covers a model list, so the quotation states the designation we supply and confirms that it appears on that list. See Certification for how the document pack is put together.
Sprinkler heads
Send the head schedule and the quantities
A schedule, a drawing extract or a list of designations is enough to quote. Include the finish and the destination port and the lead time will be real rather than generic.
- Stocked specification
- K5.6 / K80 · 155 °F / 68 °C
- Response
- Quick, RTI ≤ 50
- Inlet
- ½″ NPT
- Lead time
- 3 to 10 working days for stocked bodies