DIY guideBuilding fire safety

Keep fire sprinkler heads unobstructed

Nothing hung on a sprinkler head or its pipe, nothing painted or covered, and storage kept well below the heads, so the water can reach a fire.

6 steps

Tap a step to watch it again.

Look up: sprinkler heads are the small metal nozzles in the ceiling or on the pipes, often with a little glass bulb.
Never hang anything from a head or its pipe: no hangers, signs, cables or decorations.
Never knock or touch the glass bulb: a broken one sets the sprinkler off.
Don't paint, tape or bag a head, even while the ceiling is being painted around it.
Keep boxes and shelves well below the heads, so the spray can spread. Your fire inspector or building rules say how far.
After a move-in, a big delivery or new shelving, look up again: stacks creep up.
A head that's bent, painted, rusty, leaking or hit: don't touch it. Tell the building manager, who calls the fire protection company.

Handyman says: Damaged? Tell the building manager.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.