Using Sprinkler Pipes To Hang Clothes

2/3/2020 (Permalink)

When you go on vacation or stay at a hotel for any reason, you may hang garments and other items in the closet.  If you run out of closet space, you may look for other spots to hang items. One such spot that you may be tempted to hang from is the sprinkler pipe in the room.  Avoid doing this at all costs.  One of two things may happen.  First, you may inadvertently damage the sprinkler head, which can cause the water to flow out, causing major flooding and other water damage.  Depending on the hotel, you may be liable for this damage.  One hotel employee tells of an instance of this happening in their building.

“On their last day, because a small number of the church group had to stay an additional day, some rooms had to have extra people bunk up in rooms that were already over capacity. One of these guests on the third floor couldn't find adequate space to hang their clothes. What they thought would work is trying to hang their clothes on the fire sprinkler hanging from the ceiling.

It worked for 5 seconds before it ripped the sprinkler clean off.

The water gushed out and made it's way to the 3rd floor stairs and elevator. It completely flooded the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st floors as well as setting off all sprinklers in the hotel, so 4th and 5th also got a little wet.

After all was said and done, it ended up costing a little under $15,000 in damages and repairs."

Second, even if you damage the system, you may inhibit the system working as intended.  The system is designed to disperse water when the sprinkler head reaches 155 degrees.  If there is something in the way, there will be a delay.  In the event of a fire, this can increase the extent of damage, as well as putting lives at risk.