Pressure Filling Water Sprinkler System

Fix the rupture without further delay.

Fixing the leak is the most expedient, cheapest, and quickest way to get the system back up. On the outside of your building wall there is a Fire Dept. Connection (FDC). There can be as few as 2 ea 2-1/2" female fire dept fittings on it or as many as 12 or more depending upon the size of your sprinkler system. On the other side of the wall is a big check valve of the same or bigger size as the pipe coming in from the FDC. This keeps the pressure from leaking out through the FDC, keeps the water in the piping from leaking back into the water supply that people drink from and a couple other things.

There are usually one or two other check valves in the system. The only way to get past them would be to open one up and wedge it open. This isn't effective because you would have to open it up to get the wedge out and then all the water comes out.

In short, you can't do what you want to. It is physically impossible. You can't defeat a check valve without taking the cover, if so equipped, without letting all the water out. Also the piping is black iron pipe, it rusts tremendously, and becomes extremely dirty. You don't want to get all that junk in the check valves and the operating controls of the sprinkler system. That will really screw things up.

Besides all this, if a fire occurs while the system is down for repairs your insurance company will drop you and not make any payments. The local fire inspector will also fine you big bucks if he sees it down or more if he sees what you are doing. So do you want to lose the building and all the money because the very cheap sprinkler was out of service?

As said before, repairing the system is the most expedient, cheapest, and quickest way to get the system back up.

Good Luck, Old Salt

If you have a wet system and the rupture is outside the plant, there should still be pressure in the system. If it is in the sprinkler system, fix the leak and obtain the services of sprinkler experts. There are procedures involving check, flow and alarm valves that should not be "messed with" by unqualified persons. Think about explaining to your insurance carrier that the system did not function because YOU thought that you fixed it.