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Using flexible connections to sprinklers in suspended ceilings has a range of advantages, such as elimination of cutting, grease and many time-consuming second fix procedures.
However, in order to ensure these benefits, it is essential to install the system correctly, and one of the key issues is avoiding over-bending the flexible, a practice which can cause water flow loss, impedance of drainage, damage, and other problems. Now IFI Fire, exclusive supplier of the leading flexible connection Rapidrop, has developed a device, which is fitted to each bend of the installed flexible to demonstrate correct bending.
The Minimum Radius Indicator (MRI) is a bright orange proprietary device which can only be fixed to Rapidrop connections when they have been bent to the correct radius. The high visibility means that correct installation can be inspected from the floor, ending uncertainty or the alternative of a close visual check on each bend, to gauge whether it meets the minimum radius criteria.
“We have developed and patented the MRI for exclusive use with the Rapidrop flexibles,” says Alan Stimpson of IFI Fire. “This is in response to the increasing concerns expressed to us, particularly by insurance companies, about the misuse of some flexibles.”
Rapidrop does not have restrictions on bend angles and its exclusive, patented MRI removes the bend radius issue and ensures that Rapidrop will, says IFI Fire, continue to be accepted as a viable flexible alternative to the traditional rigid armover.