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Ansul is a brand of Kitchen and Restaurant Fire Suppression System. It enjoys such an overwhelming market share that it has become the ‘Hoover’ of this type of system. Often a Kitchen Fire Suppression System will be referred to as an Ansul system no matter what the actual brand.

A Kitchen Fire Suppression System usually refers to a self-contained modular assembly comprising a detection mechanism (to detect a fire), a manual pull-station (as a second method of activating the system), a container or containers of fire-suppressant and a network of pipe and nozzles to apply the fire-suppressant to a fire when activated.

Ansul Piranha is an advanced version of the much more common R102 system. It is similar in appearance and activates identically to R102. It uses a different suppressing agent ‘PRX’. Once this has been expelled to quench the fire, the Piranha mechanism continues to douse the fire with water. The advantages of Piranha are that the nozzles can be placed at a much greater proximity to the hazards. It lends itself to larger installations where the cost of the additional water supply can be more easily justified. It is sometimes the only option in commercial applications where very large fryers, beyond the design limitations of Ansul R102, are installed.

Ansul R102 is without doubt the market leading Kitchen and Restaurant Fire Suppression System. It benefits from a long history, tracing its origins to the early 90’s where it was a development from Tyco’s dry-chemical based R101 system. R102 is a wet-chemical based system which activates automatically in the event of a fire.

Appliance Specific Protection is a method of covering hazards with nozzles that are dedicated to individual hazards. The nozzles have to be of the correct type, quantity and placed correctly relative to the hazard. If a system is installed this way changes have to be made to match any modification of the cook-line.

Gerberit Mapress is a brand of pipe and fittings which is very popular among fire suppression installers. The 15mm pipe diameter is equivalent to 3/8 Sched 40 while 22mm is equivalent to 1/2 inch Sched 40. Pipe is cut to length and fittings are connected using a specialist crimping tool. This method of connection saves installation time, but once a system is assembled it can’t easily be modified. Usually, sections of the installation have to be cut out and completely replaced.

Overlapping (Ansul terminology) or Zone Defence (Amerex terminology) is a method where nozzles are placed at regular intervals so that any hazard under the cooking hood is covered. Appliances can be moved at will and protection is assured. Initial installation cost is usually higher using this format, but long term cost of ownership savings are expected as the system should not need modification during its life.

In terms of fire suppression, Schedule 40 is a specification defining the characteristics of the pipe used to connect the tanks in a system to the nozzles. Schedule 40 is a reasonably thick-walled pipe which is cut to size then threaded. Connections are made using threaded fittings (elbows, tees etc). It is more time consuming to install than other options, but provides for the greatest longevity. An Ansul R102 installation is only UL300 compliant if installed using Schedule 40 pipe and components.

UL 300 certification refers to the safety standard for fire suppression systems in commercial cooking operations, established by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). This standard ensures that fire suppression systems can effectively extinguish fires caused by cooking appliances, hoods, and ducts in commercial kitchens. It requires systems to use wet chemical extinguishing agents suitable for modern cooking oils and to prevent re-ignition, ensuring safety in food service establishments. UL 300 certification is essential for compliance with many fire codes and for protecting people and property in commercial cooking settings.