CaptiveAire Fire Suppression

While you hope you will never have to deal with a fire in your commercial kitchen, it is a possibility you must prepare for. Taking precautionary measures can help minimize damage and enable your restaurant to get back to normal operations more quickly if a fire does occur. CaptiveAire commercial kitchen hoods include built-in fire suppression and offer several options to ensure you get exactly the kind of protection your operation needs.

Ansul R-102

Ansul is a company that specializes in fire protection products, and its systems have long been the standard in commercial range hoods with fire suppression. The R-102 restaurant fire suppression system uses a liquid, low-pH chemical called potassium acetate that works to smother the fire, forming a crust of foam over burning oil. A vapor is also generated to help stop the fire from re-flashing after it has been extinguished.

This fire system is activated by a fusible link system. Links are rated to withstand up to a specific temperature. Once that temperature is exceeded the links break apart, allowing the system to activate. The Ansul R-102 fire system can also be activated manually at a control panel that is usually mounted on a nearby wall.

Piranha

The Ansul Piranha fire suppression system protects commercial cooking equipment under ventilation equipment, using both chemicals and water to extinguish fires quickly and safely. When a fire is detected by the same fusible link as the one used in the R-102, the Piranha suppression system drops a chemical called PRX onto the fire. PRX forms a layer of foam and smothers the fire by preventing access to oxygen.

After the initial dump of chemicals onto the fire, the system follows up with a spray of water, which can penetrate the foam to cool down overheated grease. The foam also allows steam to escape, so no buildup occurs. The water raining down cools the area and continues agitating the chemical to replenish the layer of foam. This method cools down cooking oil as much as 15 times faster while using 60 percent less chemical agent.

CORE

CORE is CaptiveAire's contribution to kitchen ventilation fire suppression. This system differs from traditional kitchen fire suppression in that it uses water. Most kitchen fires are grease fires, which typically don't respond well to water. Tossing water on a grease fire usually results in the development of a fireball, as the water sinks below the grease, turns to steam, and creates an explosion. However, CaptiveAire's CORE fire suppression system can use water to reliably extinguish grease fires.

When the CORE fire system is activated, water is mixed with surfactant, which allows the water to be more evenly distributed throughout the oil when they encounter each other. The CORE suppression system is also plumbed into the building's water supply, providing an endless supply of water until the fire is extinguished. As an additional bonus, because the fire is put out with a water and detergent blend, cleaning up after a fire is easier, so you can get back to cooking with as little downtime as possible.

Unlike the Ansul systems' fusible link triggers, CORE uses electronic sensors to determine when the fire suppression needs to activate. A thermostat called Firestat senses when the temperature rises rapidly or when it increases beyond 360 degrees Fahrenheit, either of which will activate the system. CORE is an electronic system, but uses a battery backup in case of a power outage.