Re: The Challenge: alas, he didn't make it. . . .

On 04 Jun 2008 15:10:29 +0100,
Jamie <sbwriel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
<87zlq15m0a.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

At a previous orkplace they had sprinklers on the whole ground floor,
which meant you could take out the server room by holding a lighter up
to one of the sprinkler beads in one of the public areas.

Y'know, it really depends on how the sprinklers work.

Most sprinklers I've worked with are the "fusible-link" sort: the valve
is held shut by a small piece of low-melting-point alloy until the local
temp rises above the melting point, at which time the link melts, the
water pushes the plug out of the pipe, and Things (presumably including
the heat source) Get Wet. This is not mere theorizing on my part: I've
seen it work; it is the run-of-the-mill fire suppression system in these
parts.

Yes, one of those allegedly. I was told that if one of the beads
melted, the pressure would drop enough that all would go. The only way
to be sure would be test and that would have Consequences.

That's ... well, it's not even _wrong_. It's like saying that if I take
one wheel off my car, the rest will fall off. There's a chunk of metal
_holding_ the plug in; it's not suddenly going to vanish because the
water pressure drops.

--
If Ace Books ever came out with an edition of The Bible, both books would
be edited down to 40,000 words, and they'd be renamed "Master of Chaos" and
"The Thing With Three Souls." -- Terry Carr, quoted by Joe Zeff
.