The Plumis Automist® System
Automist® is an award winning retrofit fire sprinkler that uses mist technology for a revolutionary way to implement domestic fire protection across modern open plan buildings.
Today’s building regulations can be extremely restricting, particularly in regards to projects higher than two stories where staircases and hallways are being combined into living spaces.
The provision of inadequate fire protection can mean the difference between life and death. Because it does not need a tank or a commercial incoming water main, Automist® is trusted in thousands of homes to meet building regulations where a traditional sprinkler would not be practical due to water supply requirements.
Automist® can be used in the same residential applications as traditional sprinklers. It is described in an LABC Registered Detail (EW534) and passed all the fire performance tests that are applied to both conventional sprinklers & watermist sprinklers.
- Automatic Fire Detection
In the case of a fire, Automist® is triggered automatically via a detector mounted on the ceiling.
- Smart Mist Technology
Once triggered, a small pump works to drive mains water through the unique nozzle unit, filling the room with a dense fog.
- Active Temperature Control
The water mist removes radiative heat from the room and displaces oxygen from the point of fire, resulting in efficient fire control, suppression, or extinguishment. Combustion is no longer maintainable – reducing fire damage & maintaining a survivable condition.
- Automatic Fire Detection
In the case of a fire, Automist® is triggered automatically via a detector mounted on the ceiling.
- Smart Mist Technology
Once triggered, a small pump works to drive mains water through the unique nozzle unit, filling the room with a dense fog.
- Active Temperature Control
The water mist removes radiative heat from the room and displaces oxygen from the point of fire, resulting in efficient fire control, suppression, or extinguishment. Combustion is no longer maintainable – reducing fire damage & maintaining a survivable condition.
- Minimised Water Damage
Automist® uses up to 90% less water than a traditional sprinkler, meaning water damage in the event of activation is minimised. Unlike conventional sprinklers, Automist® can also be stopped manually by pressing a button on its control panel, allowing more control and reducing disruption.
- Intelligent Fire Suppression
In the case of a kitchen chip pan fire, it’s widely known that adding water can greatly exacerbate the fire and make the situation much worse. Automist® uses water mist to prevent water from collecting in the pan.
- Fast and Effective
The Automist® system is fast and effective, and in cases where it’s unable to completely extinguish a fire, it can significantly delay the growth - allowing adequate time for escape and keeping temperatures down until fire rescue services can attend.
What layouts can I unlock?
As well as helping to gain approval for open plan arrangements with rooms above the first floor, Automist® can be used to unlock a variety of open plan & above first floor layouts.
New or converted four-storey houses must have two separate escape routes between the upper floors. In a case study with ground, first, second, and third floors, this would mean two separate staircases between the third and second floors. Fitting Automist® would help do away with the requirement for this extra staircase.
In London, prices of around £6000/m2 would mean that an internal stair of standard size (3.5-4.6m2), effectively removes a floor area worth up to £27,000. When you consider these figures, fire suppression pays for itself.
New homes and extensions more than 45m away from the road. If a fire engine can’t get to it, part B5 of the building regulations will see an issue with your project. Fitting Automist® enables the metre distance to be greater (subject to agreement by Building Control & Fire and Rescue).
Easy installation alternative
An easy to install, less disruptive alternative to water sprinkler systems. Automist® was designed with retrofit in mind, and installation can take just a day to complete. The use of a flexible, high pressure hose means that the system does not need to go through the ceiling. A commercial grade water main or tank is also not required for installation.
Installation Timeline
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How Much Does Automist® Cost?
Automist® offers effective active fire suppression, without the costly shortcomings of traditional sprinkler systems in a domestic setting, such as excess water damage, fire damage due to slow response, and difficulty to install and maintain.
Design aspects such as the position of the mounted nozzles & early activation mean that the Automist® system only needs 5.6 litres of water per minute to suppress the same fires that require ten times as much water from a traditional sprinkler system. This means that Automist® does not require a large tank or water main upgrade, which can be quite a significant cost barrier for many properties.
* Prices are guidelines per home (retrofit) and depend on the specific products used, economies of scale, and project complexity.
New: Automist® Smartscan Hydra
The Automist® Smartscan Hydra is a fully upgraded version of the award-winning algorithm that produced Smartscan, now integrated with the latest in fire safety innovations.
When triggered by the wireless multi sensor or wired detector, the Smartscan Hydra linked spray heads begin scanning the room, measuring temperatures using an infrared sensor to identify the source of a fire. A high press pump is activated, driving mains water through a unique nozzle unit, and quickly directing a dense fog into the affected location to successfully suppress the fire.
Reliable Activation – The Automist® Smartscan Hydra has a robust ‘double knock’ trigger which uses a combination of smoke, heat, and rate of rise to accurately identify a fire. This unique system means that the Smartscan Hydra is not prone to false activations
Automist Smartscan® has been independently, third party, tested by Exova Warrington Fire to confirm that it meets the performance requirements of BS 8458 2015, as validated by the BSI Verification Certificate, VC 712581
Review a breakdown table of our compliance to BS8458 and our third-party validation of our BS8458 fire performance produced by BSi (see page 2 of our verification certificate):
Approved Document B (Volume 1, 2019 edition incorporating 2020 amendments, page i) specifically provides for the use of non-standard systems, explaining that:
‘although approved documents cover common building situations, compliance with the guidance set out in the approved documents does not provide a guarantee of compliance with the requirements of the regulations because the approved documents cannot cater for all circumstances, variations and innovations.…Where the guidance in the approved document has not been followed… the person carrying out building works should demonstrate that the requirements of the regulations have been complied with by some other acceptable means or method.’
Several alternative guidance documents support the use of Automatic water fire suppression systems (AWFSS) to meet building regulations:
- BS 9991:2015 Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings. Code of practice
- BS 7974:2019 Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings. Code of practice
Fire engineering research shows Automist is superior to a conventional glass bulb ceiling mounted system:
“the measured activation times of a concealed sprinkler head is 2.0 to 13.7 times slower than those using an electronic nozzle system”
The fire industry has been asking for change for many years – Why must we innovate in active fire suppression?
Automist® and Automist Smartscan® are registered trademarks of Plumis Ltd
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