Fire sprinkler

A fire sprinkler or sprinkler head is the component of a fire sprinkler system that discharges water when the effects of a fire have been detected, such as when a predetermined temperature has been exceeded. Fire sprinklers are extensively used worldwide, with over 40 million sprinkler heads fitted each year. In buildings protected by properly designed, and maintained fire sprinklers, over 99% of fires were controlled by fire sprinklers alone.

History

In 1812, British inventor Sir William Congreve patented a manual sprinkler system using perforated pipes along the ceiling. When someone noticed a fire, a valve outside the building could be opened to send water through the pipes.

A large furniture factory had repeatedly burned down, and Hiram Stevens Maxim was consulted on how to prevent a recurrence. As a result, Maxim invented the first automatic fire sprinkler. It would douse the areas that were on fire, and it would report the fire to the fire station. Maxim was unable to sell the idea elsewhere, but when the patent expired the idea was used.

Rain Bird

←: For other uses of "Rain Bird" and "Rainbird", see Rainbird.

Rain Bird Corporation is a large international privately held manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services that helps create and maintain beautiful landscapes, golf courses, sports fields, and productive agricultural crops while saving water. Rain Bird is headquartered in Azusa, California, with offices and manufacturing facilities in Tucson, Arizona, Mexico, France, and China. Rain Bird Corporation is known as the irrigation industry leader with its high quality products and services being sold in over 130 countries worldwide.

History

Rain Bird had its origins in early 1933 when Glendora, California citrus grower Orton Englehardt developed the first prototype of the horizontal action impact sprinkler. The new design offered slow rotation and more efficient watering than other sprinklers of that era, features that were long sought after by local irrigators. Orton's friend and neighbor Clement LaFetra began helping him make and market the sprinklers and urged him to patent the invention. The patent (U.S. Patent No. 1,997,901) was awarded on April 16, 1935. Englehardt preferred farming, so in 1935 he sold the business to Clement and Mary Elizabeth LaFetra, whose descendants still operate the company today. The name Rain Bird was taken from the Native American legend of a bird that brought rain, in reference to the "bird-like" appearance of the impact sprinkler in action. Since its beginnings, Rain Bird has offered irrigation products for farms, golf courses, sports arenas, commercial developments, and residential landscapes worldwide. Rain Bird has been awarded over 450 patents in the last 80+ years. Rain Bird also offers education, training and services for the industry and the community through its Rain Bird Academy and Rain Bird Factory Trained education programs.

This Old House

This Old House is an American home improvement media brand with television shows, a magazine and a website, ThisOldHouse.com. The television series airs on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks. This Old House is produced by This Old House Ventures, Inc. with WGBH Boston as the PBS distributing station. Warner Bros. Domestic Television distributes the series to commercial television stations in syndication. Time Inc. launched This Old House magazine in 1995, focusing on home how-to, know-how and inspiration. In 2001, Time Inc. acquired the television assets from WGBH Boston and formed This Old House Ventures, Inc.

Overview

This Old House and its sister series Ask This Old House are often broadcast together as The This Old House Hour (originally known as The New This Old House Hour). Both shows are owned by This Old House Ventures, Inc. (a subsidiary of Time, Inc.) and are underwritten by GMC and The Home Depot. Weyerhauser lumber distributor, a previous underwriter, by 1989 had donated more than $1,000,000 a year to the show.This Old House is also underwritten by State Farm Insurance and Lumber Liquidators, Inc. Other underwriters throughout the show's tenure included Parks Corporation, Glidden paints, Montgomery Ward, Ace Hardware, Kohler plumbing, Schlage locks, Century 21 Real Estate, Toro lawnmowers/snowblowers, ERA Real Estate, Angie's List, and Mitsubishi Electrics. Two of the original underwriters were Weyerhauser and Owens-Corning.

Old House

Old House could refer to: