# strange question



## cda (Mar 30, 2010)

Someone asked me about mercury in thermostats.

They are in the hvac business and have a box load of old ones.

They want to do the right thing and get rid of them properly.

Have not been able to contact businesses around here,

But just wanted to throw it out for any ideas.


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## hlfireinspector (Mar 30, 2010)

Re: strange question

Glad this came up. We were just talking today at the station and someone tells me their is mercury in the bulbs in sprinklers? True of false?


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## Coug Dad (Mar 30, 2010)

Re: strange question

The fluid in sprinkler bulbs is not mercury.  Disposal varies by location, same as for the compact fluorescent  light bulbs which also contain mercury.  Here, they tell us to just carefully wrap a bulb securely in paper and put it in the trash.  I have heard of other jurisdictions where you have to take them to a hazardous waste site.  Check with the local solid waste people.


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## Pcinspector1 (Mar 30, 2010)

Re: strange question

Believe it or not, mercury has value, look for a recycling source, you could have a small fortune or an evironmental disposal problem.

Hey "every day's a crap shoot!"

"Or your shoes got crap on em!"


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## Coug Dad (Mar 30, 2010)

Re: strange question

If you have not seen this before, it is pretty funny.  This is what the EPA tells you to do with a broken light bulb:

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.

Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.

Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.

Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.

Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.

Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.

If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.

Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.

You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.

If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.

Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.

Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.

Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.


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## FM William Burns (Mar 30, 2010)

Re: strange question

In some of my classes I always give extra credit if anyone can tell me what the four elements in a glass bulb sprinkler head are and one of them is engineered............ care to guess :?:


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## hlfireinspector (Apr 4, 2010)

FM William Burns said:
			
		

> In some of my classes I always give extra credit if anyone can tell me what the four elements in a glass bulb sprinkler head are and one of them is engineered............ care to guess :?:


Is it in 13???????????????

Waiting with baited breath FM Burns.


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## cda (Apr 4, 2010)

hlfireinspector

NO

proprietary

A thermally responsive frangible bulb containing a liquid which when heated expands to burst the bulb. In use the bulb may be positioned between a support and a sprinkler outlet cap such that when the bulb bursts the sprinkler outlet is opened. The bulb is at least partially filled with at least one halogen derivative of an aromatic hydrocarbon containing two or more halogen substituents such as 1,3-dichlorobenzene, or an aliphatic amide such a formamide. Use of these liquids enables a wide range of operating temperatures and a quick response operating time to be achieved.


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## FM William Burns (Apr 4, 2010)

Extra Credit

Nope :ugeek:


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## hlfireinspector (Apr 4, 2010)

Thanks CDA

I guess you get the extra credit from FM Burns.

Edit. Guess not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## cda (Apr 4, 2010)

next guess  "glass"


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## cda (Apr 4, 2010)

water and glycerine


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## FM William Burns (Apr 5, 2010)

*Only (2) remain * 

*Cda scores 3 stars for the reference to "proprietary"*


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## Marshal Chris (Apr 5, 2010)

FM William Burns said:
			
		

> In some of my classes I always give extra credit if anyone can tell me what the four elements in a glass bulb sprinkler head are and one of them is engineered............ care to guess :?:


Fire, Water, Wind and Earth?


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## AegisFPE (Apr 5, 2010)

FM William Burns said:
			
		

> ...what the four elements in a glass bulb sprinkler head are and one of them is engineered...


I think the question is more globally considering the entire head, not just the bulb.

So, if we consider the 4 fundamental components to be:

1. Frame

2. Deflector

3. Frangible bulb

4. Plug

While all of these components are no doubt "engineered" by the manufacturer, three of them may be relatively interchangeable in other models of sprinkler heads.  However, I would say that the deflector must be specifically engineered for the particular model of head.


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## cda (Apr 5, 2010)

AegisFPE

I think the answer to your answer will be NOOOOOOOOO

there are different chemicals in the liquid


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## Oldfieldguy (Apr 6, 2010)

This is a bad question. I can engineer the solution with isopropanol but you failed to offer design conditions.

An Old Field Guy


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## cda (Apr 6, 2010)

bulb maker:::

http://www.job-bulbs.com/en/products/technical-data.html

1/2 point????


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## cda (Apr 6, 2010)

fogot one component is "AIR" you have to have the bubble.


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## AegisFPE (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm with OFG, no offense FMB!  I am reminded of the disclaimer for quizzes by the host of a morning radio show, "And the answer I'm looking for is the answer I'm looking for."


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## FM William Burns (Apr 6, 2010)

OK....Message Received!

Sorry,

Should have been a little clearer.

The answer I'm looking for is related to:

The four most common elements found inside a glass bulb post 1980's.

Now what you are playing for:

Leftover residential glass bulb sprinklers from Minneapolis :mrgreen:


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## cda (Apr 20, 2010)

FM William Burns

AND the  ANSWER is::::::::::::


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## jim baird (Apr 20, 2010)

"...Waiting with baited breath FMBurns..."

BTW, word police note that the expression "bated breath" derives from "abatement", as in stopped, or held, breath.  Same root as abatoir

, or slaughter house, where life is abated.


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## JBI (Apr 20, 2010)

@ Jim Baird - Now that was some useful information... being somewhat of a wordsmith I appreciate knowing the roots of words and expressions. Didn't connect 'bated' to either 'abatement' or 'abatoir', thanks. ;-)


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## Yikes (Apr 22, 2010)

I had a residential apartment project a few years ago that was being constructed by one of the largest contractors in So Cal.  The owner decided to put in CFL bulbs in the dining room fixtures, which were originally specified/purchased for incandescent bulbs.  The contractor refused any CFLs to be allowed on the property until the building was complete / turned over, saying their insurance company would not allow them to handle CFLs due to the mercury - - if somebody broke a CFL, they would be required by their insurance company to call in a HAZMAT team for cleanup!


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## cda (May 18, 2010)

FM William Burns

The four most common elements found inside a glass bulb post 1980's.

AND the ANSWER is::::::::::::?????????????????????


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## FM William Burns (May 18, 2010)

Sorry completely forgot about this one!

As Maxwell Smart would ask........ would you believe : Air – Glycerin – Water and Food Coloring?



Ok........... would you believe: 

Post 1980 manufacturers sought a fast-acting head and tried new bulb designs and new chemicals including: Trichloromethane and tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene). 

However, to truly compete with the more temperature specific activation ranges of fusable metals, the industry developed mixtures of liquids to allow bulbs to activate at more specific temperature ranges. These chemicals are:

One halogen derivative of an aromatic hydrocarbon containing two or more halogen substituents such as 1,3-dichlorobenzene, or an aliphatic amide such a formamide. 

Use of these liquids enables a wide range of operating temperatures and a quick response operating time to be achieved. 

BTW the later is the best answer I received to date.


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