Which water supply control valve is intended to be operated by actuation of an automatic detection system installed in the same area as the discharge device?

• A. Alarm device
• B. Deluge valve
• C. Dry pipe valve
• D. Pressure reducing valve

Answer: (B)

When water must flood every sprinkler head in a protected area as soon as a detector is triggered, the valve chosen is a deluge valve. In a deluge system, all sprinklers are open, and water is held back by a deluge valve until an automatic detection device in the same area as the discharge piping signals it to open. Once actuation occurs, water flows through the entire network of heads immediately, providing rapid, full-area protection.

The alarm device itself is not a water-control valve, so it doesn’t fit as the valve being operated. A dry pipe valve is used in dry-pipe systems where piping is filled with pressurized air and water is admitted into the lines when the valve releases, but the question emphasizes a valve intended to be opened by a local detection signal in the discharge area to flood all heads, which is the hallmark of the deluge valve. A pressure reducing valve changes pressure in the system and is not actuated by a detection signal.