Fire sprinkler head misuse as coat hook

Precision device with Wood's metal melting sensor at 160°F; creep above 100°F storage temperature degrades the rating. NFPA forbids storage above 100°F; refrigerated trucks used for Texas-origin shipments.

Another tool that gets abused fairly often — [Tom holds up a fire sprinkler head.] — a fire sprinkler. In some hotel rooms they have these sitting out sideways, or in the ceiling, and they have signs around them saying don't hang your clothes from this. People love to take a coat hanger and hang it up — they figure this is a handy hook. It turns out this is a precision piece of equipment. It cannot be stored above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, because some of them use Wood's metal as the melting sensor at 160 degrees. If it stays above 100 degrees for longer than a certain time, it'll creep, and these things can fail at less than their rated temperature. The National Fire Protection Association code says I shall not use or store these above 100 degrees. They have to ship them in refrigerated trucks in many cases, because it can get hot in a truck in Texas, where this one was made.