Like most "little" things, the final few feet between the branch line and the sprinkler head in a fire protection system usually gets little, if any thought. But as increasing numbers of new and retrofit commercial projects are proving, these few feet can make a noticeable difference, both initially and over the life of the property. Using flexible connections in place of traditional hard-pipe armovers pays dividends that at first blush would seem out of proportion for such a relatively minor detail.

Flexible connections install quickly, have fewer points of potential failure, have an installed cost that is at least competitive with hard pipe, and are very accommodating of building, use or code reconfigurations. This article discusses the physical attributes of flexible fire sprinkler connections, and the financial/economic aspects of specifying flexible connections rather than hard-pipe armovers.