Meet the Big One

The Reliable® M336 K34 (480) Storage Sprinkler Is Here, and It Changes the Game for 55′ (16.8 m) Ceiling Height

They Said It Couldn’t Be Done

When Reliable set out to build a sprinkler for the tallest storage buildings, the engineering targets were aggressive enough that more than a few people said they weren’t reachable.

“We were told we would not be able to accomplish some of the things we accomplished with the testing and certification of the new M336.” — Phil Friday, VP of Product Technology

They did it anyway. The Reliable® Model M336 is FM Approved for buildings up to 55 feet (16.8 m) tall, storage up to 50 feet (15.2 m) high, and aisle widths as narrow as four feet (1.2 m) — two full feet tighter than anything else available for buildings in that height range.

Why Four Feet Matters to You

Your customers want to fit as much storage as possible into their buildings. Aisle width is a big part of that equation. For buildings requiring FM approval, nothing in FM Data Sheet 8-9 gets you below six-foot aisles. The M336 gets you to four.

“The more narrow your aisles, the more material you can store. And when you talk about really large buildings — over 100,000 square feet — that space adds up across the span of the building and becomes very, very significant.” — Phil Friday

Built in the Lab, One Prototype at a Time

The M336 didn’t come together in a conference room. It was built the hard way: months of daily testing, constant iteration, and a team that refused to quit when the prototype tests proved challenging.

“One of the rules we have is the floor has to get wet every day. If we’re not running water, we’re not closer to making a product to sell.” — Chad Stewart, Approvals Re-Examination Specialist

That work fell to Chad Stewart and Juan Jimenez, Sr. Product Development Engineer. The two logged more hours at the test rig than anyone else in the company, under the direction of Kenneth Quist, Director of Product Development Engineering.

“These two gentlemen have seen more water flow over deflectors than anyone in this company — and were truly the brain power behind this incredible product.” — Kenneth Quist

Failure Is Part of the Process

Keep Going. Plan for Tomorrow.

Not every test goes the way you want it to. That philosophy carried them through months of testing. When milestones started falling, they pushed harder.

“My rule is: I’ve got to go home with a plan for tomorrow. If it didn’t go well today, I’m happy going home — because we are planning for tomorrow.” — Juan Jimenez, Sr. Product Development Engineer

“Every single step of the way that you pass the test, you celebrate. And you come back — not with a big head — but you come back to work harder. Because you know you’re going to do it.” — Juan Jimenez

When the Fire Tests Pass, You Know

Large-scale fire testing is where all that lab work gets put to the test. You light the fire, you watch, and you wait.

“As you see the sprinkler doing what it was designed to do, you start to get this overwhelming sense of accomplishment and excitement — because it’s not an easy thing to do.” — Phil Friday

There’s always a moment of uncertainty before the final call.

“You don’t know until all the smoke clears and you’re able to go out and look at the damage. There’s always a bit of a waiting game.” — Phil Friday

They waited. They passed.

Why This Work Matters

More Than a Product. A Reason to Show Up.

The team at Reliable builds fire protection equipment. They don’t lose sight of what that means.

“The best part of my job is the challenge of making something that I know is going to save lives and property.” — Juan Jimenez

“The most important part about this job is that we save lives — that we help people get out of buildings in a matter of time that saves lives.” — Chad Stewart

The M336 at a Glance

The M336 Is Available Now.

The M336 is available now. Reach out to the Reliable Product Technology team to talk through your next project. tech@reliablesprinkler.com 1-800-557-2726