What must be done to sprinkler heads once they are activated?

Once sprinkler heads are activated, they are typically damaged by the force of the water and cannot be reused. This means that they need to be replaced rather than simply repaired or cleaned. The activation of a sprinkler head indicates that it has discharged water to suppress a fire, and in doing so, it will likely require a complete replacement to ensure that the fire protection system functions properly in the future.

Checking for functionality, while important as part of routine maintenance, does not apply in this situation since the head has already been activated and compromised. Replacing them ensures the integrity of the system moving forward, which is critical for life safety and fire prevention efforts.