residential fire sprinklers
 

The "house features" thread got me thinking about some of the things I have been considering for a new build... We will be building on an acreage about 10km from the nearest fire hall.

Anybody have a detached single family home with a sprinkler system? Good or bad? Cost?

ARG

I've seen them installed in a home probably about ten years ago and until the owner mentioned them (a sprinkler fitter), you would not even notice the head covers in the walls. Apparently his home insurance was substantially lower as well. With the going trend of building materials being used these days, I wouldn't be surprised to see them become a standard in new home construction.

This looks like a good idea.

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A fire suppression system isn't designed to extinguish the fire, just give you more time to evacuate should you need to. I guess answering the question if they're worth it comes down to how much you love your family, without sounding like to much of a ***** I hope. We have done without them for years but it's something that's becoming more standard and will be a part of the building code in the near future I would imagine.

Building a house with one, I believe it was about 8nuear to pay for it with the deduction in the insurance compared tk the same house without one. I'm not 100% on that number but that's what comes to mind after talking with our sprinkler rep.

I know in comerical/industrial you need a dedicated water supply for the sprinkler only (so nothing else can draw from it) if it’s not hooked up to a main water supply (ie. city grid). If residential has the same requirement it wouldn’t be worth considering.

I posted this idea on another thread but will mention it here. I have seen this system on a log home surrounded by bush.
A external sprinkler system that wets a home down if a forest fire is close. A simple small diameter pipe that goes along the apex of the roof that trickles or mists the roof and house. Solar with battery power or a generator to run the pump.

Noble idea - but no amount of misting is going to save a log cabin in the middle of a forest fire. Think that would have saved a log cabin from the beast in fort Mac ?? At best, it prolongs the inevitable.

Maybe misting wouldn't be effective against a full out forest fire but a wet down roof would be less likely to ignite air born cinders. Might need a steady trickle flow to be effective.

You need a enormous water supply and large piping for sprinkler system. Probably very hard to run pipe through walls and ceiling. In industry we often found the water was biggest hazard. Water falling on million dollar instrumentation caused more damage than the small fire.

OOPS! I thought you ment for inside the house. For the outside I bought sprinklers from WASP http://www.waspwildfire.com/
They work pretty good. I tested them with a 400l/pm Honda high pressure pump. I plan to have 2 X 10,000l water tanks with 2 x pumps. My well pump will supplement the water tanks till the power goes out or the well (30" x 35feet deep) runs dry. Together with a tin roof it should buy me some time

The cabin might not be in the middle of the fire but wearing the roof will stop ignition from embers blown in.

Actually you do not need large water supplies for residential fire sprinklers. It can be done with about 30 gpm at 50 psi. So a small tank(350 usgallons) by code a 10 minute water supply is all that is required and any csa approved pump would work. Cost would be about 4 to 5 dollars per square ft for an average home.

Now if your talking warehouse fire sprinklers 12 to 1500 usgpm, a diesel driven fire pump and large piping.

As far as having an accidental sprinkler head discharge 99% of the time it is the result of a poor installation.

Those are interesting... thanks

That is one of the things I'm trying to figure out. I have seen info that says a tank and pump "may" be required... what they don't say is how big a tank and what exactly "may" means.

I know the large pipes aren't required for residential. Some system will work off the existing plumbing.

Interior was what I meant, but all info is welcome at this point.

We are planning Hardy board siding and a metal roof to be some what fire resistant. I was thinking of roof sprinklers, but had not started looking at options yet.

ARG

Au revoir, Gopher

Perhaps you missed my post, my job for the past 34 years has been installing/designing fire sprinklers.
Any questions feel free to ask.

Dark, I have heard that even in a large industrial fire it is rare that more than two sprinklers deploy and the fire is usually controlled before the fire department arrives.
Is that a correct statement?
Thanks,

You are correct.

The statistics used to be 90% of fires are extinguished with one sprinkler 99% extinguished with 2 sprinklers.
This does not apply to high hazard buildings such as warehouse.

We recently had a fire in a group home. A tenant stood his mattress against a wall a lit it on fire.
This small home had a small tank and pump, the fire was extinguished completely by one sprinkler head. The tenants did not have to leave the home they just had to mop up some water. Prior to this fire they had another fire that was extinguished by the local fire department, the house had to be completely gutted and the tenants had to find other accommodations for 6 months

Sorry Dark, I didn't see your post until after I made my last post... I blame my browser, but it could have been lack of coffee :)

Thanks for the info. I guess I need to figure out where I could put a water tank (the area set aside for mechanical is starting to get crowded) and if I can find another $5/sq ft in the budget.

ARG

I see you are from Calgary, I would get a few quotes from your local companies.
I work in the Edmonton area.