Automatic Fire Sprinklers Cause Water Damage - Is This True?

You may like the idea of saving your family from fire, but don't like the idea of automatic fire sprinklers pouring gallons of water onto your furniture. Come on, let's examine the facts...

We humans are funny. We know that something is good for us, yet we don't do it.

Take fire sprinklers, for example. We know that fire sprinklers can save our lives – in fact, when you have them together with a smoke alarm you are much more likely to survive a house fire. Yet we don't install sprinklers.

Why? Because we are afraid of the water damage the sprinklers could cause to our home. And the sprinklers look ugly. And they cost a lot. These are the perceptions (whether true or not is another story) surrounding fire sprinklers.

Let's look at each of these perceptions one by one, and examine the truth.

Automatic Fire Sprinklers Can Cause Water Damage To Your Home: True Or False?

The answer is that residential fire sprinklers actually can cause water damage to your home. However, the water damage from the sprinklers will be 15 times less than the water damage from the fire hoses on the fire truck. This is because sprinklers would fill up a bath in two and a half minutes, whereas a fire hose on a fire truck would fill a bathtub in ten seconds.

The other thing to keep in mind is that fire sprinkler systems are right there where the fire is. How far away do you live from your fire station? Surely it's further than the distance from your ceiling to your floor?

Also remember that only the sprinkler heads closest to the fire will activate. Any rooms without fire will be kept dry.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can connect fire sprinklers to a smoke alarm. This will ensure that the sprinklers only activate if there is sufficient smoke to warrant it. Connecting fire sprinklers to a smoke alarm practically guarantees activation only in the event of an actual fire.

Automatic Fire Sprinklers Cost Too Much: True Or False?

This may have been true several years ago but the cost of automatic fire sprinklers has come down. This is because you can now use plastic pipes instead of metal pipes in your home sprinkler system.

The cost is now about two to five dollars per square foot (or around $50 per square metre). Remember that you will probably save money on your house and contents insurance by having fire sprinkler systems in your home./

Automatic Fire Sprinklers Are Ugly: True Or False?

A few years ago, fire sprinkler heads were big and not very attractive. Today, fire sprinkler heads are smaller and much less obtrusive. You will hardly even notice they are there.

The Verdict?

Of course, the above arguments do not focus on saving the lives of your children, family and loved ones. They are merely illustrations to show you that automatic fire sprinklers will not damage your home, and that they are more affordable and unobtrusive than you might think.