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Residential fire sprinklers are one of the best investments you can make in your new home. They serve an entirely different function than smoke detectors. Smoke detectors tell you, as long as they are maintained in working order, that a fire is in progress. Sprinklers actually have the capability to extinguish or control a fire until such time as the fire department responds. In your case, a single sprinkler may have already extinguished the fire before the volunteers have reached your house. Without sprinklers your fire department may arrive just in time to save your foundation. Sprinklers make good sense even if you live across the street from a firehouse. Residential fire sprinklers have many myths attached to them. One of these is water damage. Many people believe that all sprinklers activate in a fire situation. This simply is not true. Only the sprinklers in the fire area activate. Sprinkler heads are set to operate as soon as the air temperature surrounding the head reaches a factory set temperature. Many residential sprinklers activate at 160 - 165 degrees F. Some fires generate temperatures like this near the sprinkler heads in as little as 45 seconds. A standard quick response sprinkler head usually discharges about 13 -18 gallons of water per minute. Studies have shown that a single sprinkler head can extinguish many common residential fires in about four minutes. A wide majority of residential fires only activate one or two sprinkler heads. Early extinguishment of fires also limits smoke and heat damage as well. | ||||||||
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