subject: Misconceptions about Home Fire Sprinklers [print this page] Misconceptions about Home Fire Sprinklers
Fire Equipment: Normally, the Home fires have produced over 80 percent of all civilian fire deaths. However, most of these lives would have been prevented if a home fire sprinkler system had been installed. Combining a smoke alarm with a sprinkler system reduces the chances of dying in a fire by 82 percent.
But why aren't people installing home fire sprinkler systems? Usually it is because of the misconceptions people have about sprinkler systems. Yet, the reality of the home sprinkler systems is quite different from what most people believe. Home sprinkler systems are often discounted as being too costly, too damaging, too ugly, or too likely to go off accidentally. However, these beliefs are simply not true.
Costs:
A home fire sprinkler system might seem like an expensive addition. In existing homes, the costs are at least double that of a new system because installation often requires removing and replacing existing drywall. However, these costs can be reduced if you have the sprinkler system installed when doing other home renovations.
Of course, what cannot be factored into this equation is the loss of items with sentimental value. However, it is easy to figure that if less damage was done to the home, less damage was done to the home's contents.
Water Damage :
Most people worry that the water damage done by the sprinkler systems would be more extensive than the damage done by the fire and smoke. This is not true. First, sprinklers will only go off in rooms where they are triggered. If there is a fire in the kitchen, a sprinkler in the bedroom will not activate. This myth is usually perpetuated in the movies and on television. Nevertheless, it is only a myth. In fact, experts estimate that 95 percent of the time home fires are controlled by one sprinkler head.
Accidental Triggering:
Most people worry that a sprinkler system will go off accidentally or before they are necessary. After all, most people have accidentally set of their smoke detectors at one time or another. More importantly, home sprinkler systems rarely go off accidentally. The odds of you being killed by an asteroid are 32 times greater than the odds of your sprinkler system going off accidentally.
Ugly Sprinkler Heads:
If the only reason you do not want a sprinkler system in your home is that you think sprinkler heads are too ugly, then you are being a little fussy. You are also probably incorrect in this assumption. Home fire sprinkler systems can look a lot different from the types installed in businesses. In fact, most come with sprinkler heads that are nearly invisible. Some can even recess into the ceiling behind metal plates when they are not in use. These plates can even be coordinated to match your decor. Others have heads that only protrude about 1/2 inch from the ceiling or are mounted onto the wall.
Off course, having a good sprinkler system does not mean you can start smoking in bed, leaving candles unsupervised, or finally give your kids those matches they have been wanting. The best way to prevent fire is common sense. However, the best way to save lives and property once the fire has begun is a good home fire sprinkler system. There is no real reason not to do it.
