Home Fire Protection

[Sandmannd]

Joining the fire department has opened my eyes to how fast new homes can go up. With the way homes are built now days they will burn fast. The light construction used instead of the old solid beams burn fast and the structures won't hold. Even if you have an older home you've likely put in new carpet, have newer furniture, etc. These all have plastic components these days which contain petroleum, even the paint you put on your walls has plastic in it. These products go up fast!! Too fast. So what do you do? Make sure you have working smoke detectors in every room AND get an ABC fire extinguisher for each floor, I'd even put a small one in the kitchen just for use in there. The chances of having a home fire aren't as high as they once were, but if there is a fire you need to be prepared. After going to a fires and see what they do and going through training I'm kicking myself for not putting a sprinkler system in my home when I built it. I'll be putting one in sooner than later now though. I've brought it up to a few people and they ask if I think it's over kill. Simply answered, no, it's not. On average it takes firefighters fifteen minutes to get to a fire, by that time your house is burning good and we may or may not be able to reach if you are trapped inside. If you have sprinklers the fire would be out in minutes.

Watch how long it takes an older home (about 30 years ago when things were still made of fabric) to burn up compared to a modern room.

[delcecchi]

Our church has had two incidents with sprinklers leaking and causing much damage. There are pipes in an unheated space which are dry (or supposed to be) until the fire starts. Unfortunately, it only apparently takes a tiny little leak in order for the pipe to fill up with water, freeze, break, and cause a deluge. The alarm that was supposed to notice the water in the pipe didn't go off. (after all it had been just sitting there for years)

It was incredible how much water shoots out of a 1 inch (maybe it was even bigger) pipe before anyone can get to the main shutoff. (luckily it happened during the day when someone was there or it would have filled the basement and run out the doors.

So the church got a whole bunch of new floor, ceiling, paint, wallboard, etc from the insurance company, with a contribution from the budget.

Do home sprinkler systems run through unheated attics, too?

[LightningBG]

Do home sprinkler systems run through unheated attics, too?

I dont think so. Our house has them and all the sprinklers on the upper level are on the walls, not in the ceiling.

That being said, I don't think I'd pay to have them installed. They just happened to already be in this house. If a house starts on fire, my goal is to get me and the family out. I couldn't care less what happens to the house or how much it costs to replace or repair. Seems like often when people die in house fires their are "unusual" circumstances. Space heaters instead of a working furnace. Lots of people in the house, etc. Doesn't mean it cant happen to anyone though.

These are good tips. Fire is dangerous. Extinguishers are a good idea.

[Sandmannd]

Most of the new systems run pex. When installed you run them in line with a toilet so every time you flush it runs the entire system. If you are running through an attic space simply put insulation around the pex and it's good for -45. Most have them running through interior walls.

While I agree the main goal is to get your family out of the home in a fire if you watch the video, three minutes isn't much time to get a family out. And in the middle of the night it may not be enough time to get out. It could seal off your exits. Make sure you have multiple ways out of your home. When a room flashes it reaches heat in excess of 1400 degrees. You can't make it through that.