Fire suppression/sprinker systems

[MikeT]

Hi folks,

Because of the response time in getting to my property, I voluntarily committed to installiong a residential fire suppression system.  Given John's spece efficient floor plans, I figure I can do it myself for about $2000.  My insurance rates will be more favorable as well.  Given the data on their effectiveness, especially in concert with a fire department as back  up, I am wondering if this isn't the wave of the future when dealing with counties experiencing lots of growth.

Also, any words of advice are appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

[glenn kangiser]

I see they are in apartment complexes I work on now - they used an orange colored plastic pipe of some kind for most of the sprinkler lines.

[Dustin]

I have been looking at Aquapex, since it's a system that ties into your pex tubing plumbing system. Hopefully i can fit it inot our budget. I think it's  important, considering the flammability of our building materials.
You may want to google it and take a look. My problem is I'm trying to figure out how in the heck I can hide the tubing for it, since I have exposed ceilings. I thought I might add an additional board to build up a beam and rout out a channel for the sprinklers line.

[Jimmy C.]

I see they are in apartment complexes I work on now - they used an orange colored plastic pipe of some kind for most of the sprinkler lines.

Do they look like this?

[Dustin]

Didn't know you could mount them on the wall. This may solve my problem. Who makes those?

[manhattan42]

Couple things to consider if you are thinking of installing a fire suppression system on a well:

1. Make sure your well can handle the volume of water necessary. As anyone knows who has a well system, the pressure and flow drops significantly after only a few minutes of sustained use as the pressure tank is drained.  Having sprinkler heads going full tilt in a major fire can leave you seriously underpressurized and without adequate water flow for the sprinklers to have any real significance.

2.  Wells require electricity to operate. An electrical fire that kills power to the well pump will leave you high and dry and with an uncontained fire. You may need to install gravity tanks in your attic, on the roof or at an elevation higher than the house to maintain adequate pressure and flow for a fire suppression system to work especially when the power goes out.

3. Understand proper backflow preventer between the potable water system and the fire suppression system, especially if the pipes or storage tanks need to be treated chemically to keep the water/fluids in the fire suppression pipes from freezing.

[Amanda_931]

I was wondering about water pressure (and power and pumps).

A pond may be the best source of water for putting out a fire.   Although IIRC Art Ludwig recommends sizing cisterns so they might be useful for that.

but hard to make a pond automatic.  Don't much want to run pond water through little hoses and sprinklers either.

The ideal thing would be a big pump-filled cistern forty feet--preferably more--up the hill from the house--enough water at 20+ psi to do some good, and then all you'd get to worry about was wildfire cutting the pipes between house and cistern.

Our utility company is now mandating wired in--and interconnected fire alarms.  

I may have whined about this  before, but the time my house caught on fire the fire department was there about the time my battery alarm--in a reasonable location--went off.  And I'd left the house when the electricity went off and I saw the fire when I looked at the fuse box.

[Jimmy C.]

Didn't know you could mount them on the wall. This may solve my problem. Who makes those?

http://www.alliancefirepro.com/residential.html