Home Fire Sprinklers
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- Опубліковано 18 лис 2024
- New codes are requiring home fire sprinklers - Here's how they work.
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Knowing how theses work, I've always thought it was pretty funny when all the sprinklers in the whole place turn on at the same time in the movies.
In some high risk areas this does happen. However, in the movies they usually all go off in an office building. This is not a high risk area.
blue ferral in correct. The only time that will happen is when it is an open head system aka deluge.
Matt... Once again, great tips. I've just gotten into construction instead of medical school and you have taught me a lot! We are building 27 town homes currently and the sprinkler systems in the have been the biggest pain in the next but your system that you described in this video is different and easier. Thanks for sharing man!
+Scott Hixson very welcome!
Thanks Matt, always very helpful.
Buy flowers for your wife once in a while. Solve lots of problem automatically.
What are you talking about? He slipped down the stairs and his face specifically his eye hit the door knob.
Thanks for making this video. It was a really interesting to watch
Welcome to the Rocco Risinger Show!
Matt, can you share the approx. cost per sf of living space for such a system?
The opening up and subsequent repair of the drywall will be likely be very expensive as well, plus you will likely want to drape off the area where the sprinkler lines and heads will be so the drywall dust is kept to a minimum, and there will be a lot of it.
That particular head DOES NOT have a the glass bulb or alcohol it actually has a a fusible link which that’s what that black thing is right above the deflector. Hopefully that system has a backflow and wayerflow indicator on it or your asking for some bigger issues.
I'd be worried about the gluing. One of the failure points in CPVC is having excessive glue left on the pipe. The pipe in your video has visible glue drips, which weaken the pipe and can cause it to fail over time.
Lol true
Why do visible/exessive glue is a bad thing?
Already been asked but not adequately answered: how to ensure against accidental triggering? The answer is that they are recessed into the ceiling. But it doesn't look like the head is surrounded by anything structural... just plan on drywalling around that? That's not a lot of protection from the kid with the ball.
Related question: are shut-off valves installed in easy to access locations to shut off the sprinkler quickly in the case of accidental trigger?
The city shut off in the street. They are connected directly to the main water, so it always will receive pressure.
They are recessed into the ceiling, with a plastic cap covering it. Yes. Kid need to be careful with their balls, is it will still trigger them. I was raised as a child in a townhome with sprinklers. It was a very boring childhood, as EVERY SINGLE ROOM HAD THEM and a couple did accidentally get triggered while living there.
I install these :) and inspect them as well its preaty cool when u get to know how all this works
What city do you install this? Looking for an installer in the San Antonio TX area?
Informative. Thanks for the explanation.
did your wife do that to your eye?
Ha! No. Wish it was a better story. I tripped on a lego set in the middle of the night and nailed a dresser with my face. OOPH!
Been there, Done that!
Should be wearing your PPE most accidents and injuries occur in that family residence - and you're taking this ribbing very well too. Heal quick to end it all.
I swear the military should use those darn things. Lego's are the death of human feet.
Matt Risinger lol kids
Hi Buddy. This video is almost 3 years old now. Can you tell us if there have been any significant updates in this industry that may change the way these systems are designed and / or installed? I am looking forward to building my own home again in the somewhat near future, but in the chance that I end up purchasing a "used" home, how about info for the do it yourselfer to install his own?
Hey buddy- I've been in the fire industry for 13 years. You cannot build your own fire sprinkler system. It has to have proper water pressure calculations that comes from a engineer when it's designed. These have to go through the city for approved plans by the fire marshal and after The Install you must do a final test to get the city to give approved inspection results ..
Hi Matt, Good info, QQ - if I need to move the existing fire sprinkler from the place to a new place in the same room ( approximate 14 to 17 inches ) which company I need to approach to do this job, and how much they would charge approximate quote ? or we can't do that anymore once it's installed? (it's a 20 years old townhome )
I was actually considering doing that too!
In newyork you must put a fire sprinkler system in new homes right?
Only Md and Ca
It's a shame that the NFPA didn't relax It's building standards with these residential systems. I'm all for residential sprinkler systems, they are so effective at saving life and property, and making them as cost effective as possible will proliferate the tech and bring down costs further.
They did? NFPA 13D is literally designed to make them as affordable as possible. Closet, bathroom, covered porch, and garage head omission, attic omission, backflow omission, audible alarm omission, FDC omission, remote test drain omission, monitoring and inspection omission, plastic pipe, low design flow, etc. And to top it off, sprinklers can even be completely connected to the domestic system and use PEX. I don't know how you could make it less relaxed.
What would proliferate them is production home builders caring more about people dying than $1/sq ft. Instead, they spent that money lobbying for sprinkler ordinances to be outlawed in most states. Fire departments in ban states can also step up and push for them more.
@@ironmatic1 I also think that average homeowners need to understand how incredibly effective they are. People underestimate the risk, and don't understand the reward. Not to mention, the chance that you could save the structure and significantly limit water and smoke damage... All it takes is working one fire with a fatality to decide they might have been better off with a sprinkler system.
What about all the wiring above the sprinklers? Whats protecting the roof and everything above them?
That's why we have an electrical code, and you should never cut corners in many if not all trades. Safety 1st. Your shitty wire installation today can be death and destruction tomorrow. Do a good job always xD
Hey, Matt I have a question my fire sprinkler at home is leaking right on the elbow connection, should I replace the the pipe, including the elbow? If I may should I just shut off the main pipe for the water for the whole house?
Yes
Good video, but you screwed up on the explanation with the glass tube containing alcohol. The sprinklers in your example have a metal fusible link that melts or softens and falls away, which is in place of the alcohol solution containing glass tubes in other systems.
Thank you Matt for this video. seems the system we have here in California. Alas, today I drilled a drywall screw into the 1-1/4 pipe I thought was a stud. A tiny hole (tip of pencil size) but gushing water spray through wall. Shut off water supply through city main on pavement as home water shut off did not shut the fire sprinkler pipe. Almost midnight Saturday now. Can't seem to find the orange type cpvc pipe at Home Depot / Lowes. Would very much appreciate your input: What repair type would you recommend? What part + materials should I get? Can it be an additive on top of the pierced pipe (like patching a bicycle inner tube?) or does the pipe need to be cut and fitted with coupling. What method should I use? Any video recommended? Thank you! The little wife :(
Cut and replace
Your fire sprinklers deviate from your water supply before your house water shut off. That’s why it didn’t shut ur sprinklers off. You also cannot repair your own system. Fire sprinklers are NOT a DIY. You MUST hire a state licensed sprinkler contractor and get it inspected by a fire marshall.
I'm installing a gas furnace in a attic tommorow, all around sprinkler lines . Wish me luck . # scariestpartofmyjob hvac tech
When there ran above the truss....😰🔫
Hey bro new here I have a question my house has a small leak so I cut the area of ceiling that has leak well the dry wall and it’s coming from a orangish pvc pipe right where the Tee is at where the pipe glues to the T has one tiny leak looks like they didn’t put enough glue we’ve had the leak for about a year and the land lord hasn’t fixed so we are doing it out Selves the leak has been the same for the last year or so what do recommend can I just put glue around the small leak where glue is missing and if so what type of glue
That rifle scope is hell ain't it??
Don't be afraid of 'em? With sub zero weather across the nation, these cheaper systems have a possibility of bursting. Come home to find your house flooded (as several of our middle Tennessee neighbors did) from outside -19°f temp's causing frozen fire sprinkler plumbing & maybe rethink what's fear worthy?
Those of us on wells that have sprinkler systems: How often is the tank of water to be drained/refilled? Any chemicals that could be added to the sprinkler water tank that would be beneficial?
mpharr2
Keep an eye on the water for gunk and cloudy. Should be cycled 1/3 to half once a year. Clorine keeps it algae free. Eye on float for sediment buildup.
is cpvc code ? it seems like if its hot it will melt the PVC
Hello Matt, As a retired firefighter I think this should be a standard that all 50 states and every county that all new homes be built with a home sprinkler system. As a home inspector I point out if the home has a fire sprinkler system and I note it. What state are you located in that you are building this home?
What defines when a sprinkler head turns off? Do they run for x-minutes, or is there a set gallonage that runs through them, or some other variable?
they run til the fire dept turns of the water supply.
off*
Well, instead of fire damage you have water damage!
Well, fires grow exponentially. That water will be flowing from the sprinklers a steady rate. Also, they do use water to put out the fire. A lot of water. Small hoses flow 150 gallons per minute. How far is your nearest fire station. A fire in a small trash can can extend to your whole house in 15 minutes.
Aside from using a shut-off valve, firefighters typically have wedges available which can be stacked together to block the flow of water from the sprinkler head.
That is always pressurized with water...right? I'm guessing those aren't ideal for unconditioned attics here in the north due to risk of freezing.
RickMakes yes needs to be in conditioned space. If you are going to install in those areas then attic will need to be insulated to be part of the conditioned space.
some commercial systems are pressurized with air so no chance of freezing. When the tube breaks the air rushes out followed by the water.
Thanks for the help. MR
Cpvc can not be pressurized. It pops real easy. Verticle rises up walls to HSW for top floors.
I like the air idea would solve corrosion issue in metal lines as well
Do they shut off after the fire is out? Or does it flood the home?
depends on the system you have all of them can be shut of manually tho
Matt, are these feeds isolated with a separate shutoff for the system? Is the shutoff process as simple a standard shutoff valve?
briancnc
90% yes and should be monitored
The shut off is located in the street. To turn it off, you must turn water off to the house.
My sprinkler cover appears to be coming off. Do I need to be worried about the sprinkler going off if it falls off or if I push it back up into place?
No, not at all. The cover just makes it look pretty. You can just tighten it until it is flush
do you need to use a tank and pump system very often?
Areas that pipes may freeze sure :)
Not necessary in most residential homes around the world.
Can those leak if there's a high demand for water in the house?
No they don’t leak unless forcibly damaged.
Are they required in an existing property that doesn't already have sprinklers? 4 unit building
No.
Matt do you install a pressure switch that is tied to the fire alarm in these systems?
Neil Heuer
No.
It's called a water flow alarm and yes you can install one. Some jurisdictions may even require it, but I'm not sure.
Residential sprinklers typically have a 120v bell for sprinkler waterflow. It would also be possible to connect it to the security (residential, doubling as fire) panel.
Once the fire is out (ie. temp drops below threshold), what shuts off (re-plugs) the water source? or does it spray and spray and soak and saturate and ultimately drip to the floor below??
ellsworth It continues until the fire department turns the system off.
You can still burn stuff in the kitchen, have candles, crank the heat. Sprinklers don't care until a fire starts to become life-threatening
They typically open at 155F - in a house fire, that's "155 and rising, the furniture is about to flash over." Those conditions will kill you if you don't immediately escape or get water spray to knock down the heat. If a sprinkler opens in a fire you should get out and let the fire department "overhaul" it before going back in. The only exception I see is if you live way out in the country.
155 might be too sensitive for a sauna or sun-room. 155 steady and dry is, well, it's not inhabitable but it can be survived indefinitely with enough water and salt. But residential rooms shouldn't get that hot.
Country or town, it's a good idea to have clamps and know how to shut the system off so you can deal with accidents related to wild kids or overenthusiastic DIY projects. It's pretty easy to clamp a head closed with the right tool.
Finally, insurance companies are happy to pay for accidental sprinkler damage. They've run the numbers and sprinklers save them buckets of money.
control valve
Thanks...
He's still woozy from that Lego incident.... concussion? :)
For everyone using this as a diy resource....
Do not
paint the cpvc
Get oil on it
Get any type of solutions on it
rest any other plastics on it
Placw metals on it
Use non FBC compliant products
Use any fire caulks
Use great stuff or red foam
Read the blaze master and lubrizol web site first
For everyone using this as a diy resource
Do not
install a fire sprinkler system yourself
You also forgot do not DIY fire sprinklers.
What if when kids are messing around and something hard or even a basketball hits it, will the glass break and start showering the room?
No, the glass is recessed into the ceiling. The only thing that will show at the ceiling is a metal round disk. Good question! Matt
Matt Risinger usually these concealed heads dont have glass bulbs..they have a fusable element.. not picking faults.. its a good video, just advising
The round disk is expelled by the water pressure when the head is triggered? Is it decoratively finished or does the painter finish it? And if the sprinkler is triggered does it terminate once the fire is quelled or continue until the fire service shuts the sytem down ( water damage mitigation)?
There are smart Fire Suppression system in development mostly in the U.K. The new systems use infrared sensors to aim a high pressure atomized water spray. This type of sprinkler can extinguish large fires with much less water. Without getting all nerdy about water the easy way to think of this is the smaller water spray the more heat is absorbed, and very shortly the fire spred is stopped and extinguishment is accomplished. Some system are even using the infrared sensors to halt water flow. As to water supply the piping can be a thermal plastic such as BlazeMaster. This is all covered by NFPA 13
@ Don
The concealed head cover "disk" is also heat sensitive and usually 15 degrees below the activation temp. 155 head with a 135 cover. The cover will drop, the deflector will follow then the fusible link will snap at 155 and water will rush out.
Do not paint the cover as it is against code. Its also stamped on it reading do not paint. You can get any custom color or finish, wood grain finish if needed too.
If a raging fire were to happen would the water pressure be able to keep up ?
In commercial buildings, they have a solution to keep pressure to the sprinklers with a lot of heads are activated. Those pipes under the “FDC” signs (Fire Department Connection) are for the fire department to hook a water supply into the sprinkler system.
@Jujuju the sprinklers would be raging then yes?
Are the pipes always CPVC, or can they be PEX? I assume you get your plumbing contractor to run them at the same time as the other rough install?
We used a specific sub who only does Fire Sprinklers for this project. I'm not sure if PEX can be used actually. Anyone else know?
NFPA 13D covers residential single and two family dwellings. According to this PDF PEX is ok to use. plasticpipe.org/pdf/pex-plumbing-sprinklerapplications-01-17-2013.pdf
scroll down to slide 8.
Wow thanks for the info ill probably be doing this
Hmmm What size of pex pipe could a person use
thats great but if it goes off and puts the fire out how does it shut off? It will basically flood the entire house at that point.
A lot less of a flood then if the fire trucks came and used their hoses…
Shiner is from Matt tripping in his kid's bedroom
Hey Matt, are you certified to even be touching the system or done your full research on the different systems?
Whoop whoop
But that’s a fuse link not a glass bulb
Thanks :)
There are insurance companies that don't allow for sprinkler systems due to the water damage that is created. What the difference, your house destroyed by fire or water damage? Isn't this all about saving a life?
Shawn Mazurk insurance companies can't override building code. As jurisdictions adopt the latest version of code, these will be required by law.
As for damages, water damage to a single room is still far less damage than the whole building being destroyed by fire. A $20,000 insurance claim is much better than a $200,000 or $2,000,000.
They just won't get as many customers?
Do they also not allow for upstairs bathrooms?
My insurance company gave me a discount on my premium for having a sprinkler system in the house I owned...
There are 75% more insurance companies that will actually discount you for having it. Much less damage from one sprinkler deployment versus a fire truck destroying ur whole house with giant uncontrolled hoses
Sprinklers make sense in a large building or where fire can easily go from one structure to another. In a residential application where there is sufficient space between houses, it makes little sense. As soon as that sprinkler head goes off, it will first spray stagnant water that has turned black from the cast iron pipes. It will damage anything it touches and leave a horrible odor as well. This water will continue spraying until someone shuts off the water main to the house. So, instead of your house being ravaged by fire, your home and belongings will have water damage similar to that of a flood.
The flooring will be toast throughout the house. Good chance a decent amount of drywall will need to be removed. Mold is now a concern. Anything within about 6 inches of the floor in any room has the potential to be damaged from direct water contact; although, many things will have a capillary action which will wick moisture up higher. Some things might be saved, but the house will probably still be a write-off. It isn't much different than what will happen if the fire department puts out the fire, but I don't think it makes sense from an owner cost standpoint. I would make sure my homeowner's insurance specifically addresses the issues above if I was forced to put it in a house.
ilike...
This is what I was aluding to with my question. So.... OK. Now that you know these things, and are forewarned, what are the alternatives? Clearly a benefit of the water sprinkler approach is a near instantaneous stopping of the fire, and thus 'saving' precious possessions from the ravages of that fire. But the ravages of water may be just as destructive. So how do you squelch the water once the fire is gone?
The short answer is that there is no real solution to putting out a fire in a residential setting. The dry type systems are not designed for general use. ANSUL systems are used in kitchen settings all the time, but wouldn't be practical for a whole house. A Halon system is pretty much only use for sensitive areas without much personnel because it eats up all the oxygen in a space almost immediately. Once a wet sprinkler goes off, it is an open water tap until someone turns off the utility; all that water either has to be either swept or pumped from the house. I have never seen a "smart" wet sprinkler system (but they may exist).
It is really a "pick your poison" situation. There is no way to win. The sprinklers would prevent the spread of the fire but destroy everything below a certain level. Also, sprinklers take high temperatures to activate which means the wire will be quite large before it activates; a decent amount of flammables will already be engulfed in flames. A wet sprinkler system is not meant to save things inside of a space but only to save the overall structure and to keep fire from spreading. It is exclusively there to prevent a bigger catastrophe.
The best option if you have a large collection of extremely valuable stuff is to keep it off the floor in environmentally resistant containers in a single room with a large floor drain then install a wet or dry fire suppression system. That way if things ever do catch fire, at least you have a drain that will evacuate much of the fire suppressant and keep the property damage to a minimum. For most, that is impractical and expensive.
Now we are going to start building waterproof ontop of fireproof construction?
Stagnant water, eh? I wouldn't care if it put out the fire with piss. Fires consume buildings quickly.
It won't save belongings or houses, but it could save lives, especially for people in rural settings where the fire department may have a 20+ minute response time.
hopefully you won the fight
who did the glueing 😲
bensyer
The guy that puts the glass bulb into the fusible link conc head...
Prob even a black bulb painted red.
What if the house is already built?
They can retrofit for about $5-$6K. In a brand new stick-built house, it’s starts at $3K.
At our condo community here in Connecticut, frozen and cracked plastic sprinkler piping has caused major damage and increased insurance premiums. Number of fires? Zero. I think it's over kill for single family residential buildings.
John Boccuzzi
Claim it to bad cheap installation and shoddy tradesmen.
Well there is a reason you need to keep the building at/above 40°C... We rarely see freeze ups in our systems
Most parts of the country?? Only two states require it lol.
You beat me to it...lol
Not required in AZ
It honestly depends what kind of house that you were going for a residential house in the middle of nowhere does not require a one system, but if it’s an apartment complex then yes it will require a system I don’t think that you have to do a system in a newly made house those smoke alarms are required and sometimes heat alarms and sprinklers are not required for the most part.
well in the city hes working in its required. lol
@@resqjason2 I’m not saying they aren’t required I’m just saying in homes that are in residential areas such as suburban or rule areas they are not exactly needed but apartment buildings yes
Has anyone done a cost-benefit analysis of these residential systems? The building codes keep adding stuff that is questionable.
It's hard to put a price tag on your families life...
It's like $1 per square foot, compared to the cost of home construction it should be a very minor cost.
Did the guy got into a fight at a bar and got punched??
with that eye we know your not the "head of the house"
You get punched in the eye prior to filming?? Lol
Do these always get ran over truss? What about when attic work needs to be preformed, its a accident waiting to happen, especially with a properly insulated attic
He must have talked back to his wife last week.
All I heard was "concealed head" & "hung"
who ever glued that needs sacking!
thats some nasty sloppy work!! just from the one line you can see it looks horrible that shit wouldnt fly around here!!
Who places the glass tube in head? Why doesn't it come with purchase of head?
flatswing also, it was a fusible link he referenced. How does the glass get put in.....? Ha
He was wrong. No one should place a glass tube in the head. There are different models. In the video, concealed sprinkler head’s model does not contain a thermobulb. Instead of a thermobulb, there is a metal piece that will move and let the water flow in case of water.
I love it but damn if your house ever caught fire while you were away your house would be flooded and I am sure the water damage would cost just as much to replace everything. Sure it would be great for the neighborhood but it's an option that would weigh heavily on my mind as to whether or not it's a good investment.
How much smoke and fire damage do you think is going to occur before the fire department gets there if you don't have sprinklers to put it out quickly? And do you think the firefighters are going to use less water by the time they get there then the sprinkler would? Of course they won't - they're going to cause a lot more water damage. Come on, think about it...
You can put a flow alarm and monitor it through your security system if you want.
did you blame god for it
And when does it shut off to stop fucking up the floors and the room below. I asume your house insurance will be ready to talk there way our of replacing your tv high fire and expensive sofa as soon as it fucked.
dude ur wife must be a gud boxer !!!,,duck next time & run like crazy...
Is anyone scared of these things? I am
I was terrified of them and fire alarms and anything related to them since a young boy. Not sure why. The fear of sudden things i suppose. Especially loud forceful sudden things. I did lots of research as an adult to learn about them and now i have a townhouse that is fully sprinkled and i could care less. Fire alarms go off at my work often and it doesn’t even phase me anymore
Dude Is this a case of domestic violence 😂