Attention residential property owners:
Are You Guilty Of Believing The SIX Most DANGEROUS Myths About Home Fire Sprinkler Systems?
In the next few minutes, you will uncover the truth about home fire sprinklers, extinguish the myths, and equip yourself with the knowledge to make an informed decision to protect your family and property.
Dear property owner,
If you have a TV in your home, chances are you've been made to believe loads of inaccurate things.
However, it's one thing to get 'jeopardy knowledge' wrong; you might have believed that Beethoven composed all his symphonies while nearly deaf, or that Steve Jobs invented the first tablet PC.
But...
It's a totally different ballgame to believe inaccurate things about a tool that can protect your family and property from fire damage and irreversible loss.
In this letter to you, I will reveal how it only takes just a few inaccurate beliefs about sprinklers to warp your whole perspective and turn you away from ever considering them to safeguard your home from fire related loss.
... And the culprit? Some of your favorite movies.
Are Hollywood movies putting your family in danger?
If you are an average movie buff, you may be guilty of believing at least 2 of the 6 most dangerous myths about home fire sprinklers. For example, in a scene in the popular movie The Incredibles (2004), 2 myths are shown in the same scene: one sprinkler was activated because of smoke, then the rest were activated in tandem.
Well, it's just a movie, how is that dangerous?
As a homeowner myself, I would tremble to think that every room in my home may be flooded simply because I left a pizza unattended in the oven -- not to mention the bill for water damages!
I understand how for many property owners, watching scenes that show sprinklers operate in such a reckless way is a total turn off. Why make the investment in something that could so easily ruin your property instead of protect it?
Therefore, I feel it is my responsibility to set these six myths straight and arm you with the proper knowledge about the fire suppression systems I've dedicated my life to installing, inspecting, and maintaining.
MOST DANGEROUS MYTH #1:
"When one sprinkler goes off, every sprinkler goes off"
Wrong. This myth is most commonly repeated in popular television and movies. For the sake of drama, viewers are led to believe that a sprinkler system is a clumsy device that has a higher chance of working against you, instead of working for you.
Could I blame you for not trusting in sprinklers if you believed that a fire in your kitchen would trigger the sprinklers in your home office ruining your electronics and documents? I wouldn't.
FACT #1:
"Sprinkler heads are activated by fire when temperatures reach between 135 to 160˚F"
Every sprinkler has a heat sensing element, usually a glass bulb filled with a glycerin solution. As the heat intensifies near the sprinkler, the fluid inside the glass expands and shatters the bulb releasing the flow of water over the fire.
In 90% of cases, just one sprinkler was needed to contain a fire.
Indeed, a home fire sprinkler system is just like having a firefighter on duty 24 hours a day -- in every room!
MOST DANGEROUS MYTH #2:
"Smoke will trigger a home sprinkler system to go off"
Wrong. This is yet another popular movie myth that has given many property owners a bad taste about home fire sprinkler systems.
FACT #2:
"Home sprinkler systems are heat activated, not smoke activated"
No matter if you burn your morning toast, or a cigar in the evening, your sprinklers will not trigger and rain on your parade.
MOST DANGEROUS MYTH #3:
"Newer homes are safer homes"
Wrong. On first glance, this one sounds true because generally, new = better. However, as it relates to homebuilding, materials have gotten cheaper, and lighter -- a terrible duo when it comes to fire safety.
FACT #3:
"Newer homes are not safer. Homebuilder practices place your family and firefighters at risk"
In matter of minutes, firefighters arrive at the scene of a raging inferno that has now completely compromised the structural integrity of a home. Nevertheless, they must go inside. Many firefighters have lost their lives when the first floor of a home collapsed, plunging the rescuers into the fiery basement.
Modern homes use lightweight construction material which burn quicker and reach structural failure faster. This endangers the lives of both the residents and the firefighters who are tasked to save them in the event of a fire.
According to a 2008 study conducted by the Underwriters Laboratories, it was discovered that lightweight wood trusses and engineered lumber in residential roof and floor designs are some of the main contributors to:
- shorter times to flashover (spontaneous eruption into flames)
- shorter escape times
- shorter time to collapse
Those conditions endanger both loved ones and firefighters. Fire sprinkler systems work to contain home fires before they reach that moment where they are simply uncontrollable. They give you the ability to not only protect your family and property, but create a safer environment for our firefighters who risk life and limb for our behalf.
MOST DANGEROUS MYTH #4:
"Smoke alarms provide enough protection"
Wrong. Smoke detectors are only a warning system, and that's if they warn you at all. As the homes protected by smoke detectors went from 0% to more than 70%, the number of fire deaths in homes did not significantly decrease.
In 2013, fire fighters responded to over 369,000 home fires. These fires caused over 2,800 deaths, 12,000 injuries, and nearly $7,000,000,000 in property damages.
FACT #4:
"Smoke alarms cannot extinguish fire, nor can they give residences time to escape"
Sadly, too often smoke detectors fail to function because either the batteries are dead, or they've been removed.
However when smoke detectors are combined with fire sprinklers, the chance of life loss in a fire is reduced by 98.5%. The reason? Time.
Sprinklers work to keep fires small so not only the damage is reduced, but the smoke output is also reduced, making it easier for the elderly and children to escape a burning home. Smoke detectors are just the first line of defense against a fire, but sprinklers give you the power to fight back and save those precious to you.
MOST DANGEROUS MYTH #5:
"Sprinklers are unattractive and will ruin your home's decor"
Wrong. When most people think of fire sprinklers, exposed piping in warehouses or supermarkets come to mind.
However, residential sprinklers aren't anything like that. For many years now, home sprinklers have made several aesthetic advancements allowing them to meet your fire protection needs in an elegant way.
FACT #5:
"Home fire sprinklers are very unobtrusive. They can be mounted flush with walls or ceilings, color coordinated, and even concealed with decorative covers."
Don't let the fear of 'ugly sprinklers' keep you away from making the investment to protect your family and property.
MOST DANGEROUS MYTH #6:
"Water damage from sprinklers will be more extensive than the fire damage"
Wrong. This myth feels justified because nobody wants to pay big bucks to clean up after an overzealous sprinkler system.
FACT #6:
"Water damage from a home sprinkler system will be much less severe than the damage caused from 250 gallons per minute from a fireman's hose"
The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition ran a 10 year study comparing homes with and without sprinklers, the results were staggering.
With sprinklers it took approximately 341 gallons to put out a fire. If you let the fire department handle it, try 2,935 gallons.The same study showed that the average cost of fire damage in a sprinklered home was $2,166.00, but a whopping $45,019.00 for an unsprinklered home!
Since sprinklers stop fires before they rage out of control, they use less water than your local fire department and thus keep the total cost of damages low.
The greatest benefit of having a fire sprinkler system is that they are able to contain fires before 'flashover' occurs. Flashover is the point where all flammable material in a contained space spontaneously burst into flame. A terrifying ordeal that seals the fate of anyone trapped inside, both firefighter or loved ones.
Now That You Know The Truth About Home Fire Sprinkler Systems
It costs you nothing to pick up the phone to request your free quote from us.
We're ready to meet at your location, assess your needs and put together a complete fire protection solution that will protect your family and shield your property from irreversible loss. Come experience the Buckmiller Way.
Or give us a call at (212) 966-1980.