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czygvtwkr
Guest
Whether it is burnt to the ground or has to be gutted and rebuilt because everything has gotten soaked and now your house is full of mold will end up about the same.
The houses farthest away from the fire departments are exempt because they are not on public water.
clevalley
...
Also - if you are connected to a well AND you lose power in a fire, you have no water pressure to drive the system.
Dougstermd
ORGASM DONOR
sprinklers in multy unit buildings make since but I am not sure there is as much overall value in single unit housing. Do the math.
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czygvtwkr
Guest
If you wanted sprinklers in your house before there was nothing saying that you couldn't have them. If you think they are such a great idea, why didn't you install them in your house without a law telling you that you had to have them?
Dougstermd
ORGASM DONOR
ImnoMensa
New Member
I took a little umbrage at the message that "So can your local Fire Department expect the usual donation of Eat $h1t from you again this year? "
My local Fire Department is the beneficiary of the St. Mary's Fire Tax. They seem to be doing quite well with the amount they get. They also received a rather large check from the Homeland Security Bill and spent it. They shouldn't need a large donation,but I do support their efforts and their sacrifices on my behalf. I also send a check to the Rescue Squad which was left off the Fire tax for some political reason.
Now as to sprinklers. I looked for some info about sprinklers in rural area's without a domestic water supply and I couldn't find much, but I offer this up,out of my own thoughts.
Sprinklers are wonderful to have. They work. The cost of 1% mentioned in the one article from the State Fire Marshall must surely pertain to a domicile with domestic or city water. It doesn't seem realistic in a situation where the home has a well.
In order for the system to work there has to be a guaranteed water supply.
This water supply has to be free from the need for electricity,as a lightning strike during a storm or a fire during a power outage could easily occur.
In order to have this supply you would need a cistern or tank of a size capable of extinguishing the fire before replenishment was needed. I would guess in the neighborhood of at least 100 gallons, although many fires could be extinguished with 10 gallons in their early stage. A fire in a mattress for example is hard to extinguish as water does not penetrate mattresses or stuffing in furniture very well. They tend to smolder and rekindle later. This tank would either have to be pressurised or it would have to be high enough for gravity to provide an ample flow of water to the fire.
If placed high the ceiling over which it sets would need to be strengthened, There would need to be floats and such in the tank to be sure it stayed full, and sufficient heat in the attic to see it didn't freeze. If pressurised there would need to be a way to keep the proper pressure on it. These appurtenances are expensive and require maintenance.
A sprinkler system with Public water requires almost no maintenance, that's one of the beauties of them.
To sum it up I believe it would be nice to have a sprinkler system and am in favor of them where there is a domestic water supply, I have a few misgivings about them in an area where there is only a well. Not only about the cost which I think the figure of an extra $5,000 per home was mentioned ,but because of the maintenance that would be required, and since it is out of sight it is out of mind for most homeowners, and probably would get little maintenance.
My local Fire Department is the beneficiary of the St. Mary's Fire Tax. They seem to be doing quite well with the amount they get. They also received a rather large check from the Homeland Security Bill and spent it. They shouldn't need a large donation,but I do support their efforts and their sacrifices on my behalf. I also send a check to the Rescue Squad which was left off the Fire tax for some political reason.
Now as to sprinklers. I looked for some info about sprinklers in rural area's without a domestic water supply and I couldn't find much, but I offer this up,out of my own thoughts.
Sprinklers are wonderful to have. They work. The cost of 1% mentioned in the one article from the State Fire Marshall must surely pertain to a domicile with domestic or city water. It doesn't seem realistic in a situation where the home has a well.
In order for the system to work there has to be a guaranteed water supply.
This water supply has to be free from the need for electricity,as a lightning strike during a storm or a fire during a power outage could easily occur.
In order to have this supply you would need a cistern or tank of a size capable of extinguishing the fire before replenishment was needed. I would guess in the neighborhood of at least 100 gallons, although many fires could be extinguished with 10 gallons in their early stage. A fire in a mattress for example is hard to extinguish as water does not penetrate mattresses or stuffing in furniture very well. They tend to smolder and rekindle later. This tank would either have to be pressurised or it would have to be high enough for gravity to provide an ample flow of water to the fire.
If placed high the ceiling over which it sets would need to be strengthened, There would need to be floats and such in the tank to be sure it stayed full, and sufficient heat in the attic to see it didn't freeze. If pressurised there would need to be a way to keep the proper pressure on it. These appurtenances are expensive and require maintenance.
A sprinkler system with Public water requires almost no maintenance, that's one of the beauties of them.
To sum it up I believe it would be nice to have a sprinkler system and am in favor of them where there is a domestic water supply, I have a few misgivings about them in an area where there is only a well. Not only about the cost which I think the figure of an extra $5,000 per home was mentioned ,but because of the maintenance that would be required, and since it is out of sight it is out of mind for most homeowners, and probably would get little maintenance.
dave1959
Active Member
Does not include ALL housing and the Amish will be excluded.
bohman
Well-Known Member
If only one sprinkler head is triggered, I doubt there would be much water damage. You may need to replace the furniture and flooring in one room, but that wouldn't be too bad. If a fire happens when I am not home, or it spreads to fast for me to hit it with a fire extinguisher, I'll happily replace one room vs. buying a new house.
Having said that, I'm not convinced this is a good idea (yet). More questions to be answered, and I think we could start with the one that somebody already asked: Who stands to make money from these installations?
And then there are the details of how much the added cost will be, both for installation and maintanance. And how much maintanance are these things really likely to get in the average home? Most people ignore just about all the systems in our homes until they cause a problem. Will the maintanance be something the average homeowner can do themselves, or do we need professionals to come out?
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czygvtwkr
Guest
Also want to point out that a fire in the attic or on the roof will not be put out by sprinklers. How many home fires start where sprinklers will not reach?
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czygvtwkr
Guest
Yeah, but I'd sure like to have that "sprinkler" water pouring on me as I run for the door while the roof is on fire...
Sprinklers dont activate until they reach 155 degrees, I would think that you would know something was going on by say 120 degrees.....
cartman
New Member
Some usefull links
heres some links to some website and video with info on sprinkler systems and how they work
USFA Fight Fire with Facts : Home Fire Sprinklers
Fire Sprinkler Facts from Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems
Products
long but has some some info
YouTube - NJFSAB Burn Trailer Demonstration
heres some links to some website and video with info on sprinkler systems and how they work
USFA Fight Fire with Facts : Home Fire Sprinklers
Fire Sprinkler Facts from Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems
Products
long but has some some info
YouTube - NJFSAB Burn Trailer Demonstration
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czygvtwkr
Guest
You know, I've learned a tremendous amount by this thread, but I came into it believing that sprinklers were a good idea. On the other hand, you came into it with the idea that sprinklers were a bad idea. I haven't read anything yet though that made me want to change my mind...
At the end of the day, I don't think anybody's opinion has changed...
I don't think they are a bad idea, I think the decision to have them in single family homes is off base. The decision was made in a "for heavens sake lets do something" moment. If the BOCC wants to save lives they should focus their efforts on traffic deaths in St Marys.
dave1959
Active Member
Just like any other saftey device they are not going to be the "be all end all" for fire protection. They will help in most cases but will not be effective in every single fire. I think they are a great idea I just dont like the gov'mt shoving it down my wallet. I'm sure insurance companys love the idea and they should work out a huge discount for having them so the cost may be a wash after a few years and pay off big time in the long run. I'll bet if Calif. had them we would not see so many total losses.