Residential Fire Sprinklers Benefits & Facts

Residential Sprinklers Facts

• Only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate

• A sprinkler will not activate until the temperature reaches approximately 150 degrees

• Insurance companies offer up to a 20% discount on your homeowners insurance

• A home catches fire every 79 seconds in the US

• A fire sprinkler flows 10-25 gallons of water per minute. A hose used by firefighters flows 125 to 250 gallons per minute

How Fire Sprinklers Work  

Unlike in Hollywood movies, fire protection systems do not discharge all at once in a standard sprinkler system unless "deluge" system is designed and installed, then all the heads will be activated like the movies. This is by design. When standard automatic sprinkler systems discharge, the fire hazard itself triggered the spray by raising the temperature near the fire sprinkler heads. Since water pressure is limited, it is advantageous for only the one sprinkler nearest the fire to draw water pressure. The scenario shown in movies, in which an entire building's fire sprinklers discharge due to a single hazard, is not just inefficient, but unlikely as well, given the sheer volume of water required to spray that many rooms at once.

Yet there are many variables including the temperature that discharges the sprinklers, the volume of spray, and whether they should be automatic at all. The commercial and residential fire sprinkler systems at Pecora Mechanical include options for all of these variables. Contact us today for an estimate, and we'll soon be hard at work, bringing fire protection services to your home or business.