1 A fire can quickly fill a home with searing heat and choking smoke

Every year in the United States, over 4,000 people die and tens of thousands are injured in fires. Fire can quickly fill a home with searing heat and choking smoke and often strikes in the middle of the night, when people are least prepared to defend against them.

2 Smoke alarms are essential, but only sprinklers actually put out or contain a fire

Smoke alarms are critical.  They alert us to the presence of a fire.  Sprinklers, on the other hand,  activate automatically and contain and, often, extinguish the fire even before firefighters arrive.  If you’re building a new home, planning an addition or simply want the ultimate in fire protection, check into sprinklers.

3 Discussing your requirements with an expert

The more I learned about home fire sprinklers, the more strongly I felt about the level of protection they could provide.  After discussions with a local sprinkler contractor, I decided to have a system installed in our 35-year-old home.

4 Choosing a professional

While any professional fire sprinkler contractor can install these systems, I chose someone who specialized in residential fire sprinklers.  I wanted to minimize the demolition and disruption and, hopefully, end up with  protection that was as invisible as possible.

5 Determining the sprinkler locations

The contractor’s first step is to determine  the sprinkler pipe and sprinkler head locations throughout the entire home, from the basement to the attic.

6 Water pressure requirements

Normally, the sprinkler system ties into the city water supply or the property’s well, however, in my case, the city water pressure is too low.

7 Installing a water storage tank and dedicated pump

The solution is to install a 300-gallon water storage tank and a dedicated pump.

8 Using CPVC pipes

Home fire sprinkler systems use CPVC (chlorinated polyvinylchloride) pipes, which are more heat resistant than PVC water pipes.  They are joined together using pipe cement. Installation of the sprinkler pipe network starts in my basement where the water storage tank and pump are located.

9 Wire cages protect sprinkler heads

Since the basement has low ceilings, wire cages are installed to protect the sprinkler heads from accidental bumping.

10 Removing sections of the wallboard

On the first floor, sections of wallboard are removed  to expose the bays between the studs through which the pipes were to be run.

11 Cutting down on dust in the air

A vacuum nozzle held close to the rotary cutting tool cuts down on dust in the air.

12 Drilling a hole through to the basement below

A hole is drilled through the base plate at thebottom of the wall, into the basement below.

13 Connecting the assembly to the basement sprinkler line

A section of pipe is cut to length, cemented to a right-angle fitting and then the entire assembly is passed through the hole where it is connected to the basement sprinkler line.

14 Drilling through wall studs

The pipe is run horizontally by drilling through the wall studs using a right angle drill.

15 Using sidewall sprinkler heads

To avoid having to open the ceilings on the first floor, sidewall sprinkler heads are used.

16

Pipes are run inside the wall and fittings - tees or elbows -- are intalled so they're centered in the wall openings.

17 Screwing the sidewall sprinkler head in

A short section of pipe, or nipple, is screwed into the fitting and the sidewall sprinkler head is screwed on.

18 Running pipes for the second floor and attic

On the second floor, the pipe is run vertically inside a closet thereby avoiding having to open any walls.  Any exposed pipes like these, however, must be metal rather than plastic.

19 Creating a permanent watertight seal

A power crimping tool is used to squeeze the joints of the metal pipes together, creating a permanent, watertight seal.

20 Running the pipes horizontally in the attic

The final section of metal pipe is passed through a hole bored into the bedroom ceiling  and secured in place in the attic.  CPVC pipe is then run horizontally, in the attic, above the bedroom ceilings.

21 Screwing in the sprinkler heads

Once the pipe is run, the sprinkler head threads are treated with pipe sealant and the sprinkler head is screwed in.

22 Concealing the sprinkler

Aa cap is installed to conceal the recessed sprinkler from view

23 Using insulation to cover pipes

Since a portion of my attic is unheated, insulation is laid on top of the pipes (to keep the pipes from freezing in winter) before the flooring is replaced.

24 Using wire mesh to cover exposed insulation

Where the pipe passes above the joist, wire mesh is used to cover the exposed insulation.

25 Stapling the wire mesh

The wire mesh is then stapled to the surrounding decking..

26 Using crown molding to conceal pipes

Downstairs, in the family room, the contractor installs crown molding to conceal a pipe.

27 Leak-testing and pressurizing the system

The system is leak-tested and pressurized.  In the case of most fires, only the nearest sprinkler will activate, minimizing water damage.

28 Fire-caused destruction

A fire can cause this type of destruction in just minutes ......

29 The same room equipped with sprinklers

A similar fire in the same room equipped with sprinklers and the damage is limited to only this.

30 Feeling safe 24/7

Having a fire sprinkler system in your home is the next best thing to having a firefighter in every room, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.