Sprinkler facts

Facts and myths about fire sprinklers in your building or home

If you have any questions about installing fire sprinklers in your facility or have questions regarding the current fire sprinkler system in your building please call us at

(518) 463-4340

you can also e-mail us at

rbm@rbm-guardian.com

Myth: Fire sprinklers can malfunction and cause severe water damage to my property. They are more of a liability than a help.

Fact: It is extremely rare for home fire sprinklers to accidentally operate. In a particular property, water damage will be considerably less from unwanted sprinkler discharge than from other plumbing mishaps. National installation standards provide guidance for proper installation in cold regions to prevent frozen pipes. Research has demonstrated that only 1 in 16 million heads ever activates by accident. 

Myth: A small fire will activate all the sprinklers in the building with water causing more damage than the flames.

Fact: All sprinklers do not activate at once. This scenario may be common in movies and TV shows, but it just isn't true for standard sprinkler systems. Only the sprinklers closest to the fire activates. Ninety percent of the time, one sprinkler will contain the fire. An uncontrolled fire will cause far greater destruction and smoke / heat damage than water damage from an activated sprinkler. 

Myth: Fire sprinklers waste a tremendous amount of water.  It is better to have the fire department put the fire out.

Fact: The high heat, flames and smoke require a tremendous amount of water from fire department hoses - more than 10 times the water flow per minute of sprinklers. Sprinklers not only save lives, property, and valuables,  but they better serve the environment. 

Myth: Sprinklers are to expensive to install,   They are just not worth the money.

Fact: Increasing demand for sprinklers in all types of construction including homes, is driving down the cost of the average system. In addition, most insurance companies provide financial incentives for the installation of a fire sprinkler system, with research showing discounts that range from 5% to as much as 30% of your premiums. 

Myth: Fire sprinklers are just plain ugly.

Fact: There are many types of fire sprinklers on the market today that are asthetically pleasing and in some applications, are almost unidentifiable as a sprinkler. Many styles of heads have "concealed escutcheons" that can be painted to match existing wall/ceiling colors.

Myth: Fire sprinklers steal water from the fire department hose lines.

Fact: A properly designed sprinkler system takes into account both the water supply for the system and for the fire department hose stream. 

Myth: A smoke detector provides enough protection

Fact: Smoke detectors save lives by providing a warning system but do nothing to extinguish a growing fire or protect those physically unable to escape on their own, such as the elderly or small children.

Myth: Fire sprinkler systems are not reliable.

Fact: Laboratory testing and a 50 year installation/activation history clearly shows that fire sprinkler systems exceed a 95 percent fail-safe status.