Sprinkler systems

[hard-work]

Sprinker systems are mandatory in all new houses in Wales. As the Grenfell Tower disaster will almost certainly require sprinklers in all high-rises (a high rise is between 7 and 10 floors). Installation in all new homes all over the UK will follow for sure. Probably mandatory in all high rises with instant retrofitting.

If you have an excellent mains water flow and pressure, these can be off the water mains.
https://www.deevalleywater.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/rev-c.pdf

They are very simple when off the water mains needing some calcs on water flow and pressure. I know in the likes of high rises they need a yearly inspection and approved on installation.

DIY fitting one in a building that the regs do not require is worth it. It does not need the annual inspection then - a nice extra personal safety measure.

Does anyone know where to buy the sprinkler heads?
Some are quite neat being just a round white circle on the ceiling.

 

[motorbiking]

£20 for 10
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-Pcs-5m...727341&hash=item5425f78ee9:g:vyAAAOSwGJlZN1K2

 

[^woody^]

And what tangible benefits have come about since the fitting of sprinklers in Wales?

Or are they a complete waste of time and money?

Any who wants to rely on DIY a system that must work, that must be known to work, therefore tested, when it is needed?

 

[hard-work]

Thanks. I have seen them. They are the commercial/industrial types. I was thinking more like these:
http://www.mccartneys.co.uk/The_Com...inklers-to-be-installed-in-new-homes-in-wales

 

[hard-work]

Woody, no one in the UK has ever died in a building fire where there is a sprinkler system. One in each flat would have saved all in Grenfell Tower.

Look at the link I gave - at the mains system. So simple. A 22mm pipe from each head to a manifold and then to the mains with a check valve is probably the best way. If the building does not require one, putting your own in is a great safety boost.

A mandatory sprinkler system needs inspection and approval, but there is nothing stopping anyone fitting one in where it is not mandatory. It is just an extra safety measure as I wrote.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I was about to post about the no one has ever died bit, I have thought for a couple of years it will only be a matter of time before they're mandatory in all new builds.

 

[bernardgreen]

One in each flat would have saved all in Grenfell Tower.

Can you provide a source for that "fact".

 

[garyo]

Out of interest - do house insurance companies in Wales ask about them? How often does one get cracked or go off accidently?

 

[hard-work]

Can you provide a source for that "fact".

The fire in the one flat that had the fridge fire, was put out by the fire brigade. They walked outside and saw the outside of the building flaming away. The sprinklers would have quenched the the flames preventing the burning window frame - from the window the flames worked their way up the exterior insulation panels. If another flat caught fire then that sprinkler system would have activated. The effectiveness of sprinklers is beyond dispute in high rise.

 

[hard-work]

Out of interest - do house insurance companies in Wales ask about them? How often does one get cracked or go off accidently?

The domestic heads are of the concealed version, which I gave, use a fuseable solder link. They cannot be accidentally activated. Unless you take a blow torch to it.

 

[hard-work]

Sprinklers also use far less damaging water than firemen with hoses. Also they do not all come on at once. They activate in the the rooms were there is a fire. In many cases only one comes on as it quenches the fire in that room.

 

[^woody^]

There are deaths from lawnmowers, but that does not mean we should all buy a goat instead.

With sprinklers, that means a massive shift away from passive fire prevention to active methods. The probelm with active methods is that there is a greater reliance on them being maintained regularly and working at the time they are needed.

At the moment its all a knee jerk from all the councils, and the problems those blocks have are more than just the cladding.

 

[tomfe]

I have to agree, I'd rather have effective passive fire prevention than active any day.

 

[dishman]

There is also the issue of legionnaires disease with sprinkler systems. If a home owner does not properly maintain the system, then this can become real risk. It was one of the factors against installing them so widely I think (a chartered surveyor mentioned this to me in passing).

Going by how well we maintain our homes as a population (i.e not very well), it would be end up being one more thing to be a cause of future issues.

Why not look at the likely hood of a fire being caused, electrical safety etc and ways to mitigate it. Look at good measures for raising the alarm. Wired, interlinked smoke and heat detectors. Maybe go as far as having an extinguisher to hand.

People are panicking about fires as if they have never happened before. The issue here is that a building that was designed to contain fires was inappropriately modified. That modification rendered it's fire containment useless. That is the issue!

 

[wessex101]

I do not think sprinklers or fire suppressant systems are the saving grace the sprinkler installation companies are trying to push. I suspect we could be entering the realm of unforeseen circumstances if we all jump on the sprinkler band wagon.

They might be a useful part of an overall fire precaution strategy for high rise buildings, but mostly relying on passive fire precautions, but I suspect they aren't the be all and end all. They rely too much on quality of installation and on going servicing and maintenance. I've often wondered how do you test them? Not sure I would would rely on something if the only time it can ever be used is the one time I need it to save my life. I can remember working in buildings with sprinklers back in the 80's and 90's, they cost a fortune to maintain and were always causing problems with leaks, damaged heads etc. Plus bizarrely insurance premiums were higher as it was found sprinklers would cause more damage to building contents, especially a warehouse, than a small fire but I would hope modern systems have overcome those problems.

As for the line that no one has ever died in a fire where sprinklers have been fitted. From hours after Grenfell first happened the sprinkler industry were heavily pushing that narrative but qualifying it with "a sprinkler system that was correctly installed and fully operational" so I suspect there have been deaths where the system was later found to be defective or had been turned off.