On Jan 10, 6:23*pm, Tony Miklos wrote:
On 1/10/2011 7:30 AM, Dean Hoffman wrote:

are now required in new Pennsylvania homes:
http://tinyurl.com/323syvr

Does anyone here have some real on hands experience with fire sprinklers
going off? *Some years ago I did a job at a place that makes the
sprinklers and systems. *I told them I heard insurance companies don't
like them due to all the water damage.

He replied, that's Hollywood for you! *His and most sprinklers give off
more of a heavy mist than a heavy drenching like you see on TV. *And
also if one sprinkler goes off, it doesn't trigger all the sprinklers...
* again, that's Hollywood.

I'm not saying this is fact, just what I was told. *Actually I believe
one won't set them all off, but the heavy mist instead of a downpour?
Any first hand knowledge?

There are real sprinklers, and there are Hollywood sprinklers.


Yup... It is usually only one sprinkler head in the immediate
area of the fire that discharges...

The water damage part is a factor of knowing how your system
operates, keeping the valves accessible and knowing how to
operate them after the fire has been extinguished...

"Deluge" type systems where every sprinkler head activates
are rare these days, leftover relics from the early days of
fire protection in buildings whose systems have not been
modernized OR are used in certain occupancy types like
theater stages where if there is a fire it is better to douse
everything with water than allow it to spread amongst the
very flammable curtains and sets and backdrops...

I think that too many people on here are not at all familiar
with how modern sprinkler systems work, or the various
ways such systems can be designed to be all but invisible
with recessed sprinkler heads... Those who worry about
freezing water in the piping seem to be unaware that it
is possible to have sprinkler systems with dry standpipes
where the water is held back by air pressure and a valve
until a sprinkler head activates and releases the pressure...

A sprinkler system that is properly designed will have a
water flow sensor which will trigger an alarm... Much more
damage is done by broken hoses on washing machines
and failed hot water heaters which don't alert you with
an alarm when they fail...

~~ Evan