How to Install a Fire Sprinkler System

Every year over 4000 people die in fires and tens of thousands more are injured just in our country alone. Many of the injury victims are scarred and disabled for life, with fire taking an especially gruesome toll among the very young and the elderly. The worst fires often strike in the middle of the night when victims are least prepared to defend against them.

When it comes to home fire protection, smoke alarms are a must. But as effective as they can be, they can only alert people to the presence of a fire and hopefully provide enough time to get out safely. Home fire sprinklers on the other hand can actually contain the fire and in many cases put it out, even before the fire department arrives.

When Ron and his wife Lynn purchased their 35 year old Connecticut home, they decided to retrofit it with fire sprinklers. For more product information visit www.homefiresprinkler.org.

The retrofit was performed by a certified sprinkler installer. Ron began by giving him a tour of the house while sharing his concerns about the center stairwell filling quickly with smoke from the bottom floors of the home in the event of a fire. The installer then went off on his own, checking closets and taking measurements everywhere from the basement to the attic. A couple of weeks later, he returned with the plans, which included the location of every pipe and every sprinkler for the entire house.

Normally the sprinkler system would tie right into the city water supply, but first they had to test this system to make sure that there was sufficient water pressure, which would be about 100 PSI. In Ron's case, the water pressure was significantly lower than what was necessary to handle a fire. They resolved this by installing a 300 gallon water storage tank. The necessary water pressure would be created from a pump that they installed nearby.

The pipes specified for home fire sprinkler systems are a plastic called CPVC or chlorinated polyvinyl chloride. They are similar to PVC water pipe, but they are more heat resistant and less likely to melt. The pipe segments are joined together using pipe cement.

Because Ron's ceilings are low in the basement, cages were installed to protect each sprinkler head from being accidentally bumped.

In the basement the pipes were exposed but as they moved upstairs they concealed the pipes behind the walls. This required removing sections of wallboard to expose the bays between the studs. Holding a vacuum nozzle close to the rotary cutting tool helped to cut down on the dust as the walls were cut open.

Next, a hole was drilled through the bottom of the wall and into the basement below. A section of pipe was cut to length, cemented to a right angle fitting, and then the entire assembly was passed through the hole, where it was connected to the basement sprinkler line.

On the first floor, the pipe was extended section by section, up the wall and horizontally through the wall studs where necessary. Some of the pipe was concealed behind crown molding.

To avoid opening up the ceilings, Ron chose what are called sidewall sprinkler heads. While not invisible, they were installed high enough to be less noticeable.

On the second floor, they were able to avoid opening any walls by running the pipe inside a closet. Since the pipe inside the closet would be exposed, the pipe had to be metal instead of plastic. A power crimping tool was used to squeeze the joints together, creating a permanent water tight seal.

The final section of metal pipe was passed through the ceiling and up into the attic where the pipe was then run horizontally above the bedroom ceilings.

Holes were bored through the ceiling drywall in each location where a sprinkler head would be installed in the room below. The pipe was then passed through the hole and secured in place.

Thread sealant was applied to the sprinkler heads before each one was screwed into place. Finally, a cap was installed to conceal the recessed sprinkler from view.

In the portion of the attic that was not heated, insulation was laid on top of the pipes to trap the heat that leaked through the ceiling, keeping the pipes from freezing in the winter. The attic flooring was replaced wherever possible, and in places where the pipe passed above the joist, the exposed insulation was covered with wire mesh that was then secured in place with staples.

Once the system was leak tested, it was then pressurized and ready to go. Now, if there is ever a fire in Ron's home, the nearest sprinkler will activate and in most cases, will be the only sprinkler to go off.

Ron now has the peace of mind of knowing that there are one or more sprinklers standing guard in every room of his home. In the parts of the home where concealed heads are installed, they will remain out of sight unless there's a fire. When the heat of the ceiling reaches about 150 degrees, the cover will drop away and the sprinkler will activate. Usually within a minute or so, the fire is out.

Sprinklers like these discharge about 25 gallons of water per minute if they are activated. Fire fighters' hoses on the other hand put out about 250 gallons per minute.

In just minutes, a household fire can cause devastating destruction. Fire sprinklers can cut down on this destruction significantly. In fact, Ron says that having a fire sprinkler system in his home is like having a fire fighter in every room, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.