Residential Fire Sprinklers

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Residential Fire Sprinklers Residential fire sprinklers, while some claim are too costly and damaging, are vital in saving lives and property during a home fire. According to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), 80 percent of fire deaths occur in the home. These fires and deaths usually occur when people are asleep. People also do not understand how fast fires spread and how they can go from a tiny flame to total destruction in as little as three minutes. Fire sprinklers can suppress and often extinguish a fire before the fire department arrives, giving people time to escape. The single most effective way to prevent fire-related deaths is the installation of residential fire sprinklers. Combined with smoke alarms, they cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 82% compared to having neither. The systems are designed to suppress, but not eliminate fires, but usually they do. While it is widely believed that the systems cause large amounts of water damage, the HFSC says that according to the Scottsdale Report, a 15-year study of fire sprinkler effectiveness, a fire sprinkler uses, on average, 341 gallons of water to control a fire. Firefighters, on average, use 2,935. Reduced water damage is a major source of savings for homeowners. My home is 2,140 square feet. At a cost of $1.61 per square foot the cost of a residential sprinkler system in home would be $3,445.40. There are many claims and assertions to the drawbacks and problems of residential fire sprinklers. One drawback to the systems is that in lower temperature areas the systems can freeze up and therefore not work when needed. According to the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA), the systems, when properly installed, pose no greater risk of freezing over than normal residential plumbing. Also, an antifreeze mix can be added to the system for extra protection against freezing. Another problem

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