We always think of our home as the safest place in the world. It is the place that houses all our belongings, it is our sanctuary at the end of a long tiring day.
But what happens when there is trouble in this paradise? What if a fire breaks out, forcing you to leave behind your prized worldly possessions? What if your family’s safety is compromised? How do you ensure that your home, your belongings and your family are all safe from the Fire ?
The answer to this is fire sprinkler systems! In the event of a fire, a sprinkler system activates immediately and helps contain the fire. It keeps the fire small for a longer period of time, thus buying you time to escape. It helps in minimizing damage to both your property/ belongings as well as that of your neighbor’s.
So how does the sprinkler system work? The sprinkler system uses pipes that are similar to plumbing pipes. Every room has one or more sprinklers depending on the size of the room.
In case of a fire, the sprinkler, which all along had been acting as a plug in the water-pipe, gets activated due to the heat and breaks, thus allowing the water out. The water in turn helps extinguish the fire. Contrary to popular belief, sprinklers cannot be set off by smoke. Also, only one sprinkler activates at a time.
An interesting fact about sprinklers is the water consumption. Sprinklers end up using 8. 5 times lesser water than is used by the fire department. In fact a study shows that home sprinkler systems use on average 341 gallons of water, compared to the 2935 gallons used by fire hoses. Thus fire sprinklers save homeowners a significant amount of money on water damage after a fire.
There are huge savings in cost by having sprinklers installed. In homes that have a sprinkler system installed, the cost of fire and water damage after a fire is on average $2,166. In homes that do not have a sprinkler system installed, the cost of fire and water damage after a fire is on average $45,019. So in case of a fire, the sprinkler system pays for itself.
Of course, there are some myths around sprinklers. It is time to bust those.
Sprinklers are NOT ugly. Many are subtle and some are even concealed. Sprinklers can be mounted to the ceiling and to the walls.
Sprinklers cannot go off accidentally. The odds are 1 in 16 million that they will set off by themselves. And no. They are NOT triggered by lit cigarettes.
Sprinklers are NOT expensive. Installing sprinklers costs the same as installing carpets. In fact if they are installed during the construction of the home, they hike the total building cost by just 1. 0 to 1. 5%The present value of net benefits (PVNB) in 2005 is estimated as $2919 for colonial style homes, $3099 for townhouses and $4166 for ranch style homes
Yes. your insurance premium tends to be low if you have sprinklers in your house. However different insurance companies offer different rates. Hence it is always advisable to shop around for the best deal.
So go ahead and contact a contractor TODAY!
About American Fire Protection Systems, Inc.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, American Fire Protection Systems (AFPS), Inc. provides a full array of fire protection products and services. With over 100 years of combined experience, the professionals at AFPS develop customized solutions for residential homeowners and commercial clients throughout Los Angeles. This level of expertise allows AFPS to evaluate, design, install and maintain Fire Sprinkler Systems. AFPS is led by Simon Farahdel, a graduate of UCLA and an honoree in the 2011 edition of “Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals.” He is a published columnist and featured guest in the Los Angeles Business Journal, Santa Monica Mirror and Realty Times. He also served as an expert consultant to the California’s Contractors State License Board, which updated the Fire Protection examination and wrote many of the new codes used by the National Fire Protection Associate (NFPA) and by C-16 Fire Protection Contractors. For more information about the company, please go to http://www.AmericanFireInc,com
