Dousing gallons of water inside your home may not sound like the greatest idea in the world, however, it’s a fantastic idea when it means saving lives and more.
A relatively new residential multipurpose fire suppression system, which integrates plumbing and a sprinkler system, is currently on the market and the first home in Michigan to have it installed is right here in Independence Township.
The 6,000 square foot home on Forest Valley is still under construction by Guido Grassi of P.E.G. Construction in the Hilltop Estates Subdivision, but the sprinkler system has passed all acceptance tests with flying colors, Independence Township Fire Marshal Greg Olrich said.
“The idea behind the system is to suppress the fire, to minimize property damage and get people out safely,” Kirk Vigil, regional sales manager for the system’s manufacturer, Wirsbo, said.
For more than 100 years, fire sprinklers have been around in commercial and industrial settings, but have been used in residences only 15 to 20 years.
Unfortunately high costs, installation difficulty and accidental activation have steered homeowners clear of installing a sprinkler system.
But the Wirsbo system was built to nearly erase these concerns when a change in the residential fire protection standard NFPA 13-D came about in 2000.
The revised standard allows the use of 1/2″ tubing in a combination plumbing/sprinkler system for single-family homes, compared to the previously required minimum 1/2″ tubing separate from the plumbing system. The larger tubing and separate system were more difficult and expensive to install and required a sprinkler installer.
Vigil said there is a one in 16 million risk for failures, and the cost of the Wirsbo system is one and a half to two percent of the cost of the structure. “On a 2,000 to 2,400 square foot home, it’s like the upgrade of carpet,” he said.
“If we factor in the greater safety of your loved ones and the protection of your irreplaceable belongings the cost becomes much less objectionable,” Olrich added.
Though it’s new to Michigan, the system has been installed in homes across the southwest and northeast.
As long as the plumbing system in a home is working, so is the system. “There is no separate piping system eliminating standing water in the system,” Olrich explained. “This means every time a toilet is flushed the water is flowing through the entire system. There is no fear of the water to the sprinkler system being shut down as there are no separate shut offs.”
Each sprinkler head is a heat sensitive nozzle. The sprinklers are recessed into the ceiling and a glass bulb covers the head. When heated to 150 degrees the bulb will burst, releasing a plug to allow water under pressure to spray and extinguish a fire.
“Generally, most fires are controlled by one or two heads,” Olrich said. “A switch will sense the activated head and will set off an alarm warning the residents of a fire. Additionally you can have your alarm company monitor this and notify the Fire Department.”
The radius of the water is determined by its pressure, but most of the heads installed in a home cover 16 feet. The heads are spread out through a room, so they don’t wash each other out, Vigil said. The system pushes out 12 to 18 gallons of water per minute.
“There will be water damage, but it’s minimal,” Vigil said, especially given the fact the Fire Department dumps 250 gallons or more per minute to extinguish a blaze.
Olrich agreed the in-home sprinklers should cause little damage. “You or your insurance company can probably clean it up and stay home in the process. Your family is probably safe and most of your belongings are unaffected.”
In a home without a sprinkler system, Olrich said, a fire which burns at 1,200 degrees and is left unchecked for only six minutes would extend into other parts of the home, cause additional risk to the family, and considerable loss of belongings. When extinguished residents would most likely have to relocate for six months or longer during the course of repairs, he said.
“I believe this is a good system,” builder Grassi said. “People should have the option of having it installed. Family memories are something that can never be replaced. It’s something people should consider.”
The system can be designed to work off a well, with some minor changes to the pump and tank, Olrich said. “If municipal water is available it is as simple as increasing the size of the pipe entering the home.”
Vigil said a retrofit can be done on preexisting homes, but the system really should be installed during the framing process of construction.
The only person, so far, in Michigan trained and certified to install the Wirsbo system is John Muse of John Muse Plumbing in Lapeer. He can be contacted through his website www.johnmuse.net.
“While this may not be the answer to all our fire problems it at least gives us a fighting chance,” Olrich said. “Remember the Fire Department’s goal is to be no longer needed.”
For more information on this system logon to www.wirsbo.com. For other fire related questions contact your local fire department. Independence Township residents can call Fire Marshal Greg Olrich at (248) 625-1924.