Everything you Need to Know on Residential Fire Sprinklers

If you’re stopping by to read more about residential fire sprinklers, you must be asking yourself why residential fire sprinklers are important or you’re looking into installing fire sprinklers in your home. We will walk through what residential sprinklers are, the different types of sprinkler systems, home requirements, estimate costs and a bit of history.

What are Residential Fire Sprinklers?

A residential fire sprinkler system is a fast response sprinkler that will save a homeowner tons of money or even a life in the event of a fire. According to NFPA, about 80 percent of all civilian fire deaths occur in homes.

Statistic on Residential Homes with Fire Sprinklers

• Civilian death rate is about 81 percent lower
• Firefighter injury is nearly 80 percent lower
• 97 percent of the time the fire will be contained in the fire's origin room

Residential Fire Sprinkler’s History

As early as 1932 residential fire sprinklers systems were advertised and introduced to homeowners by Grinnell Company. During the following years NFPA proposed a nationwide standard fire reporting system, called the Uniform Fire Incident Reporting System (UFIRS). This reporting system allowed everyone to see the bigger picture of home fires and the deaths connected in America.

In 1972 a document called "America Burning" was released by The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control identified and recommended the development of technology for improved automatic extinguishing systems that would be accepted by Americans in all types of living spaces.

Now that data was accessible, 1975 data showed about 50% of total loss of life in residential homes were due to fire.

In 1979 California adopted the first fire sprinkler ordinance in the nation to require automatic residential fire sprinkler systems in newly constructed one to two family homes.

We know residential fire sprinkler history is super interesting but we wanted to give you a small taste. If you’re interested in a more detailed historical timeline check out NFPA's History of Residential Fire Sprinklers in CA.

Residential Fire Sprinklers Requirements

In 2011 California approved the State Fire Marshal’s Building, Fire and Residential Code adoption packages mandating all new residential homes to require fire sprinklers. In addition, any renovation or remodeling where the fire area exceeds 5,000 square feet is also required to install fire sprinklers throughout the property.

There are no mandates for older homes but it is highly recommended to protect their property and lives. In older homes space heaters are often used for additional warmth, which cause large numbers of fires in homes.

The U.S. Fire Administration Reports from 2014 to 2016 that there were 24,000 residential building electrical fires per year. A large number of these incidents were caused by homeowners using heating appliances.

Different types of Residential Fire Sprinklers

There are two types of residential fire sprinklers systems under the NFPA 13D standard, stand-alone system and multipurpose system.

Stand-Alone Systems

A stand-alone fire sprinkler system does not use the same network or pipes as the home’s plumbing system, it uses separate piping. This being said it can still draw water from the same source or it can come from a dedicated water tank.

Multipurpose Systems

A multipurpose fire sprinkler system is integrated with a home’s plumbing system, using the same water source and plumbing pipes. Multipurpose systems tend to be cheaper because they’re using the same pipes, fittings and connections. Multipurpose systems may come out cheaper but finding a plumber that is licensed as a fire sprinkler company may be a headache in California.

What is the cost of Residential Sprinklers?

There are a couple different prices out there when doing research, but keep in mind when adding fire sprinklers in your home we suggest not to just choose the cheapest option but to do your research. Choose a company that has a great reputation, and has great communication skills keeping you in the loop in regards to problems, prices, installation and schedules.

According to The Fire Protection Research Foundation’s report, Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment reveals that in 2008 it can average about $1.61 per square feet for new constructions. In 2013 installation cost from installers ranged from $0.81 to $2.47 per square feet averaging $1.35.

Variables that can impact cost of fire sprinklers

Taking in account that prices from 2013 to 2021 and years to come can drastically change with the market's constant changes, during covid-19 we’ve seen manufacture limited product and prices rising. Aside from the market, there are also other variables, depending on the home's accessibility. There is also the consideration of which type of residential system you would like to install in your home, stand-alone or multipurpose.

T&S Fire Protection your Residential Fire Sprinkler Contractor

At T&S Fire Protection we are your trusted fire protection contractors, with over 20 years of experience. Our goal is not to be the largest company but to be the best. We are committed to honesty, integrity and believe communication is key.

So if you are ready to get your house fire proofed and protected with a stand-alone system give us a call for your free quote.

Call 805-232-3216, email t.sfireprotectioninc@gmail.com or contact form so we can better assist you.