Householder’s Guide to Fire Sprinklers


Your fire sprinkler system is designed to save lives and prevent injuries, to householders and fire fighters. Fire sprinklers will also prevent extensive damage to your house in the event of a fire.

Fire sprinklers operate by releasing a spray of water to suppress or extinguish a fire as soon as the heat from the fire heats the air to a certain temperature. This will be within a short time of the fire starting. In this way, fire sprinklers prevent  the  fire from catching hold and spreading within the room, and spreading to other areas of the property.

Fire sprinklers are a tried and tested technology that have saved many lives and prevented many injuries in different countries around the world, in many different types of building including houses and flats. Fire sprinklers are an important  addition to the fire safety features in your home, such as smoke detectors.


Your fire sprinkler system


Your fire sprinkler system consists of.

Water supply to provide water – this is either from a water tank, or from the mains supply.

The tank will be located inside your house (for example, in the loft) or outside your house, and will have a pump, to pump the water through the system. If you do not have a tank, the water will be supplied from the mains water supply.

Hidden pipework to feed the water to the sprinklers, in the same way that hidden pipework takes water to your taps and appliances.

Concealed sprinklers head (i.e. hidden beneath small circulate flat plates, set flush against the ceiling).

In the event of a fire, the only sprinklers that will operate will be those that have reached the “operation temperature” in the immediate vicinity of the fire.


The benefits of having a fire sprinkler system


By preventing a fire from catching hold and spreading throughout the house or flat, the risk of deaths and injury from fire and smoke to those present in the house at the time of a fire will be significantly reduced.

Fire sprinklers will also prevent death and injury to firefighters who will attend a fire.


Care and maintenance of your fire sprinkler system


To ensure that your fire sprinkler system will operate effectively if it is recommended it should be maintained annually by qualified engineers.