You never know when or where a fire will start in your home. What if you could have a fire fighter stationed in every room 24 hours a day, ready to stop a fire the minute it broke out? That is what fire sprinklers are, instant fire fighters. They are installed on the ceiling or high on a wall and are attached to the same water supply that feeds your home's plumbing fixtures.

Residential fire sprinklers are small. They fit in so well that you have to point them out for people to notice them. You already have water pipes running throughout your home to supply sinks, showers, toilets and washing machines. Fire sprinklers use the same water to extinguish a fire. Average-sized rooms only need one sprinkler. A fire creates a narrow plume of hot air and gases that rises to the ceiling and spreads out. When the hot gases reach the nearest sprinkler they will heat the fusible element that holds the cap in place. The cap will fall away and the sprinkler will spray water on the fire. Other sprinklers won't open because the water from the nearest sprinkler cools the hot gases to below the operating temperature of the other sprinklers in the room. The water spray from the sprinkler cools the fire gases over the fire. When the temperature of the burning material drops to below its combustion temperature, it can no longer burn and the fire goes out.

Residential fire sprinklers are designed to save lives, but because they control fires so quickly, they also reduce property damage. Fire reports show that property damage is nine times lower in sprinklered homes. Sprinklers are affordable. The average cost of installing fire sprinklers in new homes is around £1.25per square foot. Residential fire sprinklers are much smaller than ones that you see in shops and offices. All residential models come in colours to match popular ceiling and wall colours, and manufacturers will even custom-paint them for you. Many models are partially or fully recessed into the ceiling.

One of the myths about sprinklers is that they will cause water damage. While this may seem logical (after all, they spray water), it actually is not true. A residential fire sprinkler sprays about only 10 gallons of water per minute and operates early in a fire to stop the burning. A hose used by Firefighters flows ten times that amount, 175-200 gallons a minute. If sprinklers are not present, fires typically burn for an additional 10-15 until fire fighters arrive and begin to put it out. Thus you have a lot more burned possessions before fire fighters can intervene, and then you have 10 times more water being sprayed on what is left. The quick action by sprinklers and the smaller water flow significantly reduce water and property damage. An alarm that is triggered by the sprinkler flow is normally installed to alert you of the fire. The alarm will also alert neighbours and can be monitored by an alarm company.