A Guide to Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems | The Family Handyman

By Dawn Weinberger

Updated on Jul. 31, 2023

To better protect your home and family from the devastation of a fire, consider investing in a residential fire sprinkler system.

Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are essential in every home, but don’t let the fact that you dutifully installed one in every room on every floor give you a false sense of security.

Even with smoke detectors and CO detectors on site, fire still takes lives and destroys property. Between 2015 and 2019, home fires averaged 2,620 fatalities and $7.3 billion in property damage annually in the U.S. alone, the National Fire Protection Association reports. That’s a lot of lives and money, especially when you consider 96 percent of homes contain at least one smoke alarm.

However, the odds of becoming one of these fire-related statistics drop significantly when smoke alarms and CO monitors are paired with residential fire sprinkler systems, according to Bruce D. Bouch, fire program specialist for the United States Fire Administration.

While only a handful of states and municipalities require new residential construction to include fire sprinkler systems, Bouch says he recommends them for everyone regardless of code requirements. This, he says, applies to all homeowners, not just those building a new dwelling from the ground up.

“Unlike carpet upgrades, (fire sprinklers) last for the life of the home, and they are there to protect you, your family, your friends and your pets,” Bouch says.

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If you’re picturing a rush of water pouring from the ceiling in every room of your house whenever there’s little smoke in the kitchen, you might be hesitant to invest in a residential fire sprinkler system for fear of excessive and repeated water damage. But don’t worry — Bouch says that’s just the Hollywood version of sprinkler systems. Actual residential fire sprinklers are far more precise.

“Unlike in the movies, in most cases only one (sprinkler in the home) reacts,” Bouch says.

Depending on square footage, the typical system includes at least one sprinkler head in every room. These connect directly to your plumbing or have their own dedicated pipes.

Most of the time (and preferably, all of the time), the sprinkler heads just hang there. They only activate when they detect potentially dangerous levels of heat, Bouch says. Standard activation range is between 130 F and 155 F.

A bulb filled with glycerin controls activation. When the glycerin gets hot, it expands and breaks the bulb. Once it’s broken, the pipes release water. The water flows at about 13 gallons a minute, enough to put out the fire without excessive water damage.

According to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), a charitable organization that works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the USFA to educate the public about residential sprinkler systems, home sprinklers are available in three common “styles.”

The main advantage is the superior level of fire protection they provide, Bouch says. A sprinkler system reacts so fast that the fire is often contained before the fire department arrives.

Home fire sprinkler systems also:

The only potential downsides to a home sprinkler system are cost and logistics, especially if you’re installing the system in an existing home.

While the average cost is around $1.35 per square foot, Bouch says, installation is much easier when building a new home. It’s definitely possible (and still recommended) in existing homes, but you’ll need to cut into the walls or ceilings to install sprinkler heads, and figure out how to connect them to water pipes.

Once you install a sprinkler system, you can rest easy because maintenance is minimal, Bouch says. He recommends testing the system once a year to ensure the water flows properly and nothing leaks. (The sprinkler heads have valves, just like your other plumbing fixtures.)

Other than ensuring your family has a fire escape plan in place, you don’t need to do anything else. With any luck, you’ll never actually need to find out how well it works.