So how much does it cost to install a sprinkler system?
Recent research work suggests that in a new care home sprinklers can be installed for between 1.9 and 2.3% of the project build costs. The same research shows that in some cases, by using the trade offs mentioned above that installing sprinklers can result in cost savings!
 
Just how reliable are sprinklers?
Most sprinkler systems are very simple: they have no moving parts, and the pipes are filled with water, usually from the mains, and in a fire will burst open over the fire when they get hot. They will work as long as they have water in the pipes. Only sprinklers over the fire will open and accidental discharge of water is almost unheard of. Major research in the US suggests that when sprinklers are operational they have a reliability factor in excess of 98.8%

Isn’t water damage costly?
Reports of water damage from fires in buildings with sprinklers are often exaggerated. While each fire-fighters’ hose will deluge a building and its contents with more than 2000 litres of water per minute, a sprinkler head only applies between 80 and 100 litres directly on the area of the fire.  Long-term research shows that 80% of fires are controlled or extinguished by four or fewer sprinklers opening.

If there is a fire the water from one or two sprinklers is a small price to pay for saving a complete building, its contents or even a life.

Can sprinklers help prevent smoke damage?
Smoke damage is a major cause of loss in fires. Sprinklers wash the larger particles out of smoke reducing its density and toxicity. In addition the water cools the smoke making it less harmful.

Quick response sprinklers are now available that will attack a fire even earlier in its growth. Fast attack dramatically reduces the amount of smoke that a fire can produce.

Can sprinklers save lives?
Research shows that even people in the room of origin of a fire can be saved if the building is sprinkler protected.

Aren’t sprinklers unsightly and easily vandalised?
Sprinklers can be completely concealed by recessing them into false ceilings or can be fitted above picture rails. They are unobtrusive and almost invisible. Vandalism of sprinklers is almost unknown in the UK.