Residential sprinklers -
It is my belief that residential sprinklers are a key element in achieving fire department excellence. Simply put, fire departments that require sprinklers in homes can manage their community fire risk for less money than comparable fire departments that rely on manual suppression.
There are plenty of Internet-based resources about residential sprinklers. My posts on this subject will not repeat the information that is already published. Rather, they will reflect my personal experience with residential sprinklers.
My sprinkler system –
My 50-year old home is protected with residential sprinklers, which I installed myself several years ago. The water supply is a ¾-inch copper line that goes through a 5/8-inch meter. I knew that the meter was too small to flow the 26 GPM required for a 2-sprinkler flow, so technically the system does not comply with national standards. I compensated by installing the sprinklers close to their minimum spacing. The smaller areas of coverage increase the likelihood that one sprinkler will have the volume to stop a fire. I also added sprinklers in areas that technically require them, such as reach-in closets and bathrooms under 55 square feet.
My sprinkler challenge –
I contacted my water purveyor to get an estimate for upsizing to a ¾-inch meter. I am happy with the system's capability, but I want to learn more about a barrier that is turning people away from sprinkler protection – the often sky-high charges that water purveyors charge for larger meters.
The engineer I spoke with told me that replacing my 5/8-inch meter with a ¾-inch requires that I pay a $2500.00 "system impact" fee in addition to the cost new meter and labor charges for installing it. I explained that my system has actually lowered the impact on the water distribution system because I would use a couple hundred gallons of water to stop a fire - that versus several thousand gallons the fire department would pump for manual extinguishment.
From our conversation, I learned that the system impact fee is based on the premise that larger meters result in higher consumption. I am meeting with the water district staff next week, where my first challenge will be to show them why that premise is false when it comes to residential sprinkler systems. I'll report on my progress.
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