10 Myths About Residential Fire Sprinklers (and the Truth About Leaks, Accidental Activation, and Water Damage)

If you’re investing in a fire sprinkler system, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make sure that it actually works and is worth it. After all, any fire safety system should keep your home, your belongings, and your family safe from disaster. You don’t want to put all that work in just to find out that it is a waste of money and potentially causes more harm than good.

Unfortunately, there are loads of myths and misconceptions surrounding residential fire sprinklers, which can put people off getting them. This, in turn, puts people at risk because their homes aren’t as safe as they should be. 

Let’s face some of these myths head-on, especially the more prevalent ones about sprinkler leakage, accidental misfires, and water damage.

1. Sprinklers Leak When They’re Not Needed

If you’re worried about your sprinkler constantly leaking, don’t be. Sprinklers are installed just like any other piece of plumbing equipment, which means that they’ve got the same safeguards against leakages. 

Basically, your sprinkler system is just as likely to leak as your toilet system, and you certainly wouldn’t go without a loo in your own home. Fire sprinkler standards are designed to make sure sprinklers don’t leak or go off without cause.

2. Sprinklers Will Go Off Accidentally

On a similar note, some people think that sprinklers go off accidentally or at the slightest bit of smoke or steam. You might have had bad experiences with smoke detectors that ring the alarm every time someone burns dinner or has an especially long and steamy shower.

Unlike smoke detectors, fire sprinklers only activate in response to heat from a fire. “Accidental” activations are usually actually caused by someone hitting or breaking the sprinkler head. 

3. Sprinklers Cause More Damage Than the Fire Would

Nobody is arguing that water doesn’t damage belongings. However, the water damage caused by sprinklers is far less than the potential damage of an uncontrolled, spreading fire. More importantly, the water from a sprinkler is less dangerous to human life than fire. 

Sprinklers also use less water than a firefighter, as they’re designed to stop the spread of fire and extinguish small fires quickly. By the time a firefighter gets there, they have to fight a much larger fire.

4. Sprinklers Are Expensive

Fire sprinkler systems do come with an inherent cost. As well as buying the sprinkler system, you also need to pay for installation and regular fire sprinkler servicing and repairs to make sure it works properly.

However, the cost of a fire sprinkler system is far, far less than the potential cost of repairing your home and replacing your belongings after a fire. 

5. Sprinklers Go Off All at Once

You’ve probably seen this in a film or a TV show, where someone lights a candle, and suddenly the entire house is drenched in water from the sprinkler system. But just like flying men in tight outfits and apartments that people can afford to live in despite barely having a job, this is a case of TV magic.

In most sprinkler systems, the only sprinkler that will actually go off is the one closest to the fire. It sprays water directly onto the fire, hopefully putting it out right away and keeping the rest of your house safe and dry. 

6. Sprinklers Require Too Much Maintenance

Just like any other remotely complex plumbing system, like your boiler, fire sprinklers require regular tests and maintenance. But they don’t necessarily require a massive amount of maintenance to keep them working properly.

Fire sprinkler servicing usually doesn’t take long and only needs to be performed once a year to align with fire sprinkler regulations. Besides, it’s far less inconvenient than potentially having to deal with a fire.

Sprinklers Aren’t Needed in Modern Homes

This is a surprisingly common and potentially dangerous misconception. It makes sense to think that modern homes might be safer from fires, but the opposite is true.

Older properties are often built with solid materials that burn more slowly than newer, thinner materials. For example, a solid wood door will take longer to burn than a modern door that has a cavity inside.

Generally, older properties might be more likely to have a fire, sometimes due to older electrical systems, but fires in newer buildings may be more dangerous. In any case, a fire sprinkler system will keep your home safer.

8. Sprinklers Will Freeze in Winter

Most of Britain experiences temperatures below freezing in winter, and you might be worried that your sprinkler system will take the brunt of it. If you’ve ever experienced a burst pipe due to freezing water, it makes sense to be cautious.

However, fire sprinkler systems are designed to mitigate this problem. With proper insulation, the water in your pipes won’t freeze. This is the same system that keeps water running and your pipes safe in other plumbing systems. 

9. Sprinklers Aren’t Necessary if I Have a Smoke Alarm

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Smoke alarms are a very important part of your home fire safety system. It can alert you quickly and get you out of the house. Some smoke alarms also alert the fire department, so they get to your home as quickly as possible.

But one thing a smoke alarm won’t do is put out a fire. While you have the warning system to get out, the fire is still free to burn in your house, and it’ll remain so until the firefighters arrive. In this time, which could be minutes, more and more of your belongings will burn.

A fire sprinkler system fights the fire. The smoke alarm just tells you about the fire. Both are important, and both are needed.

10. Sprinklers Are Ugly

The easiest way to argue against this myth is to say that fire damage is more ugly, but it is a genuine concern. Thankfully, fire sprinklers can be easily disguised in your home and are designed to be unobtrusive. You can hide them behind decorations or mount them flush in your home, so you don’t even see them.