The True Cost of Neglected Fire Sprinkler Systems: Protecting your property and lives

It can be easy to forget about you fire sprinkler system once it’s been installed, it’s not uncommon on service visits that we find homeowners aren’t aware of where sprinkler heads and other system components are located due to modern day concealed designs. People can assume their system is fine, to find out years later that it’s not in working order resulting in expensive repair fees or a malfunction in an emergency.

Neglecting your fire sprinklers can cost you a lot more than a repair bill. It can cost you your home, and worse, it can cost lives. In this blog, we want to walk through what can go wrong when systems are left unchecked, what that really ends up costing, and how regular maintenance now can prevent long-term problems.

The role of fire sprinklers and how they work

Fire sprinkler systems are designed to activate automatically when a fire breaks out. People often think sprinklers are smoke activated, however they are actually activated by heat. That means if a fire starts in a room, only the sprinkler head closest to the fire goes off targeting the fire directly while reducing water damage elsewhere. It’s a common myth that all the sprinklers in a property will go off at once like in the movies, however fire sprinklers work independently. Within seconds of detecting high heat, the glass bulb inside the head will burst, releasing water onto the flames, slowing the fire down or even putting it out meaning they are an extremely effective in supressing fire. According to research by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and the National Fire Sprinkler Network (NFSN), sprinkler systems operated in 94% of fire incidents and successfully extinguished or contained fires in 99% of those cases.

What happens when you neglect system maintenance?

A fire sprinkler system cannot be installed and forgotten about, the same as anything mechanical, things wear down naturally over time. Pumps and valves can seize up, heads can gather dust and water supplies can become contaminated, and as mentioned in our blog ‘5 warning signs your fire sprinkler system needs professional maintenance’, all of which can quietly build up in the background if no one is checking on the system.

One of the biggest and most obvious dangers of neglecting maintenance, is that you won’t know there is an issue with your system until there is a fire. It can be something as simple as a closed stop valve, preventing water flow to a sprinkler head, or something that sounds more serious like a corroded pressure switch, which could prevent the pump from kicking in when required. Whether a system fault sounds big or small, most of the time it doesn’t matter as they will all impact the systems performance one way or another. Fire sprinkler maintenance is essential in ensuring your system is always ready.

The human cost of neglect

Fire sprinkler systems are designed and put in place to firstly protect people, and secondly to protect property. When sprinkler systems are neglected, it’s not just about leaks or costly repairs, it’s about putting people’s lives at risk. A properly maintained fire sprinkler system can control and often extinguish a fire before it gets the chance to spread and get out of hand, in turn providing people with time to escape avoiding injury or even worse. The human cost of neglect is rarely talked about until tragedy strikes. But those stories, sadly, do exist and in many cases, they could’ve been prevented with something as simple as routine servicing.

This is especially critical in homes with vulnerable people such as young children, the elderly or those with limited mobility who may not be able to evacuate quickly. Fire sprinkler systems are designed to give them that vital window of time, however that protection only exists if the system is functioning as it should. Without regular maintenance, that window can close before anyone has a chance to react.

The financial cost of neglect

Following on from the above, neglecting your fire sprinkler system can also have massive financial consequences. Small problems can very quickly turn into a much bigger problems if they are not discovered and dealt with in a timely manner. Repairs to damaged electrical services, water-damaged ceilings/flooring and emergency callouts all cost more than regular servicing would have. If there is a fire and the sprinkler system doesn’t operate as it should due to an underlying issue, the cost of fire damage can be huge.

As well as this, some insurance companies may refuse to pay out or refuse claims if they discover that a system hasn’t been maintained in line with BS9251:2021. This can leave those responsible covering the full cost of repairs whether that be from a leak or fire damage. When this is compared to the relatively low cost of annual servicing it’s very clear that it’s not a box ticking exercise, it’s protecting your investment.

How fire sprinkler systems protect lives and property?

Fire sprinkler systems are proven to be one of the most effective ways to protect lives and property, there have been zero deaths from fire in the UK within buildings that are fully protected by sprinklers. On a global scale, fire sprinklers have over a 99% success rate in controlling fires which proves how reliable they are when they're properly installed and maintained.

Fire sprinklers activate within seconds of detecting heat, followed by a constant spray of pressurised water that suppresses or extinguishes the flames before they spread, often preventing small incidents turning into disasters. In most cases, a single sprinkler head is all that’s required to control a fire massively reducing damage to property and lives.

People can think that fire sprinklers will be there in the background, ready to go if needed. However to be ready, sprinkler systems require regular maintenance. It’s about real people in real homes, relying on a system that they may not even realise needs regular upkeep to stay reliable.