Posted on 07/13/2016 11:56:44 PM PDT by Don W
FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, states have quickly adopted most building safety features blessed by the Washington-based nonprofit that recommends minimum codes for the nation. But that’s not what happened after the International Code Council decided in 2008 that every new American home should have fire sprinklers. Fire Fight Far outside DC, there’s a campaign finance fight taking place over fire safety. And it’s putting families at risk.
Instead, a review by ProPublica shows, U.S. homebuilders and realtors unleashed an unprecedented campaign to fend off the change, which they argued would not improve safety enough to justify the added cost. Housing industry trade groups poured money into lobbying and political contributions. Their well-to-do members strong-armed local officials or dazzled them with hometown projects.
(Excerpt) Read more at propublica.org ...
Wouldn’t it be a much more cost effective feature to have an exit plan and have well maintained smoke detectors in each room?
I’ve been involved in the fire sprinkler industry for over 40 years and COULD be considered an “expert” because of extensive training & certifications.
As for initial cost, in new construction, the typical installation is usually less than $2 per square foot. (Compare that to your carpet @ $18 per yard.)
Before installation, each & every sprinkler head is tested at 300 PSI. Some are at 500 PSI. so the likelihood of a broken sprinkler is usually just a myth.
95% of all residential fires are extinguished by a single sprinkler discharging at less than 20 gallons per minute. Compare that to a fire hose flowing 250 GPM which is what is used when the fire dept. arrives. Also, consider the fact that the sprinkler is on-duty watching over your valuables, wife, sleeping children, etc. 24/7 and will usually activate within 30 seconds of a fire. Compare that to the typical 10 minute response time for the local fire department.
For a comparative demonstration see the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6iI4tRLr2M
This is one of the few cases where Crony Capitalism gets it right.
The key thing is that everything is a TRADE OFF.
The houses that go up in flames and kill people are amost always OLD HOUSES. The net effect of requiring sprinklers is to make replacing/upgrading/modifying them MORE EXPENSIVE, and thereby causing people to either leave them alone, or have the work done under-the-table (and thus subject to no inspections at all).
Which then leaves people in rotting homes with 50 year old wiring with insulation flaking off. Not very safe...but that is the net effect of driving up the cost of new and modified housing. They can’t have it both ways - unless the cities and states were willing to finance the cost themselves, which they wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) do.
Lol. 2 bucks a square foot against your 18 bucks a square yard? lol
1 square yard is 9 square feet. 9 x 2 = 18. So the same as your carpet.
“As for initial cost, in new construction, the typical installation is usually less than $2 per square foot. “
How much generally for retro-fit? I know it depends on location, location, location and probably the type of home and it’s construction.
Thank you for the “expert witness” details.
Yes, $2 /sqft is $18 / sqyd. Basically, that’s what I’m saying. When your kids are asleep upstairs, “Would you rather have fancy carpet or fire sprinklers”?
A friend who lives in military housing with a sprinkler is kind of afraid of it. If you accidentally hit one of the sprinklers, with a ball, or something long that brushes the ceiling as you’re moving it, you just destroyed everything in your house.
With that logic we would all be using out houses instead of toilets.
Contact the folks at the AFSA. They can put you in contact with a contractor in your area for a free quote.
American Fire Sprinkler Association
12750 Merit Drive, Suite 350;
Dallas, Texas 75251
Phone: +1 (214)349-5965; Fax: +1 (214)343-8898
Office Hours: M – F; 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CT
All that’s holding back the water is a glass vial that melts at a certain temperature. A normal hit may bounce off but the right shock might be enough.
The best I could find was this. True, a forklift isn’t a ball, but the concept is the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGfQvdmO_Qk
There’s lots of stuff online warning that while very rare, the scenario could happen.
I’m remodeling my bathroom and we’re bringing in lumber for framing, drywall and other big stuff. One could easily brush the ceiling if not paying attention.
$2 per square foot is $18 per yard. There are nine square feet in a square yard.
When your kid is sick would you rather have your own chosen doctor or have an obamacare death panel appointed 'doctor' jammed down your throat?
Same thing. The case for home sprinklers needs to be made in the marketplace. If people want them they can buy them.
FORCING them to buy something they don't want is the same as the obamacare treason.
If sprinklers are a good idea, then people will buy them. The fact that the sprinkler salesmen are pushing to get them into the building codes all but proves that they are NOT a good idea.
It’s not about safety at all! It’s about growing government and “creating” new before unwanted jobs, businesses, and control of your personal life.
Government expands due to the fact that there must be more regulation and that means more employees which in turn, means more jobs that are totally unnecessary.
The fire suppression business (that pays bribes to elected officials to generate more need for their products and services) enjoy a “mandated” new source of income from the sale of devices, service contracts, inspections and a whole host of future goodies that will come to ensure SAFETY in your own home. Soon there will be entirely new businesses that will come into their own to repair (of course by licensed fire system inspectors)you own system.
My tagline has always “pinned the tail on the donkey” and has never failed. The “rot” has taken years to completely destroy our freedoms and liberties and continues unabated.
We have lost our manufacturing base and now “invent” jobs and businesses that unneeded and useless functions. It’s like a circle now: Joe works for a company that manufactures can openers. He is paid by his company. The government requires Joe to only use a certain type of can opener on each day of the week and only used a single time. Joe has to purchase 7 different can openers and then throw them away at the end of the week and buy 7 more for the next week. Joe has to spend the money he made at the business to by the very can openers he makes. He has no choice...it’s the law!
The government expands and the “fat cats” at the can opener manufacturing plant get fatter and the politicians enjoy their financial support.
I guess this is what you call the Federal Industrial Complex.....
There are less than 180K people here. We don’t get big ships. But concrete can be produced here from local materials
It is necessary to add sufficient costs to new homes that one must be wealthy to even contemplate owning one.
I’m not advocating. I’m merely trying to dispel some of the myths associated with sprinklers. It’s your family & money. Do with it as you wish. For the folks that may be interested, I’ve provided enough information to help make an educated opinion. Everyone is an expert. Especially when they don’t really know what they are talking about.
Air bags were a wonderful thing, too, until they started killing people.
I’m going for whole-house halon. Fights fire and global cooling at the same time.
Also familiar with codes, I would add the following, the code could require a separate water service with post indicator valve, un-metered or with full flow meter (big expense). The Service might add 50% to the nominal cost you describe.
Additionally residential is full of unheated spaces that are still combustable. You might add a big cost to use fire treated lumber (plus the chemical exposure long term) to have an unheated attic and still not have sprinkler heads there. Additionally the attic could no longer be used for storage due to code issues.
The ramifications are very extensive and would need to be understood by the consumer. I will agree, that it is not a valueless additional feature to a single family dwelling and also agree that other than kids with clothes hangers, accidental discharge is unlikely.
Plus when the Halon goes off it kills you and the dog.
Halon has been outlawed by the EPA. No longer an option.
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