Thursday, September 26, 2019, our new home’s fire prevention sprinkler system experienced a catastrophic failure damaging 75% of our home. A fire prevention sprinkler system is a crucial piece of safety equipment in any home or business. These systems are designed to control or suppress fires using water. However, the damage can be significant if there is a system failure. In this blog post, I want to explain what happened to my home and how it impacted my life.
“Sprinkler systems are intended to control or suppress the fire. Control mode sprinklers are intended to control the fire’s heat release rate to prevent building structure collapse and pre-wet the surrounding combustibles to prevent fire spread.”
Fire sprinkler system – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_sprinkler_system
A fire prevention sprinkler system is supposed to help control or suppress a fire, but what happens when it fails? My home found out the hard way. A sprinkler head failed and released over 25,000 gallons of water in just minutes. The force of the water caused significant damage to my home—75% had to be rebuilt! In addition, the force of the water blew a hole through to the roof. I’ve written about this before, but it is still shocking. In seconds we were homeless. However, Jim and I were lucky because we immediately had support from family and the builder.
I was home alone when this disaster occurred, and did I handle everything correctly? No, I did not.
The house shook from the explosion, and I had no idea what had happened! In seconds, water was pouring down from the upper level, and I mean pouring down. I tried to call my husband. I should have called 911. Instead, I grabbed my two dogs and ran for my life outside. Once outside, I resumed calling for help. Jim got hold of the builder, Lennar, and crews of people began arriving to help. Jim and our son, Mark, came shortly after that. I was in shock and ill-prepared for such a disaster.
If a fire prevention sprinkler system fails in your home or business, don’t panic! Follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to recovery. Fire sprinklers are still one of the best ways to protect against fires, so don’t let this setback deter you from having them installed. Stay safe!
If this happens to you, you must have a plan to deal with the aftermath. Be sure to contact your insurance company as soon as possible and start making arrangements to have your home repaired.
If you have a fire prevention sprinkler system in your home or business, it’s important to know what to do if it fails. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- The first thing you should do is call 911 and evacuate the building. Fire sprinklers are designed to give occupants time to exit the premises safely.
- Next, identify the source of the water leak and turn off the water supply if possible. This will help minimize further damage.
- Once the fire department arrives, they will assess the situation and determine whether it’s safe for you to reenter the building.
- Once you’re allowed back inside, start the cleanup process as soon as possible. The sooner you remove the water and dry out the affected areas, the less chance there is for mold or mildew to grow.
So, what can you do if this happens to you? Well, first and foremost, make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. In addition, be sure to document the damage as thoroughly as possible. This will help with filing a claim and getting the necessary repairs done. Finally, be patient—these things can take time to resolve. I know it was a long and difficult process for me, but I eventually got my home back to its original condition.
Note: The main photo for this post was taken in Arnold after we arrived safely. We were exhausted and still in shock. We were fortunate that no one was injured, and all damage was repairable.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments, please enter them in the comments section below.
© 2019 I Don’t Know All The Answers, Nikki Mastro
All of my photographs documents are Copyrighted.