Im just wondering where would you install fire sprinklers in a small cottage/cabin ceiling? Here is the type of ceiling Im talking about.
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Replies
are you going to Diy this?
the ideal place would be running across the bottom side of your ridge beam. this will also be the most unsightly.
Visit a few churches with that style of ceiling in the sanctuary.
Not just anywhere.
You can't just install fire sprinklers where ever they look good. The layout is critical to the operation. You are going to need to get a fire sprinkler company to do the layout at least. I believe that in certain residential applications materials (such as pvc) that are fairly easy to work with are permitted, so you may be able to do the work yourself.
First Select The Heads
All sprinkler heads are designed to cover a certain area. The "basic" area is a 12' x 12' square, and they're generally designed to spray 'down.'
There are 'sidewall' type sprinklers that are designed to mount on the walls, rather than in the middle of the ceiling.
Finally, if you're really ambitious, there are heads that remain concelaed, then pop out when triggered. Finding heads and parts has become a lot easier with the internet.
With the introduction of a residential sprinkler code, the requirements for the system are a lot simpler. While finding the heads can be tricky, there's no reason you can't do this yourself.
You're allowed to plumb the sprinklers in two ways. You can either 'dead end' the sprinkler heads on their own dedicated pipe run, or you can place them so that ordinary household water use flushes the lines with fresh water.
There are 'special' fittings that greatly simplfy your installation. For example, there are special 'tee' fittings that will accept PEX on two sides, be threaded to accept the sprinkler head on the third, and have a tab for anchoring the head in place. It doesn't get any easier than that!
Personally, I think that ordinary brass heads and copper piping, properly cleaned, polished. and varnished, can look pretty good. Just keep the varnish off the little parts in the middle! Likewise, the common type of heads that have little vials of colored liquid in the middle are glitter like jewels as the light strikes them!
Thanks for the replies guys I really appreciate it. We will be building a cabin/cottage and want it to look rustic. We would like to have the fire sprinklers hidden from view. It's going to be tricky, especially since it snows where we will be building (Big Bear Ca). The cabin will be used on weekends and I'm kinda worried that the water might freeze, burst the pipes and spray water everywhere. I like the sprinklers that have a little round cover but there is no space to install them.
Note that it's possible to have a sprinkler system charged with air (with a one-way valve that feeds water in when the air pressure drops). This makes the sprinkler heads pretty much impervious to freezing temps.
Air? Get Real!
While there are a variety of sprinkler systems designed for use in freezing locations, they're all intended for commercial locations.
The air-filled systems require a compressor to maintain system pressure.
It's also possible to fill the lines with anti-freeze ... but I bet those systems have some manner of isolation to prevent the solution from contaminating the supply. Who wants Prestone in their coffee?
While I am not aware of any systems being tested with heat-trace lines and insulation on the pipes, I see no reason to not do this.
If you'll be away regularly, it's even more important that the system be monitored by an alarm company.
How about .... a 'refrigeration' thermostat for the house? That is, one whose settings can be around, say, 40 degrees? That would let you scale the heat WAY back. (You'll want an expansion tank on the house plumbing).
Don't sweat the appearance. You'll never notice them. There's no reason you can't conceal / cover the pipes with paint, wallpaper, or even that woven plastic tubing they use to wrap bundles of wires.
As I've already mentioned, there are sprinklers tou mount on the wall, rather than the ceiling.