Fire System Installation: Can it Be DIYed?

If you’re building a new home from scratch, you’ve probably thought about a lot of things. Where the kitchen will go, what type of tile will go into the bathrooms, and maybe even how to protect your home from storms? But have you thought about fire protection? Fires are pretty common, and many of them are accidental, but all of them are extremely devastating to the home and can be very damaging to the people inside as well. While you might think that installing smoke detectors and having an escape plan and some fire extinguishers is enough to prevent a fire from damaging your home, there’s much more you can do. A fire suppression system (also known as a sprinkler system) can make a big difference when installed in your home. This is often as simple as having a smoke detector connected to a sprinkler system, but can you install a fire system like this yourself, or is a professional needed? This article will help you decide.

What Is A Fire System?

Fire systems come in two parts. The first is a simple alarm and detection system, where a smoke detector goes off when smoke is detected. If the alarm does go off due to the presence of a fire, then you will know about it and will be able to get out of the house and call the fire department to handle the blaze.

A fire sprinkler system connects smoke alarms to a sprinkler system. These don’t get activated by smoke along, but when excess heat in your home has risen enough to undoubtedly indicate a fire (not just burned toast). High heat triggers sprinklers to fight the fire and smother the flames while the system also alerts the local fire department. But can you install a system like this yourself? It’s especially tempting if you’re a handy person building your own home.  

Can A Fire System Be DIYed?

For smoke alarms, yes they’re easy to install and can be DIYed. Many of them come with a mounting plate, and you can stick that onto your drywall with no trouble. A battery operated detector is then installed in the mounting plate. As long as you make sure that you install the correct number of smoke detectors, in the right places, and at the right heights, you can install them yourself.

But thins get substantially more complicated if you want to connect a sprinkler system to your smoke detectors. This is the kind of fire system that you can’t install yourself unless you really know what you are doing. Even if you have experience with plumbing and pipes, you should still have some specialist technicians on the team to custom design the sprinkler system for each room. Fire sprinklers are a technology unto itself. One installation mistake can cause your sprinklers to fail or not work effectively, and that heavily increases the risk of a fire causing damage to your life and your property, you should have a professional complete the job for you.

For help with learning about fire suppression systems, and to find people who can complete the task for you,  visit a company such as alliedfiresafety.com for more information. Substantial insurance discounts are often available if a home has a sprinkler-equipped fire system, but typically only if installed by licensed specialists.

Don’t DIY It, and Instead Trust Your Safety To Professionals

Don’t do the installation of a fire system yourself, because if something goes wrong then your home and life could be on the line. Instead, trust professionals to complete the job for you, while you focus on other areas of the house. Then, if a fire does break out, you know that you have a correctly installed system to fight it.