The state joins Prince George's County in requiring the
installation of sprinkler systems in new homes. The law has been effect
in the county for 20 years.
A demonstration put on by the U.S. Fire Administration's National Fire Academy showed the difference a sprinkler system can make.
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We could require all homes to be built of concrete and steel and all furniture to be steel or aluminum, all drapes to be steel mesh, all carpets made from steel wool. That would eliminate the fire risk, too. But somewhere there is a line between safety and practicality and I think the sprinkler law has crossed that line.
ReplyDeleteThe new home market is in trouble now so O'Malley wants to add another 5000 to the cost of a new home. When election time comes we need to clean the Democrats out of office.
ReplyDeleteOnly 5000 I am hearing larger numbers. Please let us know the source of the 5,000 estimate
DeleteIs the state going to pay for their installation?
ReplyDeleteHere's another way the Socialist Government of MD is driving folks away - and keeping them from arriving.
This one should be flushed along wht the legislators that came up with it....
All they did was price a regular home out of reach of the average middle-class family. They will be building in Delaware instead.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know which sprinkler contractor contributed to O'Malley's campaign? Before we build our next MD home, we want to make sure we can get the most recent approval requirements.
ReplyDelete7:02 is right. All this boils down to is the sprinkler contractors wining and dining the state legislators. We are not fooled. Does anyone know how our representives voted on this? I believe Del McDermott voted against it.
ReplyDeleteadd 5,000????
ReplyDeleteTry about 15,000
I can demonstrate how wearing a helmet in a car, while driving,can save lives. I sell helmets how much do i need to contribute to you Mr. O'malley. I think this is the final straw on new construction. Stay in your old homes with your kerosene heaters you will never be able to move up because the politicians don't realize its a chain reaction for people to move up a notch. not to mention all the transfer tax revenue that is generated. Maryland is dead. I live in MD and I now do all my shopping in DE and I will soon be leaving this tax happy state. 6% sales, 9% booze, flush tax doubled, Hello DE
ReplyDeletePrince Georges county is going to need sprinkler systems if Zimmerman is found innocent. Can you say Riot
ReplyDeleteI watched the video. I have never seen new construction with one wall completely open to outside air and with osb interior walls. I wander if they soaked it with gas. What a Joke.
ReplyDeleteHow many fireman and politicians have voluntarily paid to have sprinkler systems installed in there existing homes. That's what i thought, next to none. Now with new homes with sprinklers we can start cutting back on the fire companies budgets. less fires, right.
Google hba of sc residential fire sprinklers
ReplyDeleteSome interesting facts, reports and data concerning this.
How much will the insurance cost go up because of the possibility of a pipe bursting and flooding the home?
ReplyDeleteThe $5000 number was just a number I pulled out of the air. Probably 12 to 15 grand would be a closer guess. A local home builder told me that in order to build a new house in Salisbury, it takes a year or more to get permits. Maryland is legislating itself out of business. I also live in Delmar and shop mostly in Delaware
ReplyDeleteThe Home Builders Association of SC site estimates installation costs to be approx $7000 per $100,000. Some intersting facts on there including insurance concerns.
ReplyDeleteI would think a 1500 sq/ft house would run about 3k for material and labor. Then the builder marks it up. Don't blame the sprinkler contractor-the material for roughly 10 to 12 heads in a house is not all that much. A small ranch could be installed in 2 days. Everyone is going to want their piece of the pie.
ReplyDeleteAs a sprinkler contractor we would love to get this work, but I have to agree when does the government stop telling us what and how to do?
It is estimated that a 1500 sq/ft rancher would cost about $1.50 a square foot to install sprinklers in new construction. Those large numbers are nothing more than scare tactics. Insurance would actually go down 8:25 AM. What makes you think the pipes are going to burst and flood the house? More scare tactics. Every house has water pipes and they don't have to pay higher premiums. What an idiot!!
ReplyDeleteI live in an older home and wish my home had sprinklers. I would sleep much better at night knowing a potential fire would be put out by a sprinkler head before my kids died of smoke inhalation. Don't feed me that smoke detector crap. Most if not all kids will sleep through and activated smoke alarm. If you don't believe me try it one morning when you try to wake your kids. I have and they don't budge.
There is also another risk. Will they also be installing a back flow preventer? Let's say an entire development has sprinkler systems installed. Down the road a main line should break. It is possible that the drop in pressure can pull the dormant water laying in those sprinkler lines back into your lines. That water might have been sitting in those lines for years.
ReplyDelete..."I live in an older home and wish my home had sprinklers..."
ReplyDeleteWell, put out the money and have sprinklers installed. What are you waiting for, a grant from O'Malley or Obama?
7:28, you are absolutely incorrect about insurance rates going down. Very very few insurance companies give a reduced rate for having sprinklers. please give me the name of any insurance company that does so I can give it to my daughter whose condo association in another state is trying to find this company that offers these supposed reduced rates.
ReplyDeleteI have also heard of people who live in million dollar plus condos in other states who have had to move out their art and antiques due to companies not insuring them BECAUSE of sprinker systems.
Insurance rates generally don't drop or are lower with sprinkler systems, because insurers expect water damage to offset lower fire related costs. This is a fact.
ReplyDeleteAlso these sprinker systems need to be maintained and there is no way to force homeowners to maintain them. This has been a problem with some not activating properly. Some condo associations do require proof of yearly maintance on them as well as dryer vents for insurance purposes.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete..."I live in an older home and wish my home had sprinklers..."
Well, put out the money and have sprinklers installed. What are you waiting for, a grant from O'Malley or Obama?
May 6, 2012 8:32 PM
Because it is not feasible you idiot!
May 6, 2012 9:05 PM and May 6, 2012 9:37 PM you are full of it.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of ISO?
10:16, They are not full of it. Some insurance companies are raising homeowners premiums by approximately $400/year in California because they adopted this national building code standard. Yes this is true.
ReplyDeleteI also know of someone who built a house a few years ago and asked their insurance broker about the difference in rates if they installed a sprinker. Broker told them not nearly enough to offset costs of installation and maintence and something like 99% of fires are in older homes anyway!
Broker even told the people not to rely on any of the propaganda that's being put out because it's all being put out by those who have a stake in it.
The bottom line is that anyone who is for this-politicians, firefighters, fire marshalls, whoever is buying into the BS that surrounds it all or is somehow going to profit.
ReplyDeleteIf the goal is really to save lives than the law wouldn't apply to new construction but to retrofit older homes and structures with sprinkler systems since no one can deny the overwhelming fire fatalities are in older construction.
Don't lie to us anymore and say it's to save lives and the old "if it saves one life" BS which logically speaking stairs kill more people and children than fires so using that rational 2 story homes shouldn't be allowed.
10:16 what is ISO? I bet it's some lobby isn't it? If you want to rely on a some lobby for info than you are quite the naive person.
"Water damage claims from accidental fire sprinkler activations hurt the bottom line of Insurance companies and increase the premiums of property owners. Shutgun, an innovative Fire Sprinkler Deactivation Tool, can reduce these problems. When a sprinkler head is activated shutting it off quickly is critical"
ReplyDeleteThis is soon to be what insurers are going to require in order to get this supposed reduced rate we keep hearing about. Another added cost in the install process.
I would think insurance would go up. Think of all the people that have antiques and art that would be damaged by the sprinklers.
ReplyDelete