3R Home and Barn Project

[3RRL]

Believe me, I am considering it hard. It would be easier to do now and probably look better too.

[bones1]

I'm with Sandman.With your abilities Rob you could design an automatic high output perimeter fire defense sprinkler system that would trigger remotely and automatically( over cell phone or internet) even if you're not there.Run it strictly off well pressure and hold the tank for back up.

[3RRL]

Originally Posted by bones1

I'm with Sandman.With your abilities Rob you could design an automatic high output perimeter fire defense sprinkler system that would trigger remotely and automatically( over cell phone or internet) even if you're not there.Run it strictly off well pressure and hold the tank for back up.

Steve,
Thanks for the tremendous compliment. LOL... I might be handy with machinery and gadgets but a system like that would need more brain cells than I have. It is an excellent suggestion though, especially running it off the well and leaving the tank as back up. A great idea in fact. Just need to get someone who can design it properly.
Do you think my contractor would know someone who does that?

Since my well is run off the solar power, you have made me aware that the power shed needs needs just as much protection. I will look into it this weekend.
Thanks,

[bones1]

This is a nice system designed for wilderness homesites.It is self contained and very interesting. Propane powered too..Steve.
Red Rock Fire Suppression Systems
Remote monitoring also, just one of many ways to monitor https://www.attrm.com/attrm07_hm_res.htm

Off topic...look what this guy built.Jet Beetle

[3RRL]

Thanks for all the links. I've bookmarked them. The beetle is cool!

[machmeter62]

Originally Posted by 3RRL

Thanks for all the links. I've bookmarked them. The beetle is cool!

Rob: In the mid 70's, with our love of the Sierra's, we were looking at real estate in the foot-hills there. A real estate agent was taking us around to various parcels in Camron Park, which was being developed at that time. It is located off Hwy 50. My wife noticed on the gentleman's belt, what looked like a tiny gun!? So she asked him what it was for. He said, "it's a "snake gun" for killing "rattle snakes" here; that often come out in the cooler evenings when it's dark, to seek warmth on asphalt!!"

My wife, is even afraid of small garden snakes, so that ended my hope of living in the beautiful foothills! I still think and laugh about her expressions when he gave her the answer.

She also walked "face to face" with a bear at night in Yosemite near a dumpster, and came back "trembling and speechless!!" I think the bear was just looking for an evening meal in the dumpster? Just wanted to add a little humor?

[sandman2234]

I think it would be easier than you think. Take a look at sprinkler systems for yards, which operate on a timer, controling various zones. Something like that, but add in an alarm system that uses a smoke detector to trigger the alarm. Put the smoke detector in a couple places around the house, outdoors and another on the, no make that two on the battery station. Also don't forget your shop, that will need four smoke detectors. To set it off from the house, mount a keypad inside the house and the 911 feature that most of them have should be able to trigger the sprinkler, rather than calling the police. You may or may not want to hook your house alarm up to this same system, not sure. You might need to install some transformers to change the voltage to what each part of the system uses.
I don't think you would need to have that much water spraying on the house, as this would be a preventative, not a fire-fighter system. As long as you got it on before the place got hot, no embers are going to catch it on fire due to a spray keeping the ignition temp low and putting out small air-borne embers.
You could do the "fire-fighting" type system, but I prefer not to have it start at all, instead of trying to put it out once it starts.
David from jax

[Defective]

David is right. The sprinkler system doesn't need to put a fire out, just get the house wet & keep it wet. If things are hot enough to ignite the walls despite their being wet, it's gonna take an awful lot of water to do any good.

I've used sprinkler systems in Northern Ontario set up to protect the house in forest fires. They're usually set up to soak down the walls (including the undersides of the eaves) before the fire gets close to the house. (You should see what happens when the sprinklers get fired off in February at 40 below...)

With your well capacity and independent power supply, you could probably get away with starting the sprinklers at the beginning of brush fire season & just leaving them running, but I doubt you want things that wet. (hhhmmm...possible way to cool the place in the heat of summer...) Smoke detectors & emergency switched should work well.

[3RRL]

Great input guys,
I am leaving in a couple minutes to meet with the contractor. I may have him stub some lines and then I'll do the finishing water system in order to stay within a reasonable budget. He was pretty positive about the log home and metal roof being fire resistant and that all the clearing was very helpful. He said the weak points are all the decking that surrounds the log home.

Machmeter62...
Those are great stories. We have several bears and WAY too many rattlesnakes around. The ones on my property are all pretty big, since it was separated by that small ravine. So they were never bothered before. Many of them are 5' or 6' long! Two weeks ago I ran across 2 babies with buttons for rattles. So there are plenty alive and breeding.

[sandman2234]

Good thing we don't have snakes around here! Here is a little feller I cut the tail off with the bush hog out back of my next door neighbors house while cutting a fire break last year. (Yeah, we do that here too!!)
David from jax





(Thanks for the help Rob)
David from jax