Roof sprinklers and backup generator for wildfire-prone rural house

[@FJB_2024TRUMP]

I’m a contractor and I gotta say, well done my friend. Very good thought out plan. I hope you never have to use it.

[@contractorvegas5384]

I'm also a contractor on electrical and general contracting. Not a firefighter but I believe this would only save his roof, but fire could start on his walls and eventually collapse the roof and then we have nothing

[@branemente]

This would have never worked in the Palisades fire since the city water is also connected to the hydrants. And once the 5th or so fire engine connected to the hydrants the pressure dropped and essentially had no water going uphill. Also a shame that the Santa Ynez Reservoir was totally empty since about Feb of last year. So you would have had to have a huge water tank on your property and pump it into your sprinkler lines.

[@jimkelly1613]

Unless they used pool watet​@@branemente

[@Bill-yy3ck]

@@branemente This system isn't on city water. It's on his well water system.

[@ShastaTodd]

@@contractorvegas5384 That is why I designed and built my sprayer system to be located under the eaves!

[@tdotw77]

Kinda ironic that this old video pops up on my feed today. Must be a popular topic with the wildfires going on down in California right now. I saw one house down there on the news that had sprinklers on their roof too. Such a brilliant idea if you are anywhere near a potential wildfire area! I bet this will become a super popular system to install on their roofs down there now!

[@loganq]

@@tdotw77 Google would prefer we look at this versus facts about Newsome and Bass.

[@tdotw77]

@loganq I know right 👍🏻 💯

[@tdotw77]

@loganq Be careful they might drop the hammer on you if you say bad things

[@ryangreen45]

How much does it cost to build a set up like this?

[@tdotw77]

@ryangreen45 Probably around $45. per each 10' sections just for the materials...no labor(double it at least for labor). **Rough estimate* A 10' 'stick' of ½"pipe is $20+, and ¾"pipe is $30+ each plus fittings, stand-off clamps, a couple valves, sprinklers, etc. Cooper is pretty pricey right now and it's only gonna go up significantly along with all building supplies because of all the rebuilding going on all over around N Carolina and now California too.

[@mrpickle219]

Change that water heater braided line out to a corrugated ss type. They are rated for outdoor use. The braided will fall apart over time due to the sunlight breaking down the inner rubber hose.

[@briank3940]

Good eye. I came here to say the same.

[@nottheone582]

thanks for the tip! I wondered about that...

[@krabysniper]

No it won't, the braided stainless protects the hose, and I will bet money the "hose" under the braiding is NOT rubber. Personally I see NO issue with that hose. Especially since you should be testing your system at least once a year to verify no issues before you actually have to possibly use it. If it becomes an issue, fix it. But those hot water heater hoses ARE durable.

[@mrpickle219]

@krabysniper I was a licensed plumbing contractor for almost 30 years, retired now. I had more problems with those ss braided hoses than I can count. Never had a problem with the SS corrugated ones. The inside is nylon/Teflon liner with a rubber hose around that and then the braiding. This being in the direct sunlight and the heat that comes off of the roof will make this fail. Everyone of the ss braided that failed, failed near the vent connector on the tank water heaters due to the heat. Read the manufactures label and it's not for outdoor installation.

[@DB-thats-me]

Yup, it may work fine as braid, but the day you REALLY NEED IT, you don’t want to be worrying that it MIGHT fail. 😳 Peace of mind is a wonderful thing. 👍

[@plainwornout3964]

I'm impressed with people that take action to take care of themselves in steady of relying on government. I'm the same way. Bravo sir on a job well done.

[@Mitchs]

palisades urban dumb people

[@nottheone582]

gov't can't afford to save everyone so we have to rely on ourselves and help each other, of course!

[@artgreen6915]

I'm impressed when people take care of themselves without ranting on about the government or their perceptions that other people want to sponge off it.

[@88KeysIdaho]

This guy likely lives in a Red State, or should. People who are self-sufficient generally don't want or need more government to take care of them.

[@endolfdaise5168]

great.... unless the water supply to that system comes from a source controlled by the same incompetent group of morons that won't manage their forests or that hires fireman based on DEI policies rather than qualified MEN.

[@LoveMyRottweiler1]

I know of at least one man that had a system like this that saved his house in the wildfires that hit L.A. a week ago. This type of system should be mandatory on all new builds within a fire area. Great job.

[@hWat-Ever]

Terra Cotta or standing seam metal roofs should be code.

[@scottkasper6378]

Or we stop building houses out of wood in wildfire areas

[@wxman2003]

If everyone had them, the water pressure would drop to the point it would be useless during a major fire.

[@scottkasper6378]

@@wxman2003I guess you didn’t watch. It’s on a well.

[@hWat-Ever]

Scottkasper, learn to read for context.

[@shanek6582]

Man that is awesome engineering! Can't think of anything you missed in the entire system. Also, I thought it was hilarious, all the high dollar copper pipe and fittings, generator, fire cabinet, electric box to isolate power to your home and make the local grid safe for emergency workers and custom made reinforced cement roof hold down blocks.........then you made the roof boot from a cat food can! I think we'd get along great as neighbors lol, probably the same sense of humor.

[@BiggeDink]

I did use an expensive brand of cat food.

[@kennethschultz6465]

@@BiggeDink you need a heate shield to prevent reatiated / infra red heat it over cooking gas bottels and powercabel in the ground.. remember when you bleed it for water in winter time.. the one part on roof does not got drained

[@christinearmington]

@@BiggeDink 😂😂😂

[@Ffffalllyalll]

Man,I wish I had a Dad like Biggedink, I would soak up so much game. Great job sir.

[@christopherbarker2610]

Also, have to commend you on editing and script for this video, no wasted words, everything said was on point and clear, can't stand the how-to videos that drag on and on with ramblings and asides...

[@supremewhip]

Look at that giant fire damper for attic ventilation. This guy knows his stuff.

[@gorak9000]

but embers will blow into that whirly gig vent on the roof, and all those vents on the side of the house down lower too - if you watch the testing videos where they blow embers at test structures, it's all the vents into the attic, and into the crawlspace that cause the issues, not the shingles - you get embers into those enclosed areas, and it's pretty much game over

[@supremewhip]

@ didn’t notice the whirligig. Nice catch and you’re right. I sure hope he has some sort of a damper for that duct. There are ember proof fine mesh grills for small vents too, which I have for my house.

[@ShastaTodd]

1/16" screening is better

[@MarkBarrack]

​@@ShastaToddscreens are good at keeping embers out. Downside it restricts airflow.

[@pyoodiepie]

thats a good idea. all homes in fire area should have this

[@xh3598]

Most of California Homes that was burn to the ground have a full swimming pool with water not used. This sytem should be applied to those homes.

[@Ponyreiter]

​@@xh3598 That would actually work, but making it dependent on the public water supply would not. But I would choose a 2-stroke diesel powered pump, it is a smaller fire hazard.

[@stevenroth5424]

This man is awesome. He is a neighbor you want to learn from.

[@77teahupoo]

I love people that post this kinda stuff , super smart and achievable.

[@pudster4115]

Nice work. I was a wildland fighter for many years. I found the top reasons houses ignite in wildland fires as follows: 1. Flammable items stored next to house. i.e. sheds, wood piles, patio furnature or decor 2. Wood decking; especially with vegetation growing underneath or beside deck 3. Bushes and trees next to (overhanging roof) home. This is a big one and be mindful of the type of trees. Italian cypress, mexican fan palm, juniper bushes (among others)are explosive and catch easy. While most bushes burn, I would not have any of these on my property in high fire danger zones. I personally feel Mexican fan palms should be illegal in high fire danger zones. Their ember cast after they ignite help spread fire and keep shower them for a long time. 4. Accumulation of tree droppings on roof or rain gutters 5. Not as common but, have witnessed radiant heat ignite curtains or similar light flashy items near window. Wood or metal blinds can help keep heat out. I saw vinyl blind melt but, they didn't ignite

[@Kevin-ht1ox]

If every house in Altadena had this sprinkler system (ignoring the physics of the water pressure drop), do you think the fire could have spread through the city?

[@grayrabbit2211]

Also wooden soffits. The burning embers need something flammable to ignite. Stucco won't. Tile/metal roofs won't. But wood siding and wood soffits will.

[@whatsup3d]

Some of the worst things are decks with wood trellises below them (or as we call it "house kindling")

[@Cajundaddydave]

@@Kevin-ht1ox Sadly the 70mph wind-driven firestorm in Altadena would be very difficult to stop with roof sprinklers. The fire was blowing completely sideways incinerating everything in it's path.

[@Kevin-ht1ox]

@@Cajundaddydave houses burn when there is combustable material on or near the house: porches, furniture, leaves. Things can spontaneously combust but its rare. What is most common is a house being sprayed with embers and those embers finding a source of fuel. There are people who literally saved their homes with a garden hose. You don't need to stop the fire, you only need to prevent your house from catching fire.

[@EmilyBieman]

There will be a whole lot of people in the US right now who wished they had to put this on their roof. Some people just know how to do it - well done mate.

[@davealmighty9638]

This won't work in LA, where the fires are, because they don't have well water systems in LA. A similar system did work in saving a house from the wildfires, but it relies on pool water. The municipal water supply in the affected areas have lost most, if not all pressure. A man who used a generator to power a pump, that used pool water, successfully saved his home from the fires.

[@sw6118]

We’d all like this, but you must have a water source, most housing is on some kind of municipal water supply.

[@EmilyBieman]

@@sw6118 I think a priority must be made for installing a 40,000 L water tank for water, or a pool - it would be worth it to save your house.

[@sw6118]

@ I agree as well as installing a metal roof top sprinkler system and indoor sprinklers but those are all upgrades that insurance companies aren’t going to cover. With this level of catastrophic loss we’ll see if they don’t all declare BK. Given how frantically insurers were canceling policies, their own models must have predicted a mass disaster like this.

[@GunnerStrauser]

You actually think this is going to stop an actual forest fire from taking your home? Lmao good luck with that

[@papapsych2746]

So many of those LA homes had large in ground pools with tens of thousands of gallons of water, that with a little preparedness could of been used to put out spot fires if the utilities failed. From my understanding the people who stayed up and alert for little fires didn't lose their homes, the people that evacuated did.

[@_Ben4810]

It was infuriating to see all those burnt down homes with swimming pools still full of water... I noticed actor Christian Mathison filming a video of his still smouldering home in ruins, & he was careful not to get in the footage his massive swimming pool still 90% full of water...🥴🙄😔

[@papapsych2746]

@@_Ben4810 yeah this could of been a much smaller manageable disaster had officials not told people to evacuate. And informed them that fire climbs up, and the fires start small, having a family members on keeping guard and putting out small fires as they start would could save their homes.

[@randywl8925]

​@@papapsych2746officials have no choice. They can't recommend or imply that people have an option to stay and hose their own home. Civil disobedience is the rule. If you have the balls and really think that you're equipped.... Do what you feel you gotta do.

[@DB-thats-me]

@@_Ben4810. And for a few thousand dollars invested, even if only operated once, it would have paid for itself a thousand times over. The same for those with beach front homes. An emergency, sea water, deluge system, may have saved their precious homes. 😳

[@jonnelson9760]

Except that all of the people who lost their lives were people who did not evacuate.

[@joancoleman1228]

I recognized that safety cabinet immediately - from decades of working in a laboratory. Loved how you made use of that 2nd shelf.

[@theociba3762]

You do good work, I like the thought, effort and detail you put into this.

[@christinearmington]

Exactly

[@ChrisRubeo]

His house and work is immaculate!

[@paulgarcia621]

Man when the world is coming to an end I am looking for this guy.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

Very nice. Very professionally done. No corners cut. Folks, a simple system like this can save your home.

[@Dreemwever]

OUTSTANDING engineering, likened to the Hoover Dam! Self Reliance and thinking out of the box work hand in hand....

[@phoso1]

Amazing, a 3 years old video is now trending. I didn't know generator can run on propane. Thank you sir for the lesson. I'm setting it up tomorrow.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

I think it is a good idea to avoid gas and is a good solution for rural installs. It is clear that some people saved their home by watering down with a garden hose. This approach wouldn't save every home but many would be spared. I installed a full home backup generator this year from Generac that runs on the natural gas line. It automatically starts up and runs for 5 minutes every couple of weeks to keep the engine fit for use. The natural gas remains available even in a power outage.

[@PsychoSinterklaas]

Some generators are dual fuel as well so you can use propane or gasoline.

[@dmac1356]

This is the most ingenious thing I’ve seen!! This dude is smart as hell. Thought of everything well in advance. With all these CA wildfires happening RN, this simple method would have saved so many homes!!!

[@montanasojourn]

I am a 76 year old lady. If I were 30 years younger I would start a business installing home sprinkler systems similar to this. This is 2025 and California is having horrible wild fires. So many homes were built too close together and too much green landscaping, but I suspect most homes would have burnt with the de asting winds. I have seen where some people saved their homes using Hoses and water from their pool. None would have wells. Anyway, love this ingenious idea.

[@silentbob1236]

This seems like a far better investment than insurance. EDIT: Someone basically did the same thing, and it worked: kzbin.infozrwCHPepA6E?si=hujZQNjAeaSM5cwj

[@kevinmiller5467]

You pay in, and even IF it pays out 3 years later you will have a house similar to what burned down with most of your stuff being gone.

[@Zorlig]

This won't save your house, these roof shingles aren't combustable. Thats not how houses catch on fire.

[@moelo5930]

Great idea especially because in some areas insurance companies are cancelling policies since it won’t be profitable if something happens.

[@vblic]

Lol. Unless the fire starts from the inside. Then what. 😂😂😂😂

[@loganq]

​@@vblicWhat if the dinosaurs stomp his house?

[@AStanton1966]

I saw one of these in action on one of those Californian houses during the fire. If I were running this system I would have a dedicated storage tank of rain water for the system--like a cistern. Then a pump with its own back up generator just in case you ever lost power from the grid--pretty much like your power set up. And remember, these generators need to run at a minimum every month or so to keep him lubed and see if there are any issues.

[@Idahoprepper71]

That’s exactly what I have. I got a 5000 gallon cistern and to gas pumps at push 75 gallons a minute through the sprinklers. I also a trailer with 900 gallon tank and a pump that can handle two 1 1/2 inch hoses.

[@jone8626]

Or have a big pool that you can enjoy when there is no fires. Then take water from the pool if there is a fire near by. But do not take water from the pool, Until the water from the City is turned off. Should only be for emergency if the filthy democrats decide to turn the water off so their friends can buy up land for cheap and build new mansions on it for their rich friends.

[@AStanton1966]

@@Idahoprepper71 You are the man!

[@whdbnrm3023]

He is on a well . can't get much bigger tank than that

[@justadbeer]

@@Idahoprepper71 - At 75 gpm, that would get you just over an hours run time, and an extra twelve minutes from your 900 gal tank. I know it's better than nothing, and hopefully your not actually pushing 75 gpm through the sprinklers.

[@PatrickDuffy-u3s]

My house has a metal roof. Been struck by lightning a dozen times and never had an outage or fire. Stunning that few people have houses with metal roofs in fire-prone areas.

[@only1muppet]

I saw a video that a retired fire fighter had made and it truly got me thinking about something I think many of us simply forget. When fire or extreme heat gets to water lines they fall apart and just run nonstop at the first break. I mention all that so you’d understand why I have these suggestions. Consider replacing all that copper with steel gas pipe, no solder joints to melt if you do. Second, buy some fire brick and mortar. Make a small structure overtop your well pump connection so any heat or fire wouldn’t be able to get to it easily. Outside of that, I think what you did looks great. I especially like the your custom cast blocks. Those would definitely keep things in place.

[@bruce2900]

As long as there is water in pipes neither the pipes nor the solder joints can melt.

[@eclipse-sh1qmZ3mOtcua]

Excellent video! Great Ideas! When your video first began I thought "what about when the weather gets below freezing?" but then I saw you thought of that and have a way to drain the water from your sprinkler system. I love the detail you put into your video!

[@richardspengel5360]

From an engineer: excellent work! HOWEVER: Houses typically burn from the inside out! Ember storms force embers into the attic and that's all she wrote. You are depending on sprinkler droplets intersecting with every one of the many thousands of embers flying toward your attic openings/vents. That is unlikely. New homes in San Diego are required to have sealed attics with the exception of special vents. O'Hagin fire and ice vents have a fine mesh and a convoluted pathway guaranteed to stop or extinguish all embers before they pass through to the attic. The O'Hagin website has very educational videos of lab testing showing how an ember storm passes through almost all roof vents but not through the fire and ice vents. Those videos should be a wake-up call to any sensible person. Even with sprinklers, your home, as it is now, stands an excellent chance of burning. I would seal the attic and add the appropriate vents. In fact, if I were Czar. all homes in California would be required to so retrofit. Otherwise we are all going to go broke. All insureds in Ca are facing thousands of dollars in assessments and increased premiums to cover the 60 billion (so far) in losses in LA this month.

[@rosacam6765]

Tell that to the man In Palisades that just saved his home with a roof sprinkler system he installed and not as intricate as this one.

[@kimmer6]

I covered all of my soffit vents with 2 layers of expanded aluminum commercial kitchen vent hood mesh. I also added stainless steel screen gutter filters to keep leaves out and prevent embers from setting new fires in the gutters. So many steel roofed homes in the 2017 Tubbs Fire burned when sparks blew in to the attic area and set the house on fire from the inside. Here's my dual pressure water system for the backyard roof deck. Morse cables operate it. I saved my house with it after a 46kwh lithium battery bank set fire to my shop and garage 5 months ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYLMeYGCfbOjqpY

[@richardspengel5360]

@@rosacam6765 The word unlikely is not the same as the word impossible. You seem to think that every home with a roof sprinkler survived. Actually, some homes in the Palisades survived without any protection at all. That should not be a recommendation to do nothing to protect houses from fire.

[@peter-pg5yc]

in other fires vents in home allowed fire to enter.

[@richw2615]

That's good info. I was wondering how all these seemingly well kept homes with tile and asphalt shingle roofs (and plaster or stucco exteriors) went up so quickly. Serious kudos to this homeowners forethought and workmanship, but I wonder in the kind of winds they experienced in Palisades, if that water would just be blown into oblivion before it touched anything.

[@TrialanError]

So cal homes could use this idea. Imagine if all the homes had this and all were turned on. Homes and Lives saved. Thank you, sir, for sharing this awesome idea.

[@BC-li6zc]

As a wildland firefighter well done sir! A couple things to note. You should do is clear any vegetation away from the sides of your house in order to prevent flame from directly impinging on the structure. Boarding up windows can also prevent the glass from breaking due to heat and allowing embers or flame to enter the structure. Especially the skylights, if they even crack you will get water damage. If that can't be done in time remove curtains on the inside so they can't catch fire from radiant heat. Again well done!

[@claytonburke5511]

Awesome job. Please ground those copper pipes before they are energized by lightning ⚡️

[@BO-dc4xg]

Very brilliant! I hope it worked if ever needed. LA homes could have used this. I was just saying to my wife yesterday how I wondered if there was a roof sprinkler system that people could buy. Probably not. Probably just need to build one like yours. Thank you for sharing!!! Blessings

[@andymartinez767]

I did this to my farm house about 20 years ago, as i was in a bush area outside Canberra. Never used it but had the satisfaction that it was there. Pipes were underground with a 600 metre run to the dam.

[@joeforest8633]

Very smart man with very practical sense. Everything looks like it was done extremely well for the purposes intended. Hopefully others in a like situation can use these ideas.

[@AZAce1064]

Sir you have done nearly exactly what I have done for my cabinet in Prescott Arizona. I livened in Phoenix so if a wildfire was to get close to my property in Prescott I have a UPS and Generator backup. A neighbor of mine up there will operate us if I’m not there. The system will protect both of our places. And we have no pines or vegetation within 250 feet of our cabins. Well done sir.

[@Charles-l5j7w]

You have far more sense than most people.

[@spitjunction]

Nice one. Good to be proactive. Bearing in mind the winds that develop during wildfires that we’ve seen in the LA fires, I’d dare to say that the 3 sprinklers wouldn’t be sufficient. It’s also super important to wet the walls down. In some areas in Australia systems like this & more are mandatory in bushfire zones

[@leadedbarrel5685]

Outstanding! I'm changing out my garden hose crap to copper as soon as the snow melts. My system has to be put up in case a fire starts. This is the way to go, one and done. Nice and solid!

[@kangzau1006]

Ingenious for it's reuse of found material and well thought out.

[@bruce2900]

Bonus benefit, the sprinklers will certainly help cool the house on hot days. The sawmill I used to work at put sprinklers on the metal roof and it made a remarkable difference on hot days. A tip of my old hard hat for a well conceived and executed plan. Respect!

[@gluehead6327]

Great setup. My only comment is on your generator box. I would recommend placing the exhaust fan near the top of box and leaving the hole on the bottom as an air intake. Alternatively you can run a straight exhaust pipe out the box.

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

Smart guy. Gotta plan ahead even if you don't use it. I don't live where wildfires are an issue but freezing is. Kudo's to this guy.

[@byronmillanicia3384]

Great idea, imagine retrofitting your existence indoors sprinkler system to work on the out side as well, new business opportunity for fire system sprinkler installers, this shut be an standard in fire prompt areas, this could help save property and human life, home owners and fire fighters. Great idea . 👍👍👍

[@williemo44]

Excellent use of free time. Well done.

[@lmelin1959]

Good setup. I've done a similar thing at my county home. I run the spriklers with a pump from a 1000 liter IBC tote that fills from my rain gutters or from my well if need be. When the sprinklers run, a fair percentage of the water recycles right back into my storage tote, thereby reducing the drain on my well.

[@mikeboston421]

thanks for adding this, i live near Jasper Canada where our beautiful national park and town got destroyed by the latest wildfire, and realized homeowners need to start taking care of fire suppression themselves for their houses, and have seen videos over the years showing the greatest hazard yet most easily dealt with if prepared, is FLYING FLAMING EMBERS, not walls of fire, those embers take time to start a house fire and thats lots of time for a sprinkler to destroy them and save the house, i thought of your idea before i saw this vid and am glad to see others are thinking as well, especially the part of the water running back into the storage after being 'sprinkled' over the house through the eavestroughs and pipes, thanks again for sharing, i was thinking there must be many cheap ways to have that water stored, be it totes like you mention or even those 10-25 foot pools one can buy just about anywhere for their backyard, cheap, fill them up with water in the spring enjoy in the summer and if need be they could save your house

[@williamh192]

Now that's what I call being pro active ! Nice job ! 2 things I see might be a problem , one being the PVC in the blocks , cement can get quite hot also . The second is the extension cord from generator to the house . That could melt during a fire . But Sir !!!! I still salute you !!!!

[@joeg5414]

2:50 I was going to say you need a big water tank, and then I see the exact one I'm thinking of off in the distance. I have one just like that - 3000 gallons.

[@J123G]

Well thought out and constructed. I assume you are an engineer based on the extreme attention to detail. I was watching a YT yesterday where a guy in LA saved his house with a few cheap lawn sprinklers, last night I told my brother installing a permanent exterior plumbing system with a generator would be the only way to go living in fire prone areas and then this pops up in my YT feed today. Your install is about perfect, I'm sure you sleep at night just a bit better knowing you can turn the rain on when you need it.

[@alanmcrae8594]

Just texting about this yesterday! Insurance companies should be recommending a fire suppression package like this and give appropriate homeowner's insurance discounts. There are likely appropriate systems for homes in all sorts of disaster prone areas from flood hazards to wildfires. We should be helping homeowners to proactively protect their homes instead of relying on insurance companies & FEMA to try to rebuild after the disaster. Much cheaper to defend than to provide long-term shelter & re-building expenses.

[@eastonlee5102]

They should give a rate discount for fire system like this!

[@thisishow551]

This makes me want to put in roof sprinklers even though I don't live in a fire prone area. Very cool setup.

[@jsmcguireIII]

Nice work Dink. As a consultant I see a lot low vegetation and trees within the firesafe zone that should be removed or treated and maintained. I would also consider a second water source such as a tank or pond that CalFire might draught from. I think I'd also look at the ability to bypass the roof system with a handheld hose for tactical applications as the fire front moves through. The manual switch panel is something I did as well, and I've used it several times. Obviously, the amp load from the pump cycling was figured into your plan. Now go help your neighbors get set up! LOL

[@rickmaudlin2160]

Thanks! I'm glad this video is trending now. Many great design and application ideas here. Remember to overlap sprinkler coverage to account for extreme winds from any direction. As BiggeDink pointed out so well, having your own grid-independent power source, water source and pump source for the sprinklers is key. Great job !!

[@peter-pg5yc]

maintenance is key.

[@elrobo3568]

I am a retired wild-land firefighter. I used to set up sprinklers to protect structures. We can't put them everywhere and I think you did a great job. I had a new metal roof put on and I am adding the same type of pipes but am making it a CAFF (compressed air firefighting foam) system Kidee makes a mixer and I have a large compressor. This makes a thick layer of foam as thick as shaving cream. You should also add pipes under the eaves as the fires like to get under them and enter the roof. Great job! Look up SCOTTY 4171 foam mixer, you can put this in line of the water pipe and it will mix the foam.

[@robedmund9948]

Very nice and simple home protection! Well-done!

[@kenlane8484]

Common sense...I thought of this a long time ago..im no rocket scientist, and you covered everything you need..back up power and well water. some one is going to become a millionaire with your idea real soon...I would have run the pipes inside the attic ,so just the sprinkler heads are on the roof in all 4 corners so they can hit the surrounding vegetation and roof at the same time...Great Job...

[@wadecordts3286]

Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it and show us. Good work.

[@ArchedPhoenix]

Brilliant Sir!🙏 Thank you for teaching us how to be prepared.

[@franklinmullen2881]

Take it from a Canadian resort owner. This man created a micro climate around his house. Extend it out another hundred feet with black PVC. Pipe,then up a 12 foot pole to the same type of sprinklers that you have on your roof, around the perimeter of your Yard. Thus creating a micro climate. We have forest fires up here in Northern Ontario every year. I'm fortunate to have a lake at my doorstep, so no shortage of water. Metal roofing also helps. Great job sir, you'd better look after yourself, because nobody else will my friend.

[@brianblithe2271]

You sir are a genius, ive seen homestead rescue and looked at metal roofs and cladding, also the japanese mountain sprinklers, but still never thought of this.

[@DashiellParr411]

Wow, nice job! Patent that and sell it to all fire prone areas. Of course if there is no water in the city pipes, like LA, one would need an emergency water tank and pump too. Or throw a submersible pump into the pool for a 15,000 to 30,000 gallon source!

[@Col-Hogan]

Very nice system. Well thought out. The only thing I would change is the rainbird head. I would use heads that broadcasts a 360 degree pattern that continuously has water flowing on the roof and beyond. And as many storage tanks as possible.

[@jbocaboss2025]

Great job and kudos to you! Just don’t forget to cut away the overhanging branches on your roof. Don’t wanna spoil a good deed done!

[@deline8ed619]

Yes, it is definitely a very good idea, indeed. Hindsight is 20/20 and here we are in early 2025 with complete devastation due to uncontrollable wildfires in Los Angeles. I wish more people would have been more proactive in susceptible locations. This simple, yet thorough and well designed system is really impressive. Good for you. You must sleep like a baby. 👌😂💪

[@dyuan3298]

You are very handy. This is a good idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@SuziPoozi]

This idea has crossed my mind as well. I don't live in a fire area but if I ever move I've thought about doing this. There is a couple things that do concern me with it though. The first one, is that you have your propane out where the heat from a fire can impact it. The second thing, is you would probably want to run a power cord underground so it doesn't melt from the heat. I used to volunteer in the fire service and I would be inclined to use something larger sprinkler wise. When it comes down to the hot wind from a fire, it will dry out that water quickly and if you can find something larger, that would probably be more helpful. I really hope you never have to use it but there's a lot of people that will appreciate you sharing your idea, it's a really neat setup.

[@ChrisRubeo]

Wow. Gorgeous, ingenious work. MASSIVE RESPECT.

[@jburkie01]

very ingenious...I could see this set up as building code in fire-prone areas

[@wacobeer6469]

I've thought of something similar... It's easier in new construction of course... But run the ridge pipe INSIDE the ridge cap and direct flow through holes onto the roof. The water can't get inside (if it's done right) and you get a water stream down the roof to prevent embers from attaching. Your system does that part of course. I like a stream approach because you can then recycle the water back into a reservoir via the gutters and repeat without much water loss. Think rain catchment. I've also read about installing soffit vent dampers that attenuate ember intrusion vie the eaves. You're on the right track, sir. I hope it never NEEDS to be used.

[@nanookfireman306]

It is nice to see people taking action to protect their property while they can. I do see several issues that make me wonder. First, having a defensible space around your house is a very important and helpful thing to reduce fire risk. Having trees and plants against the house increases the likelihood that those smaller materials ignite and hold flames and heat against your house longer possibly igniting the house. Fortunately, this house has a well to supply the sprinklers. However, with a community water supply, if everyone had such a system running at once the water supply system would likely not have the capacity to handle the demand. Using heat activated heads or even resetting heat activated heads would be an improvement for water supply, however the roof would likely need to ignite to activate the flow which obviously wouldn’t be great.

[@Mtnsunshine]

Thank you so much for showing how you brilliantly installed your own fire protection system. 👍🏼

[@johnvalencia7488]

Another reason NOT to use plastic sprinkler piping, is that over time, it gets brittle. Awesome job you have done! 👍

[@Sky1]

Very interesting was just thinking.Since you have water going up there, maybe you could set up a rooftop garden which would keep the house cool inside. Help lower heating and cooling cost. 😊

[@user-yv7kw1nr2q]

Incredibly smart. I hope people seeing this will not only think about incorporating something to protect their homes but also to think about the building materials.

[@warthogA10]

I have that exact generator, from Amazon $900 and it's awesome, $1010 with delivery. .. powers my entire home with no problems, even my oil/steam heating/hot water system (which is most important), and security system, and everything else easily. You just don't try to run everything at once 😂 keep the draw as low as you can. .. definitely recommend this unit.

[@johnjames77]

You did exactly what every house in Southern CA should have and there would be no huge problem now. This is idea I came up with after watching the news for a couple of hours. I can't believe that the "fire experts in LA " don't have a clue about prevented measures that actually work ! This system should be required to use in order to rebuild.

[@someguy9778]

These systems have been in use for a very long time...

[@vblic]

Just have to figure the water pressure problem that would occur. Once everybody turned on the water.

[@nonyafkinbznes1420]

@@vblic Dude think of the smelt.

[@peter-pg5yc]

water pressure would drop everyone using it. plus not all homes have wells. or are allowed to have them

[@youdandee1]

You Sir are a genius makes one wonder how many Homes could have been saved in Southern California this past week with your idea

[@rj7411]

Impressive. Love your ingenuity and can-do attitude. Thanks for sharing.

[@drwho5437]

Wow!! Who would have thought the technology for such devices exists? Certainly not anyone living in the Palisades in California.

[@okanagansawmill]

I've been searching for sprinkler setups for our place, nice work you clearly put thought into it, thanks for sharing.

[@kpbarbee]

Well done sir. I've been thinking of this for years - glad you did it! I'm sure this will become a requirement in some wildfire prone areas.

[@steffen1182]

Nicely built. I'm planning to build something similar on the edge of my property, which borders a forest.

[@Darkk6969]

Looks great. Only thing I would change out is the flex tube on the roof that connects to the copper pipe. Even though it got a metal wire mesh what's inside of that is actually rubber which will degrade over time. We had those for our water tank and it leaked. So we swapped them out for the standard all metal flexi tube. Ours is stainless steel but you can get copper as well.

[@whdbnrm3023]

Fantastic idea , beautiful job . Another possibility would be to to run the pipe through the attic and go through the roof with the sprinkler heads .

[@bob-the-Millwright]

In case you have to use the system the vents on the roof and at the eves will need covered. How about some fiberglass/ Kevlar welding blankets and appropriately sized sandbags to keep the blankets in place. for the eves precut pieces of plywood ready to attach over the vents. It's the embers flying through the air that get into the roof / attic that causes the fires to spread. very well done.

[@tolson57]

Well done. I lived in SoCal and put sprinklers on my roof using PVC. My biggest problem was getting them to stay on the peak. Your concrete solution is outstanding. I did this after the Huntington Beach fire back in the 80s where I saw a house in the middle of a bunch of burned down houses that was intact (unburned). It was being filmed from a helo and the camera man noticed the house and zoomed in and you could see the sprinklers running.

[@JohnShannonSD]

PVC is not necessarily a bad choice. However, if you used PVC Electrical Conduit, it would already be UV stabilized. I use that for all my outside water lines exposed to sunlight.

[@peter-pg5yc]

earth quake and those concrete slabs are airborn..

[@_Ben4810]

So after his house has burnt down from a wildfire & his wife says to him "But honey, why did you remove the sprinkler system off the roof...?" what's his reply gonna be...? "Well, someone commented on that video I posted how dangerous the concrete blocks would be in an earthquake..." 🙄🙄🤡🙄

[@donaldlee6760]

Amazingly simple yet ingenious! I live in a high fire risk area of Oakland, CA and I plan to copy your idea, however to start I'll just grab a few sprinklers and extra water hoses. I can easily hop up on my roof and manually place them in case of a fire.

[@kimmer6]

Be careful. You might need every precious second that you can get. I'm in Lafayette and planned for wildfires since the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Last year I installed my dual pressure valve manifold on my roof deck. My lithium battery bank caught fire August 2, 2024, when by pure luck I was home. I heard the loud pop and saw black smoke rolling out of my shop. I headed out to the roof deck while calling 911, opened my fire cabinet and pressurized the 1'' double lined fire hose. I tore off the skylight and plunged my arm through the smoke with the nozzle spraying a 30 degree pattern and still burnt my skin. The elapsed time from the pop until water was on the fire was 70 seconds. The firefighters said that another 2 minutes with no action would have engulfed my house as the flames were eating through the roof under my bedroom floor. Here is my apparatus. Pure unregulated 120 psi street water pressure will send a stream of water 70+ feet away. I also have built in sprinklers with steel pipe. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5ecYn2in96Zm6s

[@donaldlee6760]

@@kimmer6 - that's absolutely terrifying, thankfully you ended up safe and with little damage! After watching the 2003 amateur video taken by a fan inside the Station Nightclub, it absolutely astounded me how it only took 90 seconds to go from the first flame to people dying, and ultimately leading to 100 dying. I made my teen kids watch it so they understand the incredible danger even when there is still only sparks and smoke. BTW - 1) where do you buy fire hose? and 2) what was your battery bank used for? I only ask because your story has now made me terrified of lithium battery banks.

[@journeybrook9357]

In the California fires a concert homes was the only survivor in an area. Very nice work there. Your video is well done too.

[@jone8626]

Not only the roof but the walls also needs to get sprayed with water and the grass and bushes around the house. If you have a pool, get a high powered water pump, don't trust the water lines from the city or county. They might turn the water off to feed the firetrucks with water. Then all you need is to connect the high powered water pump to the sprinkler system and get water from the pool.

[@williamgibb5557]

Here in South Jersey, about 25 years ago, a liquor store installed a roof sprinkler system. People laugh until it was used and saved the store. Always better to think ahead then wish you did think at all .

[@cdalton3169]

Done with absolute excellence! Well done!!!

[@beingsneaky]

All that and you have trees over hsnging yor roof.. bushes surrounding the tank.. do you want a beautiful landscape or a house after a fire?? Not only the roof but under the roof needs protection.

[@TOOLMAN4hvac]

It is a start. All those pretty trees and bushes have to go if one is really going to increase the home's fire resistance.

[@Makemefly77]

Clever, clever, clever! I am impressed!!

[@wcz61]

Very impressive smart man really enjoyed the video. Hope you never have to rely on they to save your home.

[@trickpumas2224]

You sound like Clint Eastwood, good work!

[@jimx1169]

Good for you! Very happy to see this kind of innovation. Very, very well done!

[@Dewalthasmymoney]

Honestly... it's a pretty god damn good idea. Every home or apartment out here beyond a certain year has fire-sprinklers inside the home. That's just common practice. Putting fire-sprinklers on the exterior seems even more logical in regions with a lot of wildfires in CA like my area. As a GC of 24 years, running sprinklers on your exterior roof is far more simple than doing so on your interior. A leak inside your home, on fire-sprinklers on constant high pressure can turn into a major catastrophe if there's no fire. On the flip-side... have a switch on an exterior sprinkler roof system is a genius move. Pretty fucking sad we even need to consider that idea.

[@mattywho8485]

I'm a guy who can build pretty much anything and I am VERY impressed with the design of those concrete blocks ! Love the PVC sleeve which of course gives you a way to slide the pipe through, but also does double duty protecting the copper from the caustic concrete, which would eventually corrode the copper.

[@camarodust]

You are a genius!

[@theotheleo6830]

The setup looks good! You are very handy.

[@stevenkaye5488]

Great video and details explained sufficiently to reproduce this system. We live at the edge of a high fire area in Santa Barbara County and I was looking for practical ways to improve fire hardening of the property.

[@salvadoralfaro3765]

May god keep you safe amazing work amigo