Retrofitting fire sprinklers in existing Australian apartments
Retrofitting sprinklers into an occupied apartment building is a hydraulic, heritage and strata problem as much as a fire-safety one. Here is how the work is actually done.
Where people sleep
Homes & Apartments
House and apartment sprinklers, Class 2 and 3 buildings, retrofit politics, cost ranges and the difference between a sprinkler and a smoke alarm.
How much do fire sprinklers cost in Australia?
Indicative Australian ranges run from a few thousand dollars for a house to about $25–$52 per square metre for mid-rise apartments, before tanks, pumps and retrofit extras.
Fire sprinklers in Class 2 and Class 3 apartment buildings
Class 2 apartments and Class 3 residential buildings with a rise in storeys of four or more generally need whole-building sprinklers. Here is what that means for owners.
Do I need fire sprinklers in my house? An Australian homeowner guide
Most Class 1 houses are not required to have AS 2118.5 sprinklers, but smoke alarms are. Here is when a home system, a bushfire sprinkler or a planning condition actually applies.
Fire sprinklers vs smoke alarms: what each actually does
Smoke alarms detect. Sprinklers suppress. Australian homes still need AS 3786 alarms even when heads are in the ceiling, because the two systems do different jobs on different timescales.