Residential sprinkler systems are very reliable and effective—but simple upkeep helps keep them that way
Home fire sprinkler systems save lives and property, and they’re incredibly reliable with minimal inspections, testing, and maintenance (ITM). However, minimal ITM shouldn’t mean no ITM. And since these systems serve homes for many decades, issues can occasionally arise without basic home fire sprinkler maintenance.
Here’s an overview of what’s needed and more info, including:
- The effectiveness and reliability of residential fire sprinklers
- The basic steps for home fire sprinkler maintenance
- NFPA 13D’s home fire sprinkler maintenance rules
- The ITM best practices in NFPA 13D’s annex
- The main issues that might happen without periodic inspections, testing, and maintenance
If you need home fire sprinklers, accessories, and system components, QRFS has you covered. Shop our selection of residential sprinklers, escutcheons, concealed sprinkler cover plates, wrenches, pre-assembled risers, paint caps and covers, and more.
The effectiveness and reliability of residential fire sprinklers
Home fire sprinklers do their job exceptionally well and consistently. According to the latest National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research:
- “Sprinklers operated in 95 percent of the home structure fires in which systems were present, and the fires were considered large enough to activate them.”
- “They were effective at controlling the fire in 98 percent of the fires in which they operated.”
The International Residential Code, which is “in use or adopted in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” first mandated fire sprinkler systems in all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses in its 2009 edition. However, most states amend this minimal safety requirement out of their adopted versions of the code, so installing residential sprinkler systems is voluntary in much of the US. Many homeowners opt for sprinklers to protect their people and property while potentially reaping insurance discounts and re-sale benefits.
However, two states (Maryland and California), the District of Columbia, and various local municipalities have required fire sprinkler systems in new homes over the years. And some of the oldest laws have provided a good look at how well these systems work—and how long they last.
One of the earliest home sprinkler mandates took effect in 1992 in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In 2009, a study found “there had been no reported fire deaths in a sprinkler-equipped home in Prince George’s County from 1992-2007.” This spotless safety record continues to this day.
Home sprinkler systems don’t just do their job well—they also work reliably. For example, Scottsdale, Arizona required fire sprinklers in all new single-family homes way back in 1986. Another 2009 survey found that those systems held up well:
Twenty-three years after the ordinance, the City of Scottsdale Fire Department surveyed residents who had systems that were installed within two years of the law’s passage. Only 11% […] reported that their system had ever had a maintenance problem, and 100% of respondents said that their “fire sprinkler system [was] still in operation.”
So, fire sprinklers work very reliably. Nevertheless, they are still mechanical systems that could encounter problems—mainly due to people mistakenly shutting them off or owners failing to occasionally exercise the machinery present in some systems.
The basic home fire sprinkler system maintenance steps and best practices
Before detailing the potential issues that fire sprinkler systems can face, it’s essential to know how to maintain them and why.
Residential sprinklers are easy to maintain by design. The systems and their installation and upkeep rules are intentionally straightforward compared to commercial systems. Fire protection authorities want to keep things simple, inexpensive, and convenient to spur greater adoption and safety.
The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC), a nonprofit that serves as a leading advocate for residential systems, provides the following basic maintenance steps under the intro “Living with Sprinklers is Easy:”
- “Fire sprinklers require almost no maintenance and only work when you need them.
- Do a simple flow test about twice a year or have your sprinkler contractor do it for you.
- Occasionally do a visual inspection of the controls and sprinklers.
- Use a padlock to keep the water valve in the ON position.
- Teach your children fire sprinklers are not toys and should not be played with.
- NEVER hang anything on the sprinklers, even temporarily.
- Do not paint the sprinklers. And if you hire painters, make sure they know not to paint them.
- Don’t block the sprinklers with furniture or fabrics. If the spray is blocked the sprinkler cannot put out a fire.
- Most important, DON’T WORRY. Sprinklers are not complicated.”
This 90-second video highlights the main actions:
These simple steps from HFSC summarize and reflect the guidance found in the authoritative standard on home sprinkler systems, NFPA 13D: Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes. Here’s a deeper dive into its ITM requirements and guidance.
NFPA 13D’s essential rules
NFPA 13Dis a residential installation standard, but it also covers system maintenance, a concept NFPA standards actually divide into three categories: inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) tasks.
Everyone can read a “free access” version of NFPA 13D after creating an account on NFPA’s website.
NFPA standards divide their material into main chapters, which have rules that “shall” be followed, and annexes, which are more like ‘highly recommended guidance and best practices.’ First, let’s go over some key items in the mandatory chapters:
From the 2025 edition of NFPA 13D
12.1* General. The installer shall provide to the owner/occupant instructions on inspecting, testing, and maintaining the system.
12.2* Inspections and Tests. The sprinkler system shall be inspected and tested periodically to make sure the system is in good working condition.
12.3.1 The sprinkler system shall be properly maintained in accordance with this standard and the manufacturers’ instructions.
Sections in the main portion of the standard also have crucial maintenance rules for replacing damaged sprinkler heads, avoiding painting sprinklers, escutcheons, or cover plates, maintaining wet systems with water-filled pipes at a minimum of 40°F, and much more.
However, NFPA 13D’s main section is a little vague on the active ITM steps system owners should do, only requiring inspections and testing “periodically” while saying maintenance “shall be […] in accordance with this standard and the manufacturers’ instructions.” Never fear, this standard provides more specific guidance in its annex.
NFPA 13D’s ITM best practices in the annex
The annexes in NFPA 13D and other NFPA standards provide clarifying explanatory text, additional information, and suggested best practices for complying with the rest of the document. Again, while the main chapters in NFPA standards are considered rules—they say people “shall” do something—the annexes have ‘recommended’ guidelines using words like “should.”
Annex A of NFPA 13D has “Explanatory Material” that clarifies the standard’s rules. And when it comes to system upkeep, section A12.2 is essential. It outlines recommendations that fulfill section 12.2’s rule that “systems shall be inspected and tested periodically to make sure the system is in good working condition.”
This annex section provides a list of 8 steps that are very similar to the items recommended by the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition. The main differences are that this list is more detailed and has more specific intervals.
Let’s go over each of these steps:
A.12.2 A recommended inspection and testing program includes the following:
(1) Monthly, inspect all valves to ensure that they are open.
(2) Monthly, inspect tanks and other stored water sources, if present, to confirm they are full.
These first two items are vital, as they ensure that the fire sprinkler system has a ready water supply to do its job. Many systems use municipal water as their source—so the owners simply need to ensure that control valves stay open to access it!
Multipurpose sprinkler systems, where a home’s plumbing and sprinkler pipes share a control valve and water supply, usually don’t have this issue. People know the sprinkler system is off if no water runs through their faucets. However, standalone sprinkler systems are separate from the plumbing, and some of them—typically those with backflow preventers—have distinct control valves. Thus, homeowners might not realize a control valve (and system) is shut off.
A similar maxim applies to systems that use water storage tanks for their supply—no water in the tank means no fire protection, and insufficient water means a sprinkler may not be able to control a fire. S0, NFPA 13 calls for a monthly inspection of a tank, too, if a system has one.
Again, sprinklers are incredibly reliable. NFPA research shows that residential sprinklers operate in 95% of home fires large enough to activate a system. So, what about the 5% of incidents where sprinklers don’t work?
In these cases, 61% of the time, the system was “shut off”—meaning the control valve was closed. Thus, it’s crucial to ensure these valves stay open, which is why HFSC and NFPA also recommend locking them in the open position, in addition to inspections.
Here’s what’s next on the ITM list:
(3) Monthly, test pumps, if present, to make sure they operate properly and do not trip circuit breakers when starting.
Many systems don’t have pumps, because the pressure from the water supply is sufficient. However, other systems, often fed by wells or tanks, need pumps to send enough water to the sprinklers.
When pumps are present, testing them ensures that a sudden surge of electricity when they kick on doesn’t trip the circuit breakers and cut the power supply. This is primarily an issue with older-model pumps. In addition, regular testing of all pumps, regardless of age, verifies that the flow switch that triggers the equipment to turn on doesn’t stick—which might happen if the pump sits idle for a long time.
Simply exercising the machinery occasionally goes a long way toward ensuring things work during a fire.
Next on A.12.2’s ITM list:
(4) Test all waterflow devices, when provided, every 6 months including monitoring service (note that notification of the monitoring service is essential to make sure that the fire department is not called due to testing).
The need to exercise the machinery applies here, as well. Not all systems have them, but waterflow switches detect running water during a sprinkler activation (or very fast leaks due to damage) and sound a local alarm. Some systems also network to monitoring services that notify the fire department. Regardless of the setup, a simple test ensures these notifications will happen in an emergency.
(5) Ongoing, visually inspect all sprinklers, hangers, and pipe to make sure they are not obstructed, damaged, corroded, covered with foreign materials, field painted, or showing signs of leakage, and that decorations are not attached to them.
Pretty simple: Look at sprinklers to make sure they don’t have these issues.
When it comes to exposed sprinklers, cleaning them every so often to avoid dust and dirt buildup is a good idea, as loading can insulate their heat-sensitive element and delay activation. However, you must clean sprinklers without touching them. Cans of compressed air are a go-to solution, and you can read this blog to learn more about touch-free cleaning of fire sprinklers.
In addition, never paint sprinklers and their accessories or put anything on them—it can interfere with their activation or spray pattern (more on this later).
Here’s what’s next on the ITM list:
(6) Annually, operate control valves through their full range and return to normal position.
This step is new to the 2025 edition of NFPA 13D. Operating a control valve through its “full range” of motion ensures it doesn’t stick due to corrosion or a build-up of other materials. Next on the list:
(7) Annually, fully open the test connection downstream of any pressure-reducing or pressure-regulating valve and make sure that the pressure gauge reads a reasonable value.
Sprinkler systems have a test connection that enables system flow testing, and some systems have pressure-reducing or -regulating valves. These valves ensure the pressure in the pipes isn’t too high for the system’s tolerances, often when the pressure from the water source is elevated. Running the water and ensuring a proper downstream pressure reading annually verify everything is working correctly.
Here’s the final item on the list:
(8) Inspect systems by individuals knowledgeable and trained in such systems when there is a change in ownership.
The NFPA committee members recognize that not everyone will complete maintenance diligently, and systems could run into issues after years of neglect. This step ensures that new homeowners aren’t surprised by a non-working system—especially if and when there is a fire.
In fact, the 2025 edition of NFPA 13D added a new annex to detail what should happen during these pre-sale inspections. It mirrors the main ITM steps, plus a few extras—we’ll cover them in a separate blog.
The main home fire sprinkler system issues that can happen without proper inspections, testing, and maintenance
Again, residential fire sprinklers work reliably with minimal upkeep. However, they are mechanical systems, and things can go wrong over time—with the odds of that happening partially depending on the type of system and its specific components.
In addition to drawing on our experience with QRFS customers’ maintenance issues, we spoke with two experts from the Maryland-based National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) to get their perspective: Terin Hopkins, manager of public fire protection, and Roland Asp, manager of codes and standards.
These fire protection professionals have great insights about home sprinklers and their reliability, especially after Prince George’s County, Maryland, mandated fire sprinklers in new homes in 1987, and Maryland followed statewide in 2011.
Here’s a rundown of the primary potential issues:
1. Painted and decorated sprinklers
NFPA 13D specifically prohibits paint and decorations on sprinklers. It’s because sometimes, a homeowner or contractor who doesn’t understand how sprinklers work paints over them while sprucing up their home.
When this happens to exposed sprinklers, paint can insulate the heat-sensitive element, delaying activation; gum up the deflector, impacting the spray pattern; or clog other essential parts, such as preventing or delaying the plug in the sprinkler from dropping away and releasing the water. The cover plates on concealed sprinklers can also get painted over, preventing them from dropping away and exposing the sprinklers to fight a fire.
There’s a simple preventative step here: apply paint caps or covers to exposed sprinklers before painting around them! Individuals that have concealed sprinklers or exposed sprinklers with escutcheons can also remove the cover plates or outer rings of the escutcheons. Then, they can carefully paint around the hole in the wall or ceiling while avoiding touching the sprinkler.
2. Pumps (in systems that have them) can occasionally malfunction after years of unuse
Again, many residential fire sprinkler systems only use the default pressure from a municipal water supply. However, other systems, often employing wells or storage tanks, depend on pumps to provide enough pressure for sprinklers to operate. So, this potential issue only applies to the systems that have pumps.
Modern pumps are simple and reliable, but they are machines with moving parts that should be run occasionally. They turn on when a flow switch activated by running water signals them to do so, and testing the system ensures the flow switch doesn’t stick.
“One of the only issues we see on occasion is with tank and pump systems that have sat idle for years that really need to be exercised,” said Terin Hopkins, NFSA’s manager of public fire protection. “I wouldn’t say that we are seeing anything significant, but obviously those systems have to be exercised over long periods of time. If I haven’t run a pump in 30 years, then the reliability of that system actually activating is probably less than ideal.”
In addition, certain systems have older “booster pumps” that can suddenly draw significant electricity when they kick into gear, potentially tripping the home’s circuit breaker and cutting the power. NFPA 13D explicitly tackles this issue in its maintenance step to run a pump monthly. Practically speaking, not every homeowner will do it that frequently—but a simple test every once in a while is far better than never!
“The standard was rewritten to deal with that, but some of the older ones could trip the breakers and the pump won’t go on,” said Roland Asp, NFSA’s manager of codes and standards. “So, the key is, again, if you test [the pump and system], you’ll find this out very quickly, and testing is very simple. You just open up the valve and make sure the pump goes on.”
Again, newer pumps don’t typically have this power surge problem, and they also have recirculating lines that prevent overheating and make testing simple. So, homeowners with older pumps may want to upgrade to new ones or have a fire protection professional retrofit recirculating lines.
4. Closed valves!
Remember, most fire sprinkler systems—residential or commercial—fail to do their job in a fire because the system was shut off. This is why NFPA 13D makes the first item on its ITM list checking that the control valves are open, recommending monthly checks.
NFPA 13D is written in a way that discourages having separate control valves for the plumbing system and the fire sprinkler system. This setup prevents people from inadvertently shutting off the water, as they’ll know when faucets and toilets don’t work.
However, some municipalities require standalone sprinkler systems to have backflow preventers that prevent sprinkler water from re-entering the potable water supply. This scenario makes occasional inspections of a control valve’s status more crucial.
“The [control valve] problem came in mainly when backflows became a thing, and if you have a backflow preventer with the valves, that will shut just the sprinkler system,” explains Asp. “Sometimes, the valves are closed, and nobody knows about it because if you have a valve that is specific to the sprinkler system, and somebody shuts that down, you won’t know unless you test it.”
Thus, the most common and important maintenance issue is the one that is easiest to avoid: make sure the water is on and the system is ready to fight a fire! Locking a sprinkler-system-specific control valve open to prevent someone from shutting it off can help.
Simple home fire sprinkler system maintenance ensures long-lasting performance
Compared to many mechanical systems, residential fire sprinklers are relatively ‘bulletproof.’ They last decades with minimal upkeep and almost always control fires, 24/7, as long as they’re turned on.
“Make sure the valve is open, make sure—if there’s a pump—that it turns on, don’t paint or hang stuff from sprinklers, and ensure [the system] isn’t actively leaking,” says Asp. “The whole key to NFPA 13D is to keep it simple—and that includes the maintenance and testing.”
“This is just another system in your house that’s no more prevalent to be problematic than anything else,” adds Hopkins. “It just needs an occasional inspection by the homeowner. And if that occasional inspection and periodic testing happen, it’s going to make the system amazingly reliable. If somebody’s looking at it once every six months or a year, we know we have 94 to 96% reliability in these systems.”
If you need parts for your home fire sprinkler system, check out QRFS’s selection of residential fire sprinklers, escutcheons, concealed sprinkler cover plates, pre-assembled risers, and more.
If you have questions or need help finding a part, contact QRFS at 888-361-6662 or support@qrfs.com.
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