Wildfires

Houses and Wildfires

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(It ends up there are lots of sprinklers on the house solutions to this. A quick google search proves it. Houses with elevated cisterns. Weeper garden hoses. Architecture that prevents cinders from landing and catching fire. There are so many things that can be done. ) – 7/17/2013

(Here's what I originally wrote in 2012.)

There needs to be a quick solution for saving houses against wildfires. Here's my contribution. I have no idea how long these instructions take. I have no proof they work, but this does get my idea out there and in the hands of people who may be looking for something--anything--to help save their homes. Use these instructions at your own choosing. I hope they work for everyone. I want nobody getting hurt. This is for educational purposes only.

Needed:

1) Furniture pads, 2) Spring clamps, "extra hands," 3) Soaker hose. Attach:furniturePads.jpg Attach:springClips.jpg Attach:soakerHose.jpg

Take all safety precautions regarding ladders, safety equipment, climbing, handling of materials, and roof access. Be careful. Time may be critical, but there's no reason to not be safe.

Make sure the spring clapms have enough space to run the soaker hose through them without clamping the hose closed. It must hold the hose but not pinch them.

Have enough furniture pads to blanket the house and sides.

Cover the house with the furniture pads, but first read ahead to the section in green for instructions on any hoses that need to go under the pads. Use clamps between the pads similar to the way fumigators encase a house. Use lots and lots of clamps. Fold the ends of the pads on each other. You do not want the pads tearing apart or rolling apart or unfolding apart from each other.

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This is a plan view of the home:

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The house has pads spread atop the house. Some hoses may be under the pads. Note the section in green ahead that tells of any vinyl hoses that have to run underneath the pads.

(DASHED RED) Run a straight line of soaker hose at every ridge on the roof. Attach the hoses to the pads using clamps. DO NOT clamp the hose closed while clamping the hose to the pads. The clamps need to straddle the hose, hold them in place, but not clamp them closed. Double check that the hose is still letting water run unobstructed.

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(CURLY LIGHT BLUE) Uncoil the soaker hose at the crest of every high point on the house, and clamp it in place with spring clamps. Each soaker hose section needs to start with a tail hanging over the ridgeline.

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Do not start any soaker hose at the highest point--it should start with a short section hanging over the highest point of the ridge or else that section could risk being dry.

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Not all roofs can be done with one length of soaker hose. Some soaker hose sections may be orphaned and will need their own,, separate feed lines. (DOTTED GREEN) In areas where non-soaker hose needs to go between sections of soaker hose, run the vinyl hose under the furniture pads to keep them protected from the embers by being covered by the soaked pads. These need to be placed underneath the furniture pads.

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Using lengths of aluminum wire, encircle the house under the roof line as best as possible, at one or two heights above the ground, at the base, to help keep the wind from whipping up the pads.

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Check each soaker hose and make sure they're working as expected. The end of the last section should be weeping. If not, there may be a need to run a second line.

Avoid horizontal ridges where the pads meet, in order to keep the water flowing downward or it may block some areas from sustained wetting from the soaker hose above, possibly making them dry and susceptible to catching flame.

Hose down the pads one last time before leaving, and say an appropriate prayer.

All images are (c) their respective owners.