Wildfire FAQs

Wildfire Information & Risks

What else is needed to protect my home besides sprinkler system?

Wild fire ember attacks have dramatically grown over the last decade destroying on average $20,000,000,000 worth of assets with over 7,000,000 acres burned annually. These statistics are only reflecting damage in the United States of America. Due to the increased threat and destruction, the list for Home Hardening has grown. Maximize the Home Hardening defense potential by completing all the wildfire mitigation efforts to prevent property damage from heat, flames and embers.

What is Home Hardening?

Home Hardening is the preparation of defense for your home in the event of a wildfire. Home Hardening includes ways to improve the chance of your home withstanding a wildfire from the threat of not only flames, but also from the threat of radiant heat and stray embers.

Why is Home Hardening essential?

Following all the steps provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is the best way to ensure you are maximizing your home’s potential of withstanding a wildfire. Alongside the Platypus Sprinkler & Controller system, it is crucial to create a defensible space around your home by: using ember rated vents, gutter guards, roofing made of Class-A fire rated materials, having all windows, garages, and doors properly sealed, and maintaining a clear space under any decks. The combination of implementing FEMA reccomendations with the Platypus Sprinkler and Control system increases the liklihood of your home staying protected.

How do I know if my home is in wildfire prone area?

Currently, there are over 70 million homes across the lower 48 states that are in threat of wildfire events. To find out what severity wildfire zone your home is in you can enter your address here.

Who supports Sprinkler Systems?

Along with the other Home Hardening guidelines; sprinkler systems have been added to the list of measures to protect your home from wildfire ember attacks. FEMA has recommended to purchase and install exterior sprinkler systems with dedicated power sources or a water tank, when there is no water source is available. You can connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.

Is Fire Retardant necessary?

The Platypus Wildfire Defense System does not require fire retardant, but it can supplement the overall protection of your home. There are foam retardants that can be purchased and incorporated into exterior sprinkler systems if desired, but is not completely neccessary. In most cases the majority of fire retardants should used prior to an event happening to maximize it’s effectiveness.

Fire retardants can be effective when properly applied. However, finding ways to bring up the humidity around your home is the best proactive way to protect your property.

Purchasing & Installation

How to purchase the Platypus Wildfire Protection System?

To inquire about the current products and pricing please email sales @ platypussprinklerusa.com

To place an order online please visit our Ember Defense System shop.

What warranty included with my Platypus Wildfire Protection System?

The Platypus Ember Protection System comes with a 12-month limited manufacturing guarantee. Please contact us for more details on this.

Are the Platypus Wildfire Protection System components replaceable?

Yes, all system components are replaceable! To inquire about the current products and pricing please email sales @ platypussprinklerusa.com

To place an order online please visit our Ember Protection System shop.

How do I place an order for replacement parts?

You can place an order online by visiting our Ember Protection System shop.

To inquire about the current products and pricing please email sales @ platypussprinklerusa.com

Will my homeowner’s insurance be affected with a system in place?

Did you know that the very first insurance company in America was due to fire loss? This fire led to the creation of the Friendly Society Insurer in 1735. Fire loss has grown dramatically since the 1700’s causing insurers to decline and even drop current home owners from their insurance programs.

Due to the rapid increase in loss and home owner’s losing their insurance or it becoming too costly there has been push back on the insurance companies; causing insurance carriers to offer discounts for homes built in wildfire zones that are properly hardened. This means that having a proper sprinkler system installed can potentially get you a discount on your home’s insurance.

What is a design fee and is it necessary?

Platypus offers a custom design of the system tailored to the layout of your home. This is an important step for the ember protection system to ensure that the installer knows exactly what is needed along with an indicator of the overall cost prior to the installation.

What does the design fee include?

The design fee includes meeting with the client, a visit to the site to determine the appropriate water source, a list of ideal water storage tank and pump locations, an evaluation for routing of pipe, and an evaluation of layout to attach the system and for possible trenching that might be required.

The design fee is $4,500 and takes approximately 2 weeks to complete.

About The System

How does the Platypus Wildfire Protection Controller work?

The Platypus Controller measures ambient air temperature to automatically activate the compatible equipment that supplies water to the wildfire sprinkler system. The temperature that activates the system is set by the user up to a maximum of 149°F. When the ambient air temperature rises above the set point, the system becomes active.

The system will run for an amount of time which is set by the user up to a maximum of 60 minutes. After the run time has expired, the system pauses for an amount of time, also set by the user, up to a maximum of 60 minutes. The ambient air temperature is measured again, if it is still above the set point the controller will run the system again. This cycle is repeated until the ambient air temperature falls 35°F to 40°F below the set point.

During these cycles the controller will send SMS information to the stored phone numbers updating the current status of the system. The EVAC Button feature allows the user to turn the system on to run for cycle times up to 60 minutes when leaving the property, after the set time has expired the controller will go back into Auto Mode.

The controller can also be remotely started through SMS communication. Not only can you start the system remotely, you can check and set certain functions using the list of Control Words. If chosen, the controller will be installed with a Sim Card that has a yearlong contract with a chosen carrier. After the first year it is up to the customer to renew the annual carrier contract to ensure SMS communication is available to and from the controller.

Can I install the system myself?

This system can be installed by you the home owner, or by whomever you prefer to choose. We also have a list of preferred installers for you to contact and pick from. In order to properly install the system it is highly reccomended to obtain a design from our design team. This will equip you with the optimal starting point that will ensure you are purchasing the correct amount of system components as well as providing you with the necessary pipe and tank information.

How long does the wildfire protection system take to install?

The Platypus Wildfire Ember Protection system install time varies depending on several factors. By obtaining a design from our team, we will be able to give you more insight as to what is needed. This plan allows the installer to give you a much more accurate time frame for the insallation.

Who can do the system install?

The Platypus Wildfire Protection System can be installed by a landscaper or contractor that has received a design that is tailored to your home.

To view a list of our preferred installers go to our “Installers” page.

Why Platypus Sprinkler vs others?

The Platypus Sprinkler System is unique from all other sprinklers in the industry starting with the sprinkler design. Throughout the industry the standard is to use irrigation sprinklers used in fields or landscaping, these are not designed for wildfire protection.

The Platypus Sprinkler has a twin outlet head that spins on a central shaft. The design of the head ensures water droplets spray out and down from the sprinkler head, and water is sprayed in a full circle spray pattern. A unique feature of the Platypus Sprinkler is it doesn’t have an outer support frame around the spinner, this ensures the water stream is not broken and therefore the concentration of large droplets dispersed is higher and less wind effected—this means more of your water stays on the building.

Other sprinklers that have an outer support frame produce smaller droplets and mist —making them less effective for wildfire protection due to how the wind affects the mist. Availability of water during the wildfire season is normally limited, our sprinkler is the sensible solution for home wildfire protection because it minimizes water usage but maximizes the effect of water usage.

Our Wildfire Protection sprinkler system is designed for maximum protection from wildfire attack on residential, commercial or public assets in the event of a fire.