Why should sprinkler contractors consider becoming Automist installers?

Every sprinkler contractor has encountered projects where the challenge isn’t necessarily installing the sprinklers themselves. It’s the water supply cost, the delays caused by the need to upgrade infrastructure, or the architectural features that make a conventional installation difficult.

Automist gives contractors another tool in their toolbox for addressing these challenges. By offering both traditional fire sprinklers and electronically controlled water mist, contractors can propose different solutions depending on the building, its constraints and what matters most to the customer.

Where can Automist help contractors win more work?

Some of the most promising applications are projects where the cost or complexity of a traditional sprinkler installation can become a barrier.

ADUs and residential retrofits

A relatively small building can require significant infrastructure work to support traditional fire sprinklers. New water connections, larger meters, utility tap fees and trenching can sometimes cost more than the sprinkler installation itself.

Automist uses approximately 2.37 gallons per minute during operation, allowing it to run from an existing domestic water supply in many properties. Avoiding these additional infrastructure costs can make an otherwise difficult project commercially viable.

Homes with complex architectural features

Vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, coffered ceilings and other architectural details can complicate sprinkler layouts or create concerns about their appearance.

Automist’s wall-mounted spray heads offer a different approach to protecting these spaces, potentially avoiding costly alterations or compromises to the design.

Modular and prefabricated homes

Manufacturers want to complete as much work as possible in the factory and minimise installation time on site.

Automist’s dry hoses, wiring and spray heads can be installed during factory production. Its low water demand can also simplify connections once the building reaches its destination.

Can offering Automist attract different customers?

Our experience suggests it can.

Automist has been installed in over 17,000 properties worldwide, and one of the interesting lessons from that experience is that not every customer considering Automist would otherwise have chosen traditional sprinklers.

Some homeowners are concerned about visible sprinkler heads or the potential for water damage. Others have architectural requirements or face expensive water infrastructure upgrades. We’ve encountered customers who were actively opposed to conventional sprinklers but were willing to pay a premium for Automist because it addressed their particular concerns.

This is where offering a choice becomes commercially interesting.

A contractor offering both technologies can serve customers who want a conventional sprinkler system, while also reaching those whose requirements might otherwise prevent them from installing automatic fire suppression at all.

What does this mean for an existing sprinkler contractor?

Fire sprinkler contractors already have much of the expertise needed to work with Automist, including fire protection design, water supply assessment, installation practices and coordination with Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs).

Automist adds a different set of installation methods and design considerations, supported by dedicated training, technical documentation and design tools.

For contractors, the opportunity is to offer another solution through an existing business, rather than having to create an entirely new market or customer base.

What about certification and approvals?

Automist is UL 2167A Listed for use in one- and two-family dwellings and is designed under NFPA 750. Its use as an alternative to traditional NFPA 13D sprinklers is subject to approval by the local AHJ.

We provide an AHJ submission package containing the certification, independent engineering assessments, fire test evidence and technical documentation needed to support these discussions.

How can I become an Automist installer?

Existing fire sprinkler contractors can undertake Automist’s online training and practical assessment programme to become certified installers.

Learn how to become an Automist installer.

For contractors looking to grow their residential fire protection business, Automist offers the opportunity to take on projects that might otherwise be difficult to deliver, reach customers with different requirements and provide automatic fire suppression in more homes.