Joni Bettge's sprinkler system sprayed fine water droplets onto her lawn, catching rainbows of light in morning sun.

Bettge, who lives in the McKay Landing neighborhood, has already done a lot to her home in order to make it energy- and water-efficient. On a cool Monday morning, she was tackling the efficiency of her outdoor sprinkler system. She was worried it was spraying too much water onto her sidewalk and not enough on her grass and tree-lined landscaping.

Bettge called in an expert from the Center for ReSource Conservation, or CRC, a nonprofit that works with cities, including Broomfield, to conduct outdoor water audits. The program provides the free audits to residents who want to reduce their usage when they water their lawns.

Tyler Kesler, a water programs manager at CRC, said water conservation is a big deal for residents who want to save money and resources, especially in years when Colorado experiences drought restrictions.

Outdoor irrigation accounts for about 50 percent of residential water use each year, and up to 25 percent of outdoor water use is wasted as runoff, according to CRC.

Broomfield in 2011 adopted a water use plan that encourages families to cut water usage by 10 percent, said Broomfield Environmental Services superintendent Kathy Schnoor.

The plan does not list specific gallon or volume reduction goals, but aims to reduce water usage by reusing water in Broomfield parks, reaching out to neighborhoods that use a large amount of water and doing outreach campaigns in public places, such as Broomfield Days, she said.

"Water is a valuable resource, and it's limited," Schnoor said. "We should use it as wisely as possible, not just because of conservation, but because it's the right thing to do."

Broomfield raised water rates in early 2013, when residents saw their first water rate increase since 2008. Average households saw a 7 percent increase in water rates, plus a $2 per month fee to fund the state's new water quality regulations set to go into effect in 2018.

The residential flat monthly water service charge went from $8.74 to $9.35 per dwelling unit, and the charge for water use per 1,000 gallons went from $2.80 to $3.

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Free audits aim to help Broomfield residents be water-wise

An automatic fire sprinkler stopped a fire from spreading after it was started by a welder's torch early Thursday afternoon.

Damage was minimal and the incident was ruled accidental.

Fire dispatchers were notified at 1:25 p.m. by an alarm company the automatic fire sprinkler system at the Store N Lock at 3350 Sirius Avenue had been activated.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was showing from one unit of a one-story metal building. Firefighters forced open the locked unit and found some items stored in the unit were on fire but was put out by the fire sprinkler.

Damage was confined to the one unit and was estimated at $1000.

Fire investigators determined that a worker was using a welder's torch in the next unit which was vacant. The worker was using the torch to make repairs to the metal wall inside the vacant unit. The metal wall got hot and heated the items on the other side of the wall in the unit where the fire started.

If not for the fire sprinkler, crews said the fire could have quickly got out of control and caused extensive damage

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Automatic fire sprinkler stops fire in storage facility

TAMPA Construction workers renovating the Hillsborough County courthouse accidently activated the sprinkler system on Wednesday night, flooding the courthouse's ground floor with four inches of water.

Though staff worked through the night to clean up the mess, two courtrooms in the annex are closed today, soaked by the sudden downpour. They will remain out of commission for the rest of this week, said courthouse spokesman Jeff Stidham.

"Everything is fine," he said, "It looks pretty clean."

Video taken by County Court Judge Margaret Courtney, who was in the building around 9 p.m. when the sprinklers activated, shows construction workers and a Tampa Fire Rescue crew walking through inches of water in the annex's hallway. No other parts of the courthouse complex were affected.

Construction accident floods Hillsborough County courthouse 08/28/14 [Last modified: Thursday, August 28, 2014 11:42am]

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Construction accident floods Hillsborough County courthouse

Minecraft- Fire alarm and sprinkler system!
This is my automatic fire alarm and manual sprinkler system that I made in minecraft. NOTE: TUTORIAL IS NOT MADE YET! WILL BE HERE SOON! I hope you enjoy! And also please like and subscribe...

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Minecraft- Fire alarm and sprinkler system! - Video

19706 W 97th Street
Sheer perfection in Falcon Pointe! Meticulously cared for 2 story w/fabulous upgrades and beautiful designer draperies that stay. Quality custom built home. Open floor plan for first floor...

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August 27, 2014 - Featuring 5.6 (81) K factor, Model VK482 is cULus Listed for both Light and Ordinary Hazard occupancies. Unit's fusible element can be recessed up to in. above ceiling, making sprinkler suitable for freezers, where possibility of forklift damage is potential concern. Offered in 165F and 205F temperature ratings, quick response pendent sprinkler is available with optional insulating boot assembly, which can be used to satisfy NFPA 13 code requirements. Viking Corp., The 210 N. Industrial Park Rd. Hastings, MI, 49058 9706 USA Press release date: August 20, 2014

Hastings, Michigan, USA Viking Corporation, a global leader in fire protection and life safety systems, announces the availability of its new Model VK482 recessed flush dry sprinkler. This new quick response pendent sprinkler, which has a 5.6 (81) K factor, is cULus Listed for both Light and Ordinary Hazard occupancies. The VK482 provides an aesthetically pleasing alternative to a concealed dry sprinkler for protecting unheated areas in many types of structures including nursing homes, restaurants, schools, and freezers.

An innovative feature of the new VK482 is that the sprinklers fusible element can be recessed up to inch (12 mm) above the ceiling. This is an important advantage for many applications, including insulated freezers, where the possibility of a forklift damaging the sprinkler is a potential concern.

The new sprinkler is available with an optional insulating boot assembly, which can be used to satisfy NFPA 13 code requirements for sealing around the barrel of a sprinkler when protecting an insulated freezer with a wet pipe system. Viking has performed extensive testing to verify that the new VK482, when installed in this manner, still meets the requirements of a Quick Response sprinkler. The key to achieving the required response time is that the sprinklers fusible element is exposed within the protected area, unlike with a flat plate concealed dry sprinkler.

The new VK482 recessed flush dry sprinkler is available in 165F (74C) and 205F (96C) temperature ratings. The 205F (96C) temperature is important for accommodating defrost cycles that are part of the regular maintenance schedule for freezers. The VK482 also includes an innovative escutcheon that hangs from extrusions on flush sprinklers body helping to ensure the escutcheon does not fall off due to vibrations, such as from a forklift or from someone walking above the ceiling of the protected structure.

Viking is a global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative fire protection and life safety systems. For over 90 years the companys products and services have protected lives and property worldwide from the devastating effects of fire. For more information on Vikings complete line of quality fire protection products and services, please visit http://www.vikinggroupinc.com or call 800-968-9501.

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Recessed Flush Dry Sprinkler protects unheated areas.

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PLYMOUTH A senior center in Grafton County that serves an average of 142 people per day has just been given $170,000 in emergency block grant funding to fix its malfunctioning sprinkler system.

The Plymouth Regional Senior Center's leaking fire suppression system required five emergency repairs in April and May of this year, administrators of its overseeing agency, the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, said in their application to the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority.

Kevin Flynn, CDFA's communications director, said the grant was approved late last week.

The situation is critical, administrators said, because of the intensity of use the restored former Boston & Maine train station now gets as a full-service senior center. It includes activities rooms, a library, exercise rooms, a computer lab and a large dining room that regularly serves more than 75 diners.About three-quarters of the seniors who use the site regularly are determined to be of low and moderate income according to administrators. We're pleased and relieved to get this grant, Roberta Berner, Executive Director of the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, said Friday in a news release.

It's important to protect the safety of our participants, staff and volunteers. We'd like to thank CDFA for quickly responding to the emergency.Leaks were found this spring throughout the building where condensation had built up in the pipes and one leak was particularly severe. During an inspection, it became clear that leaks were occurring throughout the system and that portions of the system were in need of substantial repair or replacement, council administrators said.

bhookway@newstote.com

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Plymouth senior center gets grant to fix sprinkler system

$389,000 4BR 3BA in SAN ANTONIO 78253. Call Deborah Elwood: (281) 797-8566
FABULOUS HOME WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES 4 Bedroom home with two studies or study and game room. HUGE open floor plan with large kitchen. (Upgrades) Wood blinds, Ceiling Fans in Front...

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$389,000 4BR 3BA in SAN ANTONIO 78253. Call Deborah Elwood: (281) 797-8566 - Video

Cal Poly Kappa Delta Ice bucket challenge
Water was not wasted throughout the making of this video. Instead of using the Sprinkler system that uses about 15- 20 gallons of water per hour, we poured the 5 gallons of ice water over the...

By: Eilleen Rios

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Cal Poly Kappa Delta Ice bucket challenge - Video