Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Where life imitates science.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                                                       

Roof Pools

 Say that 10 times fast
  (+2)
(+2) 		  [vote for,
against]

To reduce the threat of a house fire, I propose roof pools. Combined with those ceiling sprinkler devices, your house is safe from fire.

Added bonus: This will be lots of fun in the summer. "Hey! No running on the roof."

—Worldgineer, Mar 12 2003

Roof Water http://www.halfbake...m/idea/Roof_20Water
[Worldgineer, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

[link]






       Yeeeesss... but (amazingly enough), water weighs about 1 tonne per cubic metre ..... are you looking to retrofit this to existing structures ?   

       (Yes, I know, a tonne is a unit of mass, the density of water varies with temeprature, OK, OK).
—8th of 7, Mar 12 2003
   

       As seen in "The Towering Inferno".
—waugsqueke, Mar 12 2003
   

       In an earthquake it could automatically douse the potential ensuing fire.
—bristolz, Mar 12 2003
   

       //your house is safe from fire//
Apart from electrical fires caused by the roof pool leaking onto the wiring in the attic.
—angel, Mar 12 2003
   

       Some large buildings have large water tanks mounted on hydraulic rams part way up the structure to dynamically damp oscillations from wind forces. The Sears Tower in Chicago may be one of these.
—8th of 7, Mar 12 2003
   

       That's less fun. Who wants to swim in a tank in the Sears Tower?
—Worldgineer, Mar 12 2003
   

       thatthatthatthatthatthatthatthatthatthat
—my face your, Mar 12 2003
   

       That's what I'm thinking of, 8th, water tanks on the top floor. They explode in "The Towering Inferno".   

       There's another movie I've seen recently that has a roof pool collapse inward and wash the bad guys out of the penthouse apartment, but I can't remember what it was.
—waugsqueke, Mar 12 2003
   

       whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat?
—Worldgineer, Mar 12 2003
   

       // water tanks on the top floor //   

       In The Towering Inferno they were the building's water supply tanks. The ones used as inertial mass for active damping are positioned one half to two thirds of the way up the structure, often at an oscillatory nodal point.
—8th of 7, Mar 12 2003
   

       The ones I've seen, read about, the damping load is very near the top and usually big air-conditioning units hanging on a pendulum thingy.
—bristolz, Mar 12 2003
   

       Hmmm, maybe I'm confusing some of the stuff I've seen on earthquake mitigation with active wind damping. I suspect we're both partly right.
—8th of 7, Mar 12 2003
   

       [angel]//roof pool leaking onto the wiring in the attic// I would hope you'd construct it in a way that wouldn't leak. Most comercial buildings have a fire sprinkler system, and I'm not aware of leakage being a problem.
—Worldgineer, Mar 12 2003
   

       I think its a cool idea, just don't be installing one on my roof.
—joshkouri, Mar 12 2003
   

       my junior high had this, but i never got to go to it
—davidcreede, Aug 20 2003
   

       [josh] Ok, no roof pool for you. And you can't play in mine either.   

       [dave] Really? For fire suppression? Which jr. high school did you attend?
—Worldgineer, Aug 20 2003
   

       What if the pool were filled with light water...like nuclear reactors. Probably not as refreshing....
—Vexxy, Aug 20 2003
   

       But useful if you have your own reactor. But there's problems there - sure you can put out a fire, but then you have to deal with a meltdown...
—Worldgineer, Aug 20 2003
   

       (realizing quite late that I never answered [8/7]'s original question)   

       I was thinking of new houses. Using concrete or steel in construction is fairly common these days. A steel frame would definately work, though I'm envisioning concrete columns holding up a mostly concrete pool with large circular plexiglass skylights. The shell and rest of the house would be of normal construction. (sigh) If only I had the time or artistic ability to draw this one out.
—Worldgineer, May 06 2004
   

       I see wet people...
—lostdog, May 06 2004
   

       Generally, I like the concept -- although I agree it would not work in places prone to earthquake. (+)   

       How about a mini version of Roof Pool: Jaccuzzi in the Attic. Could be used to put out small fires.
—booleanfool, May 06 2004
   

       I've seen houses with giant tanks of water on top of them for this very reason (in an area that experiences frequent forest fires. they're not just paranoid nuts). I like the pool part though
—schematics, May 06 2004
   

       Very cool. Where were they? I'd love to see the design.
—Worldgineer, May 07 2004
   

       Cool is the right word. A few inches of water on the roof would suffice to keep things a bit more livable in the southwest. And even with a little water, you could have a lot of fun. Running and sliding...."Matt, watch it, don't get too close...damn, he went over again."
—ldischler, May 07 2004
   

       Ok, now I have to post my idea about tinted roof water pools. It's less fun but more practical.
—Worldgineer, May 07 2004
   

       If you build your roof right (read: wrong) you'll get roof pools for sure!
—k_sra, May 07 2004
   
      
[annotate]
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle