That said this particular suggestion turning on rain bird sprinklers when a wildfire is burning nearby is not advised for a number of reasons.
Roof sprinkler system cooling.
This effect creates an effect equivalent of r 7 roof insulation during the day.
A rooftop sprinkler system ember s guard is adapted to protect homes from falling embers in the case of a wildfire or bushfire.
One study indicates that water use is around 100 gallons per day per 1000 sqft of roof area.
These types of systems can also be set up to operate automatically either on a timer or connected to an automatic temperature sensor which triggers the system whenever it gets too hot.
This cooling reverses the heat flow through the roof.
The water evaporates and cools the surface.
An evaporative roof cooling system is designed to reduce the temperature of a roof from 165 f to about 90 f.
These systems provide cooling by spraying water on the roof surface.
Yes water on the roof will help cool it.
The microclimate is the area right around where the sprinklers are located.
Heat is now transferred out of the building through the roof.
It is also foreseeable that an owner can use the embers sprinkler system to wet the rooftop of houses on a hot day to cool down the house for general irrigation purposes or wet summer fun.
When rooftop sprinklers are activated they spray water high up in the air which lands on the roof trees and other surfaces that are within range.
This has been attempted thousands of times during wildfires with very limited success.
First the concept of sprinklers on the roof is not new.
At its lowest tech a roof misting system can be little more than a garden hose set to the mist setting and aimed across the roof.
Some of the water evaporates which increases the relative humidity while reducing temperatures in the microclimate.
Roof sprinklers work by spraying water at predetermined intervals on a roof s surface.
Ember s guard rooftop sprinkler system this multipurpose portable tool is primarily made to protect your property from ember attack but can also be used as irrigation for garden and lawns as well as cooling your roof or misting your patio and as an entertainment for kids on a hot days of summer.
Cooling with liquid water running off from a sprinkler is not efficient but evaporative cooling from a small amount of water like a periodic sprinkle is very efficient.
1 gallon of water consumes 8000 btu as it evaporates.
The principle is similar to the way the human body cools itself with perspiration.
Here is a some information on two roof sprinkler systems.