Guidelines to ensure systems will perform if disaster strikes

National Standard
Responsibility
Inspection and Test Requirements
Building Changes
General Guidelines
Insurance Rates
NFPA 25 Inspection and Testing Requirements
 
 

HAVING YOUR BUILDING completely protected by a fire sprinkler system is the best way to avoid losses due to harmful fires. To make sure fire sprinkler systems operate properly when needed, maintenance managers should implement a program of regular inspection, testing and maintenance.

National Standard

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes NFPA 25, Standard for Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems. This 100-page document contains the rules, regulations and procedures for performing proper maintenance on systems.

While it is impossible to cover all of the requirements of NFPA 25, let's look at the general requirements and most common tests. Although NFPA 25 is not yet adopted as law in every state, it has been referenced by all of the model codes. Eventually, reference to NFPA 25 probably will be made in every state, although this process will take longer in some sates than others.

Even if NFPA 25 is not adopted legally, it has been accepted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an American National Standard. This means that building owners cannot afford the liability of ignoring its recommendations.

Responsibility

NFPA 25 places on the property owner the responsibility of making sure that inspection, testing and maintenance gets done. Through a lease or written agreement, it is possible for the owner to pass on the authority for this work to a tenant or management firm. Owners, tenants or management firms are not required to do the work themselves, just to make sure it gets done. Anyone hired to do the work, as an employee or contractor, must be experienced and knowledgeable in the system being maintained. 

There are many ways to tell if a contractor is knowledgeable and experienced with fire sprinkler systems. Most states have licensing laws that require someone of responsible authority in the company to pass an exam on installation rules for sprinkler systems. Another way to tell if contractors are interested in keeping up with the latest in their field is to see if they belong to a national trade association. 

The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technology (NICET) also tests individuals to see if they are knowledgeable on installation rules for sprinkler systems. After passing a number of exams and getting two years of experience, a person can receive a NICET Level II certification. After passing additional exams and getting three more years of experience, a person can get a NICET Level III certification. According to NICET, people with a Level III certification can work unsupervised on commercial systems. 

In 1996, NICET also hopes to have a special certification for systems inspectors and testers. This certification would not concentrate so much on the installation rules, but instead would concentrate on the inspection and testing procedures. 

Whenever NICET certification is used as a method of determining experience of an individual, make sure that the NICET certification is in the field of fire sprinklers. NICET certifies individuals in many construction-related fields, including fire alarm systems. Just because a person has a Level III certification in alarm systems does not mean they know anything about fire sprinklers. 

Inspection and test requirements

Some common inspection and testing requirements are listed in the table below. Additional requirements may apply, depending on the type of system and source of water supply. Most owners do not find it economical to hire a contractor to do all of this work. In general, owners do the daily, weekly and monthly items, while contractors are hired to the quarterly and annual items. 

Most items on the table are self-explanatory. Following is some discussion of the items that might need some additional explanation. 

Dry-pipe, preaction and deluge systems are all different types of sprinkler systems where the pipe is not filled with water. In general, air fills the piping until a fire occurs. A dry-pipe, preaction or deluge valve then is opened and allows water to fill the piping. 

These types of systems are common in areas that are subject to freezing where it is not possible to heat the space. Since water left in these pipes will freeze, expand and cause damage, the special maintenance items listed in the table are necessary. 

Main drain tests ensure that the water supply for the fire sprinkler system is in good shape and that there are no obstructions or closed valves between the supply and the system. Every system has a main drain. 

To conduct a main drain test: 

• Read the system pressure with no water flowing.
• Open the main drain valve.
• Make sure water flows.
• Read the pressure gauge with water flowing.
• Close the valve.
• Compare the results to the previous time the test was done. Large drops below previous test results indicate a problem.

A waterflow alarm test is not difficult to perform. Every system has an inspector's test line or an alarm test line with a valve. The valve is opened, allowing water to flow. The system passes the test if the flow of water causes the alarm to sound. Some alarm contractors use electric wires to complete an electrical circuit to see if the alarm sounds. While this test method tests the alarm itself, it does not test whether the alarm is sensitive to water flow and alone is not an acceptable method of testing the alarm. 

All the inspection and tests necessary for sprinkler systems can be done while the building is fully occupied without stopping any normal building activities. One exception to this situation would be in a building where hazardous processes are taking place and the process must be stopped in order to let people in to inspect the sprinklers and pipe. In these cases, NFPA 25 allows inspections to occur during regularly scheduled shut downs of the process and not necessarily on an annual basis. 

Building changes

Sprinkler systems are designed to the conditions that exist or are expected to exist when the systems are installed. If any changes are made to the building, the use of the building or the water supply, the sprinkler system should be re-evaluated by a sprinkler contractor or a registered professional engineer. Following is a partial list of situations where a full re-evaluation should be performed: 

• change or addition of backflow preventer or water meter
• change of building occupancy or use
• change in building, i.e., walls, partitions, additions
• reduction in public water supplies; sometimes for water conservation.

General guidelines

Although members of the general public are not generally knowledgeable to test and maintain sprinkler systems, here are a few general rules everyone should follow: 

• Never paint any fire sprinkler or any cover plate concealing a sprinkler.
• Never hang anything from any part of a fire sprinkler system.
• Never stack items close to sprinklers. Most sprinklers need a minimum of 18 inches between the sprinkler and the top of storage or furniture.
• Always report damage to any part of a sprinkler system immediately.
• Always make sure that control valves are in the open position.

Insurance rates

Buildings which are completely "sprinklered" enjoy special reduced insurance rates. If the insurance company does not receive verification of system inspection, however, penalties in the form of higher insurance rates apply. 

The Insurance Services Office publishes a Commercial Fire Rating Schedule (CFRS), which contains recommendations to insurance companies on rates. Section 402 of the CFRS recommends that building owners have annual inspections of their sprinkler systems in order to be given the special "sprinklered" insurance rate. 

If an inspection is overdue for up to 12 months, a 5 percent penalty applies. If the inspection is overdue 12-24 months, a 20 percent penalty applies. If an inspection is overdue for 24-36 months, a 60 percent penalty applies. If after 36 months an inspection is still not performed, a fully sprinklered building is rated as "unsprinklered" for the purpose of insurance, with no credit allowed. 

Many buildings around the country are fully sprinklered, yet their building owners are not enjoying the insurance discounts that they should, simply because the system has not been inspected.

 

NFPA 25 Inspection and Testing Requirements

Frequency	Item
Daily	Enclosures around dry-pipe, preaction and deluge valves heated to at least 40 degrees
Weekly	Valves free from damage; control valves (with seals) open; relief port on backflow device not discharging
Monthly	Gauges in good condition and reading normal pressure; control valves (with locks or electronic supervision) open; fire department connections in good condition
Quarterly	Main drain test; waterflow alarm test
Annually	Sprinklers free from corrosion, paint and obstructions; pipe free from corrosion; control valves lubricated, closed and opened; trip test on dry-pipe, preaction and deluge systems
Annually (prior to freezing weather)	Antifreeze correct strength; adequate heat to areas where pipe prior to freezing is filled with water; low point drained in piping on dry-pipe, weather preaction and deluge systems Capital Fire Protection Co. 3360 Valleyview Dr Columbus, Ohio 43204 6555  Promler N.W.  N. Canton, Ohio 44720