A Fire Alarm And Sprinkler System: Schedule An Inspection Today

Your fire alarm and sprinkler system is your most fundamental weapon against damage, injury and even death at your facility. Early detection and suppression of a fire can mean the difference between minor damage and total destruction of a retail business, warehouse or office building. If your company frequently has employees or customers on-site, a fire alarm is crucial to protecting them from harm. Test, inspection and repair services can keep your fire alarm and sprinkler systems working properly, reliably and within the required standards.

Regular testing and maintenance of your fire alarm and sprinkler systems are necessary to ensure they work properly. Testing is often also required by local fire codes and the Life Safety Code. Life and property both depend on making sure your emergency equipment works when it’s most needed.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72 covers testing and inspection code for fire alarms, while NFPA 25 covers code for testing and inspection of sprinkler systems. Detailed inspection services cover standard functional issues as well as factors that are not immediately apparent but can still affect system performance, such as these for fire systems:

• Environmental damage and wear
• Electrical surges or fluctuations
• Unreliable or aging batteries
• Components that are worn out and ready for replacement
• Low battery charge
• Worn or loose battery connections
• Panel dysfunctionality
• Poor battery discharge
• Failing heat or smoke detectors
• Worn bulbs in strobes or damaged horns and bells

Factors relevant to inspections for sprinkler systems include:

• Changes in water pressure and water quality
• The condition of the valve, and the possibility of valve seizures
• Water sensors that have malfunctioned
• Water leaks
• Breaks in seams
• Checking water flow
• Checking valves during pre-action, as well as during deluge
• Sprinkler coverage problems caused by new fixtures or lighting

Along with the above services, inspection services should also include critical testing procedures such as:

• Backflow prevention testing
• Fire pump testing
• Dry pipe trip test
• Corrosion testing, looking for evidence of breakdown that may exist within the sprinkler system
• Evaluating the systems’ overall performance, and testing for clearance problems that may hinder the sprinkler system when called into action
• Water flow testing
• Connections or communication testing, ensuring access to the local fire department
• Conducting temperature checks as appropriate, ensuring proper settings in various valve rooms, enclosures, fire pump areas and wet pipe sprinkler components
• Testing the condition and operation of piping components, such as gauges and hangers
• Checking drainage components before freezing weather arrives
• Checking all circuitry, low-pressure alarms, compressors and pilot lines

When choosing a service provider, businesses should be mindful of selecting a fire alarm and sprinkler system provider who will keep meticulous records to verify that regular inspections are performed, and who is willing to educate you and your employees regarding various features of the equipment, as well as knowing signs of wear, and how to best use the equipment.

Further, choosing a commercial fire alarm and sprinkler system protection provider who is not only skilled in inspections, but who also performs high-quality repairs ensures seamless coverage. During regular inspections, if problems are discovered or significant wear has occurred, your service provider can quickly address the problem. Having knowledge of and familiarity with your equipment, the provider can easily and quickly remedy the problem, ensuring that your business doesn’t lack protection for very long.

Without ongoing, expert inspections of fire alarm and sprinkler systems, businesses may not be assured of adequate, consistent protection against fires. Maintaining inspection services offers peace of mind as a business owner or management personnel, as well as providing an effective cost-benefit ratio for protection against fires and loss of property, physical and intellectual.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection, and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial, and Residential settings.

For more information about fire alarm and sprinkler systems and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!

Image Credit: Bart van de Biezen