So, your fire sprinkler system is due for inspection by the local fire department. This is a natural occurrence that needs to happen every now and then to ensure the safety of the building’s occupants. But you may find yourself curious about the steps of the inspection itself, for whatever reason. For those of you curious about the various steps involved in fire sprinkler system inspection in Toronto ON area, this article has a general guide just for you.
#1. Test the control valve
The first thing the inspector does when performing the inspection is test the control valve. After turning off the valve, the inspector activates the fire alarm to give an alert the water is off. This is to inform occupants as well that the sprinklers won’t work, so they need to be careful not to set a fire. The inspector then confirms with the technician stationed at the fire control panel that the valve is indeed off, before turning the valve back on.
#2. Gauging readings/activating the sprinklers
The next step is for the inspector to get a reading on the gauge. The job of the gauge is to make sure that there’s proper water pressure for the sprinklers. Sprinklers need water pressure in order to properly function, as a decent amount of pressure ensures that enough water will continuously spray out of the sprinklers to get every inch of the room nice and soaked. Once the reading is taken, provide the inspector likes what they see, the main drain of the sprinkler system is then opened. This in turn triggers the fire alarm panel, notifying it that a sprinkler head has been activated. The technician will then wait by the panel to notify the inspector that the panel has detected it. One last test of the gauge later, and the drain is closed up.
#3. Repeat until done
This is done on as many floors as is required until the job is completed. Sometimes this will even extend to multiple floors on multiple buildings, if the building in question is a university with more than one building on campus. This cycle repeats until every sprinkler system has been tested which can take a day or two at most, if the inspector arrives later in the day.
If your building is in need of an inspection, contact Harding Fire Protection Systems, and schedule and inspection today.
