The use of gaseous fire extinguishing systems to provide protection for computer and plant rooms is all but essential, given the consequences of fire damage and downtime for such critical equipment. For a fire suppression system to work, the room must have sufficient integrity to retain an extinguishing concentration for a specified period after discharge. Failure to do so and the fire reignites. As this is the predominant cause of failure, the British and International Standard (BS:ISO14520) requires that an enclosure integrity test (aka room integrity test, fan test, or pressure test) be conducted on system installation and thereafter at annual intervals.

Our staff have been at the forefront of such testing for well over a decade both in the UK and Ireland, as well as elsewhere overseas.

The test was introduced as an environmentally friendly alternative to discharge testing following the phase out of halon extinguishant under the Montreal Protocol on ozone depletion. It is applicable to all sizes of enclosure and all extinguishing gases, including argonite, inergen, proinert, IG55, FM200, FE25, HFC 227ea, FE25, Novec 1230 and CO2.

The testing is clean and non-disruptive, using a door mounted fan(s) to measure leakage flow. Work may continue as normal in the room during the test. An immediate result is obtained for the total room leakage and consequent extinguishant retention time. If this is below that required by the Standard, a detailed inspection is carried out to identify all major leakages for remedial sealing. A formal report is issued detailing the results and any recommendations. This should be retained for regulatory authority/ insurers reference.

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