Fire sprinklers must be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis because aging or otherwise defective fire sprinklers could cause water to accumulate in a confined space. Fire sprinklers are designed to have a long lifespan, but in a lot of cases, its longevity can only be compared to the building where it is found. But because fire sprinklers remain inactive, it’s often challenging to determine that there’s a problem.
While there are times when the system is designed to alert when it detects a problem, it may not activate as intended. In the case of an emergency, it may not function at all! The most accurate way to identify a problem is still through regular fire protection system inspection by a reputable firm like World Fire Protection.
Unfortunately, not all sprinkler heads last for the entire life span of a fire sprinkler system. Not all systems are built with certain standards. And not all manufacturers meet the standards of the manufacturers who provide them. Are your fire sprinklers due for a replacement now? The best way is to get them inspected.
How do you assess the age of the fire sprinklers?
One of the key determinants of whether a fire sprinkler is still viable or not is its age. But how will you know its age? The simplest way is to refer to building documentation to determine what type of equipment you have, and if you have them all up to date. If you have documentation available, use the service model of the fire sprinkler system, looking for minimum replacement requirements, test documentation, and other relevant information.
It is standard practice for inspectors to assess the supply of any spare sprinkler heads, searching to make sure that the unit the firefighters work on isn’t being destroyed because of poor maintenance. The idea behind it is that these sprinklers are of the same age as those installed in the system.
Although the plan would require several spares to match the age and characteristics of those within the system, that was impossible if no spares have ever been utilized and replaced over the years. There’s no way the current system could work if it weren’t constructed using the best materials.
The sprinklers were installed on purpose, they were close to the previous testing and for various reasons the monitoring and testing schedules have decreased in frequency. As time passes, the sprinklers may begin to fail. However, due to their use, and the timeline, only the previous installation date is known.
Ideally, you need to hire credible and licensed professionals like World Fire Protection to do routine testing on your fire sprinkler system. We can inspect all types and ages of sprinklers, and can help you comply with your state’s existing fire codes, no matter how stringent they are.