March - Room Integrity Testing - 01733 600 149

The office that covers this area is: Peterborough

Phone Number: 01733 600 149 Email: march@e2consultants.co.uk

Room_Integrity_Testing is sometimes referred to as Room Integrity Testing, Room Testing.

What Is A Room Integrity Test?

Gas fire suppression systems work by releasing gas that either reduces the oxygen level to suffocate the fire or by simply reacting with the fire itself to help extinguish or supress it. Room Integrity Testing is required wherever there's one of these fire suppression system. To work correctly the enclosure needs to hold the gas for a short period of time.

How Does The Test Work?

Room Integrity Testing is used to determine if the room is capable of holding the gas from the fire suppression system successfully. On top of which, the test can predict how long it will take for the gas levels to be reduced to the point where a discharge of the system will be needed. Discharging a fire system can be both costly and disruptive.

Can I Stil Work During The Test?

Yes - people can still work in the room during the test and the equipment will not affect the room. However, with door fan test equipment it's fixed to the frame for the during of the test that will prevent people from leaving and entering the room from when it's sealed in place until the end of the test.

The Procedure

Upon arriving at site and unloading the equipment, one of our consultants will inspect the room where the test will take place. Room measurements will need to be taken at this time if they have not been done prior to our site visit. The door fan kit will be set-up by our consultant in the most appropriate door in the room, usually the main door. There will be no requirement for the removal of any doors to make room for our testing equipment as we aim to make as little impact on the environment as possible.

Standards and Guidance

BSEN15004, ISO14520, BAFE SP203-3 and NFPA 2001 are the main standards when commissioning a system for Room Integrity Testing or for an annual re-test. They're a guidance on how to carry out this sort of test as well as the frequency needed for retesting both Nationally and Internationally across the UK and USA.

The test will depressurise and pressurise the room whilst using computer software to collect the data. Once complete, our consultant will check the data against target data provided by the client. If the result is lower than the target score then our consultantrs will beging to identify the problem areas.

All of our consultants are trained to use thermographic cameras to help identify these leakage areas, these images will be sent to the client with a full test report as well as the snag list. The snag list will outlineall the identified leakage areas that will need to be addressed along.

Will The Room Ever Require Another Test If It Passes?

Any room, particularly Electronic Data Processing rooms, often get disturbed by building service work and general building work. Should a small hole be made in the enclosure, or the room size changes, then a retest of the room integrity is required. British Standards recommend that Room Integrity Testing is carried out at least annually to ensure your gaseous fire suppression system will work correctly.