On a new installation
The standards make the test mandatory for every newly installed gaseous system; the result is documented before the system is commissioned.
Why it is required
If your room cannot hold the gas, the system cannot suppress
For a gaseous system to work, 85% of the extinguishing concentration must remain in the space for at least 10 minutes. That period is what the standards call Hold Time; if the room cannot hold it, the cylinders empty and the fire continues.
What gets measured
A leak is always somewhere
Even a gap under the door can render the system useless — all of it has to be measured.
01Door undercuts
02Cable penetrations
03Drop-ceiling leakage
How the test runs
A measurable result in four steps
01The fan panel is mounted
Door-fan equipment is installed in the doorway of the space.
02Pressure difference is measured
The pressure differential between the space and outside is measured to read how the room behaves.
03Leakage area is calculated
The measurement is converted into the room's total leakage area — and where the leakage comes from is identified.
04Reported to the standard
The result is reported to EN 15004 / NFPA 2001: is 85% of the concentration held for 10 minutes?
When it is needed
Required in two cases
After the space is renovated
A change to the space changes its leakage area — the test must be repeated after renovation.
The work this test connects to
Gaseous suppression systems
What the test measures is whether the room can hold a gaseous system's design concentration.
The system lifecycle
Seven stops from survey to recharge: the test is the sixth of them.