Tekin Industries are your Room Integrity Testing specialists covering the whole of NZ.

The primary objective of a Room Integrity Test (commonly called a Door Fan Test) is to determine the total leakage of the protected room/enclosure. The results are used to evaluate whether the suppression agent will adequately protect the equipment within the enclosure. This test can be used to optimise room and suppression system design.

The Room Integrity Testing uses specialised software and equipment to pressurise and depressurise the protected enclosure. This test is significantly more cost effective and environmentally friendly compared to a full system discharge.

Hold Time

The largest failures of gaseous fire suppression systems are a result of loss of suppression agent through openings (leaks) in the protected enclosure.

Gaseous fire suppression systems rely on their ability to correctly extinguish a fire in the protected enclosure by achieving a minimum concentration and retaining this level for a minimum period (hold time).

Many gaseous fire suppression systems fail because they lose the minimum concentration level through leakage in the enclosure before the minimum hold time is achieved. Room Integrity Testing helps to identify such leakage.

Peak Pressure

In the event of a system discharge, significant pressure fluctuations are associated with the initial rapid release of the suppression agent into the enclosure. These pressures (Peak Pressures) can pose a structural risk to the room and equipment.

It is very important that the initial discharge pressure (peak pressure) is reduced to be lower than the weakest structure design load or else walls, ceilings, doors and equipment could be displaced (left image).

This is achieved by pressure relief venting. Room Integrity Testing will calculate and determine the extent of these pressure fluctuations and whether the installed vents are sized correctly to reduce the peak pressure enough to be that lower than the weakest part of the structure.

Annual Testing

Building joints and cable penetrations move over time introducing leak points that may not be noticed during normal building inspections. Building service work or maintenance activities may also create places where gases can leak.

At present there are no New Zealand Standards for gaseous fire suppression systems; therefore a range of international Standards are utilised within the market. In 2016, the Fire Protection Association of New Zealand developed a Code of Practice for gaseous fire suppression systems to clarify that whichever Standard, or family of Standards, is selected for the gaseous fire suppression system then that Standard, or family of Standards, should be used for the system throughout.

The code of practise recommends that trained and competent persons carry out Room Integrity Testing annually and, where the installation standard is unknown, follow manufacturer’s requirements and/or AS1851 testing requirements.