Ciaci
Mechanical
- Jul 11, 2015
- 59
Good morning everyone,
NFPA 25 requires testing a certain sample of sprinkler heads every 10 years, while EN 12835 mandates it every 25 years. Neither standard, at least to my knowledge, specifies which standard should be used for the tests. I assumed they might follow EN 12259-1 and UL 199, respectively. However, upon reading these standards, it seems to me that they are more applicable to product commercialization rather than periodic inspection.
This doubt arises because both standards require at least three types of destructive tests (e.g., UL 199 includes the thermal bath, sensitivity oven, and room heat test). This large number of destructive and non-reproducible tests suggests that significantly more sprinklers would need to be sampled than the number required for testing. Additionally, there is no indication of which sprinklers should be tested in the thermal bath versus the sensitivity oven, etc.
While researching online, I found this article, which seems to suggest between the lines that the sensitivity oven test alone might suffice:
https://www.sfpe.org/publications/fpemagazine/fpeextra/etarchives3/fpeetissue93.
I have also read the NFPA 25 Handbook which states "The sprinklers being tested undergo a procedure known as a plunge test. The sprinkleris inserted (or plunged) into a device known as a plunge test apparatus where it is exposedto an airflow that has a controlled velocity and temperature (see Exhibit 5.33, top). The temperature in the device is considerably higher than the operating temperature of the sprinkler. The sprinkler is pressurized with 7 psi (0.5 bar) of air pressure. The amount of time takenfor the fusible element or glass bulb to activate is measured. If the sprinkler fails to operatein the specified amount of time, the sprinkler fails the test and all sprinklers represented bythe test sprinkler (see Exhibit 5.33, bottom) must be replaced.". I assume that this means that the plunge test might suffice. This seems reasonably credible, as if the sensitivity oven test results in consistent activation times, it would confirm both the activation temperature and the RTI are correct.
Does anyone have experience with which tests are actually necessary to produce a comprehensive report for determining activation temperature and RTI?
Are sensitivity oven test and plunge test the same thing?
Thanks in advance!
NFPA 25 requires testing a certain sample of sprinkler heads every 10 years, while EN 12835 mandates it every 25 years. Neither standard, at least to my knowledge, specifies which standard should be used for the tests. I assumed they might follow EN 12259-1 and UL 199, respectively. However, upon reading these standards, it seems to me that they are more applicable to product commercialization rather than periodic inspection.
This doubt arises because both standards require at least three types of destructive tests (e.g., UL 199 includes the thermal bath, sensitivity oven, and room heat test). This large number of destructive and non-reproducible tests suggests that significantly more sprinklers would need to be sampled than the number required for testing. Additionally, there is no indication of which sprinklers should be tested in the thermal bath versus the sensitivity oven, etc.
While researching online, I found this article, which seems to suggest between the lines that the sensitivity oven test alone might suffice:
https://www.sfpe.org/publications/fpemagazine/fpeextra/etarchives3/fpeetissue93.
I have also read the NFPA 25 Handbook which states "The sprinklers being tested undergo a procedure known as a plunge test. The sprinkleris inserted (or plunged) into a device known as a plunge test apparatus where it is exposedto an airflow that has a controlled velocity and temperature (see Exhibit 5.33, top). The temperature in the device is considerably higher than the operating temperature of the sprinkler. The sprinkler is pressurized with 7 psi (0.5 bar) of air pressure. The amount of time takenfor the fusible element or glass bulb to activate is measured. If the sprinkler fails to operatein the specified amount of time, the sprinkler fails the test and all sprinklers represented bythe test sprinkler (see Exhibit 5.33, bottom) must be replaced.". I assume that this means that the plunge test might suffice. This seems reasonably credible, as if the sensitivity oven test results in consistent activation times, it would confirm both the activation temperature and the RTI are correct.
Does anyone have experience with which tests are actually necessary to produce a comprehensive report for determining activation temperature and RTI?
Are sensitivity oven test and plunge test the same thing?
Thanks in advance!
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