Periodic Maintenance of Fire Systems: Which System, How Often, What Is Done?

Why is periodic maintenance mandatory?

• Legal obligation. The Turkish Fire Code (BYKHY) makes the building owner and manager responsible for keeping fire systems permanently operational. Periodic inspection and maintenance must be carried out by a competent person or accredited body and documented. The general rule is that, unless otherwise stated, systems are checked at least once a year — but for many components the interval is much shorter.
• Real protection. An untested backup is no backup. An unmaintained system exists on paper but may not work in a fire; it can also be treated as “non-existent” in inspection and in insurance/claims processes.

Summary table: which system, which interval

Fire pump and water-based suppression (sprinkler)

• Weekly — pump run test. The pump is started automatically and run under load: the electric pump for at least 10 minutes, the diesel pump for at least 30 minutes. Checked: automatic start, running pressure, tightness, vibration/heat; on diesel also battery charge, fuel level, oil and exhaust.
• Weekly/monthly — sprinkler system gauges. Pressure gauges, valve positions (main valves open and locked), the jockey pump holding pressure steady, and air pressure in dry/pre-action systems are checked.
• Quarterly — alarm and flow devices. Flow switches, pressure switches, alarm bells/valves are tested; the signal reaching the fire alarm panel is verified.
• Annual — main drain and trip test + pump flow test. The main drain test that indicates water-supply health is performed; dry/pre-action/deluge valves are put through a full trip test; the pump’s real flow-pressure curve is verified by a flow test.
• 5-yearly — internal pipe inspection. The pipe interior is checked for corrosion, sediment and obstruction.

Fire hose cabinets and hydrant system

• Annual service. The hose, reel, nozzle, valve and connections are fully deployed and checked; water flow, pressure and the swivel mechanism are tested; gaskets and hose are inspected for cracks/wear.
• 5-yearly — hose pressure test. Hoses are pressurised up to their maximum working pressure for a durability test.

Gas suppression systems

• Cylinder weight / pressure. For chemical agents (NOVEC 1230, FM200) cylinders are weighed; refilling is required if weight loss exceeds ≈5% or pressure drop exceeds ≈10%. For inert gases (argon) the gauge pressure is checked.
• Trigger and discharge sequence. Solenoid/pilot valves, the trigger line, selector (directional) valves, manual discharge and abort buttons, delay time, HVAC/damper shutdown and audible-visual alarms are tested.
• Nozzles and pipework. Nozzles are confirmed to be clear and correctly oriented, and pipe connections to be sound.
• Door-fan (enclosure integrity) test. The room’s hold time at extinguishing concentration is measured; it is repeated when the room is altered/breached or periodically. In a leaking room the design may be correct on paper yet suppression fails.
• Cylinder hydrostatic test. Cylinders are hydrostatically tested at the long intervals the standards prescribe (typically ≈10 years).

Fire detection and alarm systems

• Daily (visual check). The user checks that the panel is in its normal state, with no fault/warning light.
• Monthly. Fault indicators, the standby power source (battery) and generator start-up are tested.
• Quarterly. Control/indication equipment is inspected, a sample detector/call point from each zone is tested, the system log and structural changes are reviewed, and monitoring-control functions are exercised.
• Annual. Batteries are capacity-tested, all detectors are tested individually (smoke/heat triggering), and call points, sounders and routing outputs are verified. We covered detector types and selection in a separate article.

Portable extinguishers

• Inspection at least every 6 months. Is the pressure gauge in the green band, is the seal intact, do the hose and trigger work, is the weight sufficient, is the extinguisher accessible and visible — these are checked at intervals not exceeding 6 months.
• 4-yearly refill + hydrostatic test. The extinguisher is fully discharged, internally inspected, refilled and given a body pressure (hydrostatic) test. An expired or corroded extinguisher is scrapped.

Common to every service: records, tags and reporting

• Each piece of equipment is tagged with the date of service and the person/body who performed it.
• Findings, faults and replaced parts are recorded in a maintenance report.
• Corrective actions for identified deficiencies (part replacement, refill, adjustment) are planned and tracked.
• These records prove to the fire brigade/inspectors and to insurers that the system is operational.

Summary

This content is for informational purposes. A binding, facility-specific maintenance programme requires working with a competent body and the current edition of the relevant standards.