By Healthcare Facilities Today

Significant revisions to NFPA 25, Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, have been put into place for the 2014 edition of the standard. An article in NFPA Journal walks through the major changes. Here are six changes facility managers should be aware of.

1. Fire pump operating test frequency. Chapter 8 now requires electric-driven pumps to be tested weekly if they are located in high-rises, are electric-driven vertical turbine pumps or use limited service controllers. Otherwise, the current monthly testing interval generally still applies.

2. Diesel fuel quality check. An annual test of diesel-driven fire pump's fuel supply for fuel quality is now required.

3. Definition of ‘sprinkler system.’ Adopting the NFPA 13 2013 edition definition, in a high-rise facility NFPA 25 now defines a sprinkler system as the piping that is downstream of a floor control valve assembly. This means that each floor could conceivably have an individual sprinkler system each subject to inspection, testing and maintenance requirements. Previously, spot testing only a few floors in a high rise would suffice.

4. Internal assessments. Formerly referred to as "internal inspection," this change requires inspecting the inside of the pipe on a five-year interval for degradation, obstruction or organic growth, such as zebra mussels. This applies to each sprinkler system in the facility (See #3.)

5. Water mist systems. Inspection, testing and maintenance requirements for water mist systems are now governed by NFPA 25 and no longer will be found in NFPA 750.

6. Valve status test. A valve status test is now required when a valve is returned to service. This quick test is current common practice among inspection companies to confirm that water is flowing through the control valve and helps to guard against the most common cause of sprinkler system failure.

Read the article.