A minimum of 20 per cent of the dampers every year, so that every damper is inspected and cycled within five years. AS 1851-2012 has each damper in the annual sample inspected, released and reset, its access panel audited and the damper register updated; smoke dampers also have their actuator response to a detector or building management signal tested. If the annual sample shows a high failure rate (the standard sets the threshold), every remaining damper is inspected within twelve months. Access panels missing, dampers wedged open and fusible links painted over are the usual findings.
The intervals
| Interval | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Annual | Inspect, release and reset a minimum of 20 per cent of the dampers so that every damper is tested within a five-year cycle; smoke damper actuator response to a detector or building management signal; access panel audit; damper register updated. | Fire or mechanical services contractor |
| Within twelve months, on trigger | If the annual sample shows a high failure rate (the standard sets the threshold), every remaining damper is inspected within twelve months. | Fire or mechanical services contractor |
| Five-yearly | The cycle completes: every damper in the building has been inspected and cycled once. The register shows which dampers fall in which year. | Fire or mechanical services contractor |
| At any works to the ductwork or fire walls | Dampers affected by the works inspected and the register updated; a new penetration without a damper is a fire safety defect. | Contractor and the owner |
Who does it and what to keep
A fire services contractor, or the mechanical contractor working to the fire contractor's routine, with access to the ceiling spaces and risers. The record is the damper register: every damper numbered on the plans with its type, location, access panel, the year it was last inspected and cycled, the result and any repair. A building without a register cannot show the cycle is complete, and the first job in an older building is usually to build the register from the mechanical drawings and a survey. In New South Wales the dampers are part of the essential fire safety measures on the annual fire safety statement.
The rule behind the interval
AS 1851-2012 Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment sets the five-year rolling cycle and the annual sample for fire and smoke dampers. AS 1682.1 and AS 1682.2 are the damper specification and installation standards, and AS 1668.1 the fire and smoke control design standard the dampers serve. The building regulation of each state requires the dampers to be maintained to the standard they were installed under.
Common questions
Why not inspect every damper every year?
Access. Dampers sit above ceilings, behind plant and inside risers, and opening every one each year would cost more than the risk warrants. The standard accepts a rolling sample provided a register proves every damper is reached within five years and a failing sample brings the rest forward.
What counts as a failure?
A damper that does not close when released, a fusible link that is painted, corroded or missing, a blade obstructed by the duct or by debris, a missing access panel, or a smoke damper actuator that does not respond to its signal. Each is recorded against the damper in the register until repaired.
Put it in the register
An interval only holds when the asset is listed with its tasks, its contractor and where the record lives. Standara's library carries this asset with the tasks above attached, so adding it to a site's register produces the year's schedule, the monthly to-do list and the completion record the auditor or insurer asks for. The fuller picture, with the neighbouring assets and the rule behind each interval, is in the AS 1851 maintenance schedule.
More how-often answers
- How often should fire extinguishers be serviced?
- How often should emergency lighting and exit signs be tested?
- How often should RCDs (safety switches) be tested?
- How often does electrical equipment need to be tested and tagged?
- How often should thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) be tested?
- How often does a backflow prevention device have to be tested?
- How often does a cooling tower have to be tested for Legionella?
- How often should fire doors be inspected?
- How often should a lift be serviced and inspected?
- How often should a commercial kitchen exhaust be cleaned?
- How often should fire hydrants and hose reels be tested?
- How often should a fire sprinkler system be tested?
- How often should a fire detection and alarm system be tested?
- How often should an EWIS (emergency warning and intercom system) be tested?
- How often should a switchboard be inspected and serviced?
- How often should a commercial hot water system be serviced?
- How often does a grease trap have to be cleaned?
- How often should air conditioning be serviced?
- How often should a roof and its gutters be inspected and cleaned?
- A worked example: one club's register, planner and records for a year
- All guides and answers