Reliable protection of critical IT infrastructure starts with an integrity test.
A gaseous fire suppression system installed in a server room (Inergen, FK-5-1-12 / Novec 1230, or HFC-227ea / FM-200) will only work effectively if the protected space is sufficiently airtight and can maintain the required concentration of the extinguishing agent for the required period of time.
A fire suppression system consists of two parts: the system itself and the room in which it operates.
System design and installation are the responsibility of specialists and are usually carried out correctly. However, the effectiveness of the system depends just as much on the second part: the airtightness of the protected space.
In the event of a fire, the system releases the extinguishing agent into the room. But releasing the agent is not enough. It must remain in the room.
At discharge, a pressure difference is created in the room, pushing the agent toward openings. If there are unplanned leakage paths, such as cable penetrations, unsealed pipework, ceiling or raised-floor voids, ventilation ducts, the agent escapes through them. And this can happen quickly.
As a result, even a technically well-designed and properly installed system may become ineffective simply because the room is not sufficiently airtight.
The only way to determine this is to measure it.
A room that was airtight when commissioned may no longer be airtight today.
A server room is a living infrastructure environment. Changes happen continuously, and many of them affect airtightness without being immediately noticed:
Each of these works can leave an opening. Each opening reduces the time during which the extinguishing agent can remain in the room.
That is why integrity testing is not a one-time procedure. It should be repeated after any relevant change and also periodically.
This issue is well known in the industry, which is why it is regulated by international standards.
NFPA 2001 defines a specific threshold: within the protected enclosure, at the highest level of combustible materials, not less than 85% of the adjusted minimum design concentration must be held for at least 10 minutes. This is the time required to fully stop combustion and prevent re-ignition.
The same requirement is reflected in ISO 14520 and EN 15004.
In Georgia, this requirement is also reflected in Section 904.10 of Decree №41, which provides for integrity testing of the protected enclosure.
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Retrotec Georgia