Fire Sprinkler Program
What is the fire sprinkler program?
Every year Victorians lose millions of litres of precious drinking water through fire sprinkler testing. This testing is required by law, and although it is critical for the maintenance and integrity of fire systems, weekly testing has seen large amounts of drinking water going to waste. This South East Water program is designed to reduce the water used in fire sprinkler testing, by developing solutions for our customers on a case by case basis.
South East Water has pioneered this program and is looking at ways we can help customers cut down on water use in fire sprinkler testing. Read on for facts and hints on how this can work for your business or workplace.
New customers
Changes to conditions of connection for fire sprinkler systems
Projects which commence design phase from March 1 2008 are now required to meet the following requirements when seeking to connect to South East Water’s assets:
- Confirmation that the system design incorporates all necessary features called for in AS1851:2005 Maintenance of Fire Protection Systems and Equipment and or subsequent versions of AS1851 to allow monthly testing of the Fire Sprinkler System.
- Where booster pumps are required, the system must incorporate recirculating equipment such as storage tanks or other methods to reduce or eliminate the waste of test water. A minimum of 80 percent of test water must be recirculated.
- Installation of a magnetic flow meter to register all water used through the fire system
Fire Sprinkler System Diagram
Existing customers
What can you do to help?
- Monitor your water usage and determine how much water you use in fire sprinkler testing
- Where possible change your fire sprinkler testing from weekly to monthly, adopting AS1851- 2005.
- Identify ways to re-circulate water used in the testing process
- Contact us and get your site assessed to explore further opportunities
Industry Program
In November 2007 the Building Commission issued a Practice Note (2007-61) to provide the Fire Industry and building owners and operators with important information which will assist in reducing use of our precious drinking water without compromising building safety.
Building Commission Practice Notes