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Fixed Fire Suppression Systems

There are two main types of fixed fire suppression systems (not including special hazards) Wet Chemical and Dry Chemical.  Field's Fire Protection, Inc. distributes Protex and Buckeye Wet Chemical Systems as well as Pyrochem Monarch Dry Chemical Systems.

                    

We also inspect, upgrade, and retrofit all major manufacturers wet and dry fixed suppressions systems.

Fixed Suppression System in the News:

Why Keep An Inadequate Fire Extinguishing System?

By Mark Conroy

As Published in Brooks Equipment Newsletter Volume 8, January 2009

Cooking appliances have historically been protected with pre-engineered (packaged) systems that use an extinguishing agent that chemically reacts (saponification) with cooking oil to create a thick blanket of foam to suffocate the fire and prevent the escape of combustible vapors, thereby preventing re-ignition. Other fire protection solutions involving engineered systems, alternative extinguishing agents, and elaborate enclosure just can’t compete with pre-engineered systems utilizing an extinguishing agent that has the ability to saponify when applied to the burning cooking oil.

A little more than a dozen years ago, the fire protection industry came to the realization that the benchmark test for listing these pre-engineered systems was not rigorous enough to reflect a typical installation. The fire test standard was updated to require using fryers with vegetable oil. Dry chemical systems that passed the old test are not able to pass the new test protocol. Only wet chemical systems are able to pass the new fire tests and be listed for this application.

Unfortunately, only part of the problem was solved. Although dry chemical systems can no longer be installed for the protection of cooking appliances and associated hood and duct systems, the listing standard does not impact existing installations. Similar to other listing standards, it only affects the listing of products.

NFPA 101, paragraph 9.3.2 requires that existing systems be approved in order to remain in place. Specifically, it says: “Commercial Cooking Equipment. Commercial cooking equipment shall be in accordance with NFPA 96, Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations, unless such installations are approved existing installations, which shall be permitted to be continued in service.” Paragraph 9.2.3 is referenced throughout NFPA 101, and applies to existing hospitals, hotels, and restaurants.

The problem is with existing systems and the statement “unless such installations are approved existing installations”. Since the word “approved” means “acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction”, this implies that documentation would exist that the authority has approved the existing installation.

From the standpoint of the fire equipment distributor (FED), there is a certain liability to servicing a system that is not documented as an “approved existing installation” in accordance with NFPA 101. MostFED’s won’t assume this liability andare justified in not servicing the systemsuntil the installation becomesan “approved existing installation”.  Since NFPA 101 requires that these systems need to be “approved existing installations”, it is up to the facility owner to acquire documentation from the Authority Having Jurisdiction and provide it to the FED. If these systems can’t be serviced because they are not “approved”, the facility owner should replace them with systems that meet NFPA 101, paragraph 9.3.2. The only other option to an “approved existing installation” is one that meets NPFA 96, paragraph 10.2.3 which says “Automatic fire extinguishing systems shall comply with UL 300 or other equivalent standards and shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of the listing.”

Allowing a dry chemical fire extinguishing system that met listing criteria and is now deemed to be inadequate is probably not the intent of the committee in establishing this requirement. Only systems that meet the currently accepted level of safety established by the listing criteria outlined in NFPA 96 paragraph 10.2.3 or

equivalent should be permitted to remain in place. 

The above article is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the position of a NFPA technical committee or the NFPA and may not be considered to be or relied upon as such.  Mark Conroy is an engineer with Brooks Equipment Company of Charlotte, NC.

 

UL300 Standard Upgrade A Decade Later

By Loss Control Insights

EMC Insurance Companies' Risk Improvement Department

Summer 2003

Is your commercial kitchen properly protected? Nearly a decade after UL issued test standard UL300, many commercial kitchens have still not retrofit their suppression systems to meet the new fire suppression demands of deep fat frying with vegetable oils. The decreased use of animal fats and the increased use of vegetable oils have made many restaurant fire extinguishing systems inadequate.

What Was Safe In The 1960s No Longer Applies In Today’s Commercial Kitchens
Pre-engineered chemical suppression systems were originally developed in the 1960’s for the protection of commercial cooking equipment, plenums and ducts. UL developed a series of fire tests for these systems designed to duplicate the potential fire hazard found in restaurants.

At the time the original tests were developed, rendered animal fat (lard) was typically used in commercial kitchens to fry various foods. Today, however, restaurant suppliers estimate that 70 to 75 percent of commercial kitchens now use vegetable oils for frying in high-efficiency fryers.

This change has significantly altered the fire hazard in cooking areas. Today's vegetable fryers cook at much higher temperatures making fires hotter and more difficult to control.

The extinguishing agent employed in pre-1994 restaurant systems is an alkaline base. When a suppression system is discharged on a burning deep fat fryer containing rendered animal fat, a soap blanket is formed, cutting off the oxygen supply and containing the fire.

A similar fire involving vegetable oils creates a different set of circumstances. The higher temperatures of such fires, enhanced by the insulation in a high efficiency fryer, causes the soap blanket to break down. Thus, the extinguishing capability of the fire suppression system is reduced.

The Need For A New Standard
UL recognized the need for a new set of standards for pre-engineered systems and developed its new UL 300 standard. Unfortunately, UL did not require a model number change for those manufacturers who will be modifying existing system designs to comply with the new UL 300 standard. The only requirement is the issuance of a new installation and maintenance manual containing whatever changes and modifications were found necessary for compliance with the new standard, plus the effective date of the revised publication. This could lead to some confusion because of similarities between the old and new system components.

Does Your System Comply With Current Standards?
How can you determine if the system in your kitchen area complies with the new UL 300 standard? It is suggested that the contractor be required to include with the submittal package a copy of the manufacturer's installation and maintenance manual that would specifically indicate it is in compliance with the new standard and dated November 1994 or later.

UL 300 Means A Change For The Better For The Protection Of Your Property And The Safety Of Your Employees And Customers
UL 300 addresses a problem in fire protection for commercial cooking environments which reflect changes in our diet and the way we prepare food. All of these changes have resulted in fires which are hot, stubborn and difficult to extinguish. As a result, pre-engineered systems for commercial cooking operations will become more detailed, more technical and more expensive. They will also be safer, more reliable and perform their primary function better than ever before.

Wet Chemical Systems

Wet chemical is most commonly used to extinguish cooking oil fires.  It is the primary source of extinguishing kitchen fire's, most of the wet chemical potassium compounds are highly corrosive and have limited uses for fire protection.

Wet chemical suppresses fires by a process called saponification.  Saponification is the process of chemically converting the fatty acid contained in the cooking medium to soap, or foam, and it accomplishes extinguishment by forming a surface coating.  Saponification value is a measure of the amount of potassium hydroxide consumed by the saponification of 1 gram of fat.  The most common types of cooking media, i.e., animal fats (or lard), vegetable oils, and peanut oils, have similar saponification values.  Other fats, such as cocoa, have substantially higher saponification values and are difficult to extinguish.

The soap produced by saponification is readily broken down by exposure to heat.  As a result, since dry chemicals do not offer a substantial cooling effect, the cooking medium may reflash after a brief period of time.

What is UL300, Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing Systems for Protection of Restaurant Cooking Areas?

In November of 1994, Underwriters Laboratory (UL) set a new standard of performance of pre-engineered fire extinguishing system units intended for the protection of commercial equipment for restaurants, cafeterias and other similar venues.  These new requirements were the result of two changes in the commercial kitchens.  The newer commercial cooking appliances that were being put into service with high efficient burners were resulting in higher heating rates of cooking oils.  The pre-dominant type of oils was also changing from animal fat based frying oil, to vegetable and/or nut based oils.  The new fryers and oils are better insulated which conversely retards the rapid cooling rate of cooking oils below their auto-ignition point.

It was discovered that the current UL approved restaurant suppression systems could not put out these fires and that the older style dry chemical systems performed much worse than the newer wet chemical suppression systems.  UL responded by coming out with the UL 300 standard, a new standard of testing that mandates tougher and more realistic fire tests for fryers, ranges, griddles, certain types of broilers and newly added woks.

The manufacturers of restaurant fire suppression systems had to re-design and re-test all their systems in order to comply with this new testing standard.  The first casualty of this testing was dry chemical systems.  No dry chemical system have passed the UL 300 testing standard and only wet chemical systems with increased flow rates, additional flow points, and increased agent capacity have been able to meet UL 300 tests.

What has this meant for the owners of restaurants?  Almost all jurisdictions have adopted the latest codes of NFPA 17A which requires all new systems to be installed to the new UL 300 testing standard.  These fire departments/marshals have also removed the “grandfather” of these old systems as well.  Some jurisdictions have allowed the “grandfather” systems to remain.  As an owner of a restaurant, if you still have a non-UL 300 compliant system, you should strongly consider upgrading your system to protect your investment.

 

Wet Chemical System Testing and Inspection Requirements per NFPA 17A Standard for Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems (2002)

At least semi-annually, maintenance shall be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual.  This maintenance includes verification that the hazard has not changed, and examination of all detectors, expellant gas container(s), the agent container(s), releasing devices, piping, hose assemblies, nozzles, signals, all auxiliary equipment, and the liquid level of all non-pressurized wet chemical containers.  The system shall also be tested for functionality, including the operation of the detection system, signals and releasing devices, including manual stations and associated equipment.

Wet chemical system consumables (Nozzle protectors and/or detection devices) shall be changed per the manufacturer’s recommendations (See Below).

All wet chemical containers, auxiliary pressure containers, pressure regulators, and hose assemblies are required to be hydrostatically tested every 12 years.  The test procedure shall be in accordance with the manufacturer’s detailed hydrostatic test instructions.

Changing of System Consumable:

                            

    Rubber Nozzle Cap                Carbon Dioxide Pilot Cartridge                          Fusible Link Detectors

Pyrochem Kitchen Knight Restaurant Fire Suppression System – PCL-240/350/550, November 1, 1994, Page 5-2

Semi-annual Maintenance requires:

Inspect fusible link detectors for excessive grease buildup.  Clean or replace links if necessary.

Annual Maintenance requires:

Replace all nozzle caps.

Replace the carbon dioxide pilot cartridge.

Fixed temperature sensing elements of the fusible alloy type shall be replaced at least annually or more frequently, if necessary, to assure proper operation of the system.

Pyrochem Kitchen Knight II Restaurant Fire Suppression System – PCL-300/460/600, (PN551274 Manual) October 1, 2001, Page 5-1.

Semi-Annual Maintenance requires:

Check all nozzle orifices to make certain they are not plugged.  Replace blow off caps or O-ring if necessary.

Inspect the fusible link detectors and pulley elbows for excessive grease buildup.  Clean or replace links or elbows if necessary.

Annual Maintenance requires:

Inspect per semi-annual maintenance instructions.

Replace the carbon dioxide pilot cartridge.

Replace all fusible links.

Protex II Restaurant Fire Suppression System, (PN10053 Manual) December 13, 2005 Rev. C, Page 69.

Semi-Annual Maintenance requires:

Check all nozzle orifices to make certain they are not plugged.  Replace blow off caps or O-rings if necessary.

Inspect the pulley elbows for excessive grease buildup.  Clean elbows if necessary.  Replace fusible links.

Annual Maintenance requires:

Inspect per semi-annual maintenance instructions.

Replace the carbon dioxide pilot cartridge.

 Ansul R-102 Restaurant Fire Suppression Systems, July 1, 1996 Rev. 1, Page 8-3.

Semi-Annual Maintenance requires:

Remove, clean, and return additional fusible links to series detector linkage(s).  (Fusible links loaded with grease and other extraneous material can result in excessive delays in actuation.

Ansul Piranha Restaurant Fire Suppression System, October 31, 1997, Page 8-3.

Semi-Annual Maintenance requires:

Remove, clean, and return additional fusible links to series detector linkage(s).  (Fusible links loaded with grease and other extraneous material can result in excessive delays in actuation.  If links cannot be properly cleaned, they must be replaced.)  NOTICE: Fusible links installed in system for one year or more must be replaced.  Ansul recommends replacement of links every six months.

Badger/Range Guard RG-1.25G/2.5G/4GS/4GT/6G Design, Installation, and Maintenance Manual (PN9127100), September 1997, Page 5-1.

Semi-Annual Maintenance requires:

Are nozzle seals intact? (If, not remove and clean nozzle, replace with factory supplied seals only.  Other seals may result in failure to rupture, and will prevent discharge from that nozzle).  Tighten nozzle cap (36 to 45 inch pounds).  All nozzle seals should be replaced annually.

Replace fusible links with Badger Fire Protection fusible links of the required temperature rating.

In the space provided a new Badger Fire Protection approved CO2 cartridge, write the date of installation.  Be sure to thread the CO2 cartridge completely into the A+ control box valve so that it seals tightly against the valve body gasket.

Common NFPA 17A Standard for Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems (2002) deficiencies of existing systems

4.3.1.5 All discharge nozzles shall be provided with caps or other suitable devices to prevent the entrance of grease vapors, moisture, or other foreign materials into the piping.

4.4.2.1 Manual actuators shall not require a force of more than 40 lb.

4.4.2.2 Manual actuators shall not require a movement of more than 14 in.

4.4.3.1 On activation of any cooking equipment fire extinguishing  system, all sources of fuel and electric power that produce heat to all equipment protected by the system shall be shut down.

4.4.3.2 Gas appliances not requiring protection but located under the same ventilation equipment shall also be shut off.

4.4.3.3 Steam supplied from an external source shall not be required to be shut down.

4.4.3.5 Exhaust fans and dampers are not required to be shut down on system actuation as the systems have been tested under both zero- and high-velocity flow conditions.

4.4.3.7 Shut off devices shall require manual resetting prior to fuel or power being restored.

4.8 Indicators.  Wet chemical systems shall be provided with an audible or visual indicator to show that the system is in ready condition or is in need of recharging.

7.3.1 A trained person who has undergone the instructions necessary to perform the maintenance and recharge service reliably and has the applicable manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual and service bulletins shall service the wet chemical fire-extinguishing system 6 months apart as outlined in 7.3.2.

Dry Chemical Systems

                                  

Dry chemical is primarily used to extinguish flammable liquid fires that are not of appreciable depth.  Because it is non-conductive, it can also be used on flammable liquid fires involving live electrical equipment.

Dry chemical interrupts the chemical reaction of fire by removing the oxygen from the source.  When multipurpose dry chemical is discharged into burning ordinary combustible, the decomposed monammonium phosphate leaves a sticky residue (metaphosphoric acid) on the burning material.  This residue seals glowing material from the oxygen, thus helping extinguish the fire and prevent re-ignition.

Due to the rapidity with which dry chemical extinguishes flame, dry chemical is used on surface fires involving ordinary combustible materials.  Dry chemical does not produce a lasting inert atmosphere above the surface of a flammable liquid; consequently, its use will not result in permanent extinguishment if re-ignition sources, such as hot metal surfaces or persistent electrical arcing, are present.

Regular dry chemical will not extinguish fires that penetrate beneath the surface, or fires in materials that supply their own oxygen for combustion.  Dry chemical may be incompatible with mechanical (air) foam unless the dry chemical has been specially prepared to be reasonably foam compatible.

There are three ways to design and apply dry chemical systems:

Hand Hose Line System.  A hose and nozzle assembly connected by fixed piping or connected directly to a supply of extinguishing agent.

Local Application System.  A supply of dry chemical permanently connected to fixed piping with nozzles arranged to discharge directly onto the fire.

Total Flooding System.  A supply of dry chemical permanently connected to fixed piping and nozzles that are arranged to discharge dry chemical into an enclosure surrounding the hazard.

Every different hazard should be investigated for the best possible type of system.  The type of system depends on the surrounding area, the fire hazard type, and system limitations:

The types of hazards and equipment that can be protected using dry chemical extinguishing systems include the following:

Flammable or combustible liquids.

Flammable or combustible gases.

Combustible solids including plastics, which melt when involved in a fire.

Electrical hazards such as oil-filled transformers or circuit breakers.

Textile operations subject to flash surface fires.

Ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, or cloth.

Dry chemical extinguishing systems shall not be considered satisfactory protection for the following:

Chemicals containing their own oxygen supply, such as cellulose nitrate.

Combustible metals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, titanium, and zirconium.

Deep-seated or burrowing fires in ordinary combustibles where the dry chemical cannot reach the point of combustion.

Dry Chemical System Testing and Inspection Requirements per NFPA 17 Standard for Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems (2002)

At least semi-annually, maintenance shall be conducted in accordance with the manufacturer’s listed installation and maintenance manual.  This maintenance includes verification that the hazard has not changed, and examination of all detectors, expellant gas container(s), the agent container(s), releasing devices, piping, hose assemblies, nozzles, signals, all auxiliary equipment, and the examination of the dry chemical (If there is evidence of caking, the dry chemical shall be discarded and the system shall be recharged in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions).  The system shall also be tested for functionality, including the operation of the detection system, signals and releasing devices, including manual stations and associated equipment.

Dry chemical system consumables (Nozzle protectors and/or detection devices) shall be changed per the manufacturer’s recommendations (See Below).

All dry chemical containers, auxiliary pressure containers, and hose assemblies are required to be hydrostatically tested every 12 years.  The test procedure shall be in accordance with the manufacturer’s detailed hydrostatic test instructions.

Changing of System Consumable:

                                                                     

                                                      Dry Chemical Nozzles and Caps

Pyrochem Monarch Fire Suppression System Technical Manual, March 17, 2004, Page 5-2.

Semi-Annual Maintenance requires:

Inspect the fusible link detectors for excessive grease buildup.  Clean or replace links if necessary.

Annual Maintenance requires:

Inspect per semi-annual maintenance instructions.

Fixed temperature sensing elements of the fusible alloy type shall be replaced at least annually or more frequently, if necessary, to assure proper operation of the system.

Replace the carbon dioxide pilot cartridge.

Six Year Maintenance requires:

Examine the dry chemical.  If there is evidence of caking, the dry chemical shall be discarded.

Common NFPA 17 Standard for Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems (2002) deficiencies of existing systems

4.3.1.5 Discharge nozzles shall be provided with blow-off caps or other suitable devices or materials to prevent the entrance of moisture or other environmental materials into the piping.

4.4.2.1 Manual actuators shall not require a force of more than 40 lb.

4.4.2.2 Manual actuators shall not require movement of more tha 14 in.

4.4.3 Shutoff Devices.  Shutoff devices shall require manual resetting prior to fuel or being restored.

5.5.1 Where systems protect hazards that are normally heated, the power or fuel supply to heaters shall be shut off automatically upon actuation of the extinguishing systems.

5.5.2 Where systems protect hazards that have flowing flammable or combustible fluids or gases, the system shall be provided with automatic means to ensure shutoff of power and fuel valves upon operation of the extinguishing system.

5.5.3 Where systems protect hazards that have conveyors moving flammable or combustible materials or commodities, the conveyors shall be automatically shut off upon operation of the extinguishing systems.

5.5.5 All shutoff systems shall require manual resetting prior to restoration of the operating conditions existing before operation of the extinguishing systems.

5.7.3 Notification.  An audible or visual indicator shall be provided to show that the system has operated, that personnel response might be needed, and that the system is in need of recharge.

5.7.4 Connection to the Alarm System.  The extinguishing system shall be connected to the fire alarm system, if provided, in accordance with the requirements of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code, so that the actuation of the dry chemical system will sound the fire alarm as well as provide the function of the extinguishing system.