Fire Alarm Testing & Maintenance in Edinburgh

Fire alarms have recently become a massive part of Scottish building requirements. Whether you are a landlord or a home owner it is still in your best interest to have these potentially lifesaving devices tested periodically.

BS 5839-6 Fire alarms

BS 5839-6 Fire alarm systems part 6 applies to alarms typically found within a domestic dwelling. Building regulations state that any rented accommodations and new builds are required to upgrade their system to a category LD2 in hallways, communal areas (lounge etc), loft and any areas that had cooking facilities (kitchens). These alarms need to be maintained periodically. Here at IES we carry the safety checks out to the highest standards and our check list involves the following.

We record and retain the recommended replacement date of the alarms as they typically require replacement 10 years from the installation date. Checking that the batteries are suitable for continued use (for example a chirping alarm means that the battery is becoming flat and will need replaced), we check that all the slots are clean and unobstructed if they are not then we will clean them, we check that the alarms are sounding from each point to check that they work individually and they are also correctly interlinked and then the one of the most important tests we turn the power off and check the alarms are operating correctly on purely the battery system the battery system is amongst the most important as this tells you if the system will function if there is power failure. Once the tests are complete, we will issue you with a certificate that should be retained and it will detail on it if there are any further actions that are required or if it is suitable for continued use.

HMO Licensing

HMO Scotland can come under two different parts of the BS 5839 regulations the first is much the same as the above it comes under the BS5839 part 6 but this time the system that is required is the category LD1. The category LD1 covers the following areas – circulation spaces (hallways and landings), communal areas (living areas), habitual areas (bedrooms), areas with cooking facilities (kitchens) and any cupboard over 3 meters squared. Every area is covered by means of a smoke detector or heat detector. The tests that are carried out are the same the LD2 system.

We record and retain the recommended replacement date of the alarms they typically require replacement 10 years from the installation date. Checking that the batteries are suitable for continued use a chirping alarm means that the battery is usually flat and will need replaced, we check that all the slots are clean and unobstructed if they are not then we will clean them, we check that the alarms are sounding from each point to check that they work individually and they are also correctly interlinked and then the one of the most important tests we turn the power off and check the alarms are operating correctly on purely the battery system the battery system is amongst the most important as this tells you if the system will function if there is power failure. Once the test is completed we will give you a certificate that can be retained and it will detail on it if there are any further actions that are required or if it is suitable for continued use.

BS 5839 part 1

This typically applies to larger properties where there are more than 10 alarms required or when there is a double upper property. The part 1 system is a fire alarm panel system which can be made up of various different zones. The same rules apply as it is an HMO it covers the following areas, Circulation spaces (hallways), communal areas (living areas), habitual areas (bedrooms), areas with cooking facilities (kitchens) and any cupboard over 3 meters squared. Every area is covered by means of a smoke detector, heat detector, internal sounder, external sounder and break glass points. When carrying out a test on this type of system we check the system is fully operational and that there are no fault codes at the panel, we then check that the break glass call points are in the correct locations and sited next to the correct escape areas, we check that all the detectors are of the correct type and covering the correct areas.

Check that the sounders are in the correct locations, we then set the system off at various points in the property testing at least one device in each zone and at least one break glass. When setting off the zones we will check at the panel that each device is activating the correct zone as it is marked up. Upon completion you will receive a certificate that will tell you exactly what is required to bring the system up to code or if it is suitable for continued use.