Fire Integrity Test in Saudi Arabia

A room integrity test — also called a door fan test or hold time test — measures how airtight a clean agent protected room is, and predicts how long the agent will remain at its design concentration after discharge. NFPA 2001 and ISO 14520 require this test on every clean agent protected space at commissioning and at intervals afterwards, because no clean agent system can extinguish a fire if the room leaks faster than the agent can hold. The test is a code requirement and an insurance requirement; without a passing integrity test, the system effectively isn’t compliant.

We install a calibrated door fan in the room’s main entry door. The fan pressurises the room to a controlled positive pressure, then depressurises it to a controlled negative pressure, while sensors measure airflow and pressure differential. From those measurements, software computes the room’s effective leakage area, applies the agent properties and the room geometry, and predicts the hold time at the design agent concentration. The whole test typically takes 2 to 4 hours on site.

NFPA 2001 requires integrity testing on commissioning, every time the agent is recharged after a discharge, after any modification to the protected enclosure (new penetrations, ceiling changes, door changes), and on a recurring interval — typically annually, or as specified by the agent manufacturer and the local authority. Saudi Civil Defence and QCDD both align with NFPA 2001 on this requirement.

A failed test is not unusual on first attempt — particularly on retrofit installations or rooms that have undergone any building works since commissioning. We identify probable leakage paths (typically unsealed cable penetrations, pipe sleeves, raised floor edges, door seals, ceiling tile gaps), provide a written list of recommended sealing works, and offer to retest after the sealing is complete. Most rooms pass on retest after targeted remedial work.

Sealing works fall under our Passive-Fire Stop Services. If your room fails an integrity test, our firestopping team can carry out the recommended sealing works using approved firestop products — and our integrity test technicians can return to retest the sealed room. Both services can be packaged together as a single contract for clean agent commissioning.

Yes. The test is non-invasive — no agent is discharged, no equipment is touched. The protected systems (servers, switchgear, control panels, archive shelving) remain in operation throughout. We simply install a temporary door fan in the main door, run the test, and remove the fan when finished. For data centres and other 24/7 environments, we plan the visit around your change window or operational schedule.

Every integrity test is delivered with a complete report package — protected room data (volume, dimensions, design concentration, agent type), measured leakage area, predicted hold time, environmental conditions on the day of test, equipment serial numbers and calibration certificates, raw test data, and a formal pass/fail determination. The report format is aligned with NFPA 2001, ISO 14520 and the agent manufacturer’s requirements, and is accepted by Saudi Civil Defence.

Yes. Every door fan, manometer and ancillary instrument we deploy carries a current calibration certificate traceable to a recognised national standard. Calibration records accompany every test report, so the data behind your pass/fail determination is fully auditable. We refuse to use any instrument that’s outside its calibration interval — without traceable calibration, an integrity test report is worthless.