What a restaurant sprinkler inspection covers
Restaurant ceilings take a beating. Cooking vapor drifts out from the line and leaves a film of grease on nearby sprinkler heads, while cases of stock in dry storage creep upward until they sit close under the heads. An inspection looks for both.
The technician walks the dining room, kitchen, storage and office areas and checks each head for paint, corrosion, grease buildup, physical damage or anything blocking the spray. Under NFPA 25, a head loaded with grease or paint gets replaced, not cleaned.
Next is the riser. Gauges, control valves, the waterflow alarm device, required signs and the fire department connection are each checked for condition and position. Control valves should be open.
Restaurant sprinkler testing: making the system work
Testing goes a step past the walk-through. Water moves. Depending on the visit, the technician flows the main drain to compare supply pressure with earlier readings, opens the inspector's test connection to confirm the waterflow alarm reports, and operates control valves to make sure they move through their full travel. Alarms will sound, so tell your staff first and book outside meal service if you can.
Callers ask what it costs to test risers and inspect heads. That depends on your system. Tell us how many risers you have and roughly how many heads, and we can quote from there.
How often, and who handles the quarterly checks
NFPA 25 sets three intervals: quarterly, annual and five-year. The building owner is responsible for making sure each one happens; in a leased space, your lease should say whether that duty sits with you or the landlord.
Quarterly checks are short. Someone looks at the gauges, confirms each control valve is in its normal position and checks the alarm devices for damage. Ask the fire marshal's office whether it accepts quarterly checks done by trained staff with a written log, or wants a contractor's record.
So, four visits a year? Not four test visits. The annual visit carries the testing. Every five years the work goes deeper: NFPA 25 calls for an internal assessment of the piping and for gauges to be replaced or tested, and California Title 19 requires a 5-year service and certification by a State Fire Marshal licensed contractor.
After the visit, and what to do with a correction notice
Before leaving, the technician goes over what passed and what failed. Failed items need repair before the inspection can be closed out, and our restaurant sprinkler repair in Indio page covers head replacements and valve work.
Who checks? In Indio, the Indio Office of the Fire Marshal enforces fire and life safety codes for commercial buildings and coordinates commercial building inspections. Riverside County Fire Department staffs the office. It also runs the Engine Company Business Inspection program.
Holding a correction notice? Call early and read us the listed items so the technician arrives with the right parts. Then ask the fire marshal's office how it wants the correction shown, whether that means sending in paperwork or waiting for a reinspection, since the notice itself may spell it out.
Who may do the work
California work for 1 Pro Fire is done by Hedrick Fire Protection. Hedrick holds C-16 (fire protection) and C-10 (electrical) contractor licenses and is licensed by the California State Fire Marshal under Title 19 for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems.
Your hood system is separate. Hedrick is also licensed to install and service commercial kitchen hood fire suppression systems, which run on their own six-month schedule; see kitchen hood suppression service in Indio.
Related pages
- Fire protection services in Indio
- Commercial fire sprinkler service in Indio
- Annual fire extinguisher certification in Indio
- Restaurant sprinkler inspections in Los Angeles County
- Restaurant sprinkler inspections in Orange County
Indio restaurant sprinkler questions
Do I need a 5-year or an annual inspection?
Usually both. The annual comes every year, and in the fifth year the 5-year service and certification is done as well.
Is it the sprinkler head or the escutcheon that's damaged?
Look at the head. If the frame, glass bulb or deflector is bent, cracked or leaking, the head has to be replaced; a loose or missing escutcheon (the cover plate at the ceiling) is a smaller repair, but it still has to be put back.
Do you service Indio?
Yes. Indio, including ZIP codes 92201, 92202 and 92203, is part of our service area.
Does the fire department do the sprinkler inspection?
Not the testing itself. The Indio Office of the Fire Marshal enforces the code, while the NFPA 25 and Title 19 work is done by a contractor you hire who is licensed by the State Fire Marshal.
To book a restaurant sprinkler inspection in Indio, call (951) 384-0323 or email socal@1profire.com