Township of Mount Holly, NJ Article III Inspections

[Adopted 3-24-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-07]

§ 128-11 Fire and smoke damper inspections.

A. Periodic inspection and testing standards recommended by the National Fire Protection Association:

(1) Each damper shall be tested and inspected one year after installation. The test and inspection frequency shall then be every four years.

(2) Care shall be exercised that all tests are completed in a safe manner wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment.

(3) Full unobstructed access to the damper shall be verified and corrected as required.

(4) Where a fusible link is installed on a combination fire/smoke damper, the fusible link shall be removed for testing the damper for full closure simulating a fire condition per the requirements and frequencies of 19.5.4 of NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives.

(5) The test shall be conducted with normal HVAC airflow.

(6) The operation of the damper shall verify that there is no damper interference due to rust or bent, misaligned, or damaged frame or blades, or defective hinges or other moving parts.

(7) The damper frame shall not be penetrated by any foreign objects that would affect proper fire damper operations.

(8) The damper shall be verified to not be blocked from closure in any way.

(9) The fusible link shall be reinstalled after testing is complete. If the link is damaged or painted, it shall be replaced with a link of the same size, temperature rating, and load rating.

(10) All inspections and testing shall be documented indicating the location of the damper, date of inspection, name of inspector, and deficiencies discovered. The documentation shall have a space to indicate when and how the deficiencies were corrected.

(11) All documentation shall be maintained by the property owner and available for review by the authority having jurisdiction.

B. Maintenance.

(1) Any reports of abrupt changes in airflow or noise from the duct system shall be investigated to verify that they are not related to damper operation.

(2) All exposed moving parts of the damper shall be dry lubricated as required by the manufacturer.

(3) If the damper is not operable, repairs shall begin as soon as possible.

(4) Following any repairs, the damper shall be initiated at a time interval recommended by the actuator manufacturer.

(5) All maintenance shall be documented and records shall be retained in accordance with § 128-11A(10) and (11).

C. Compliance with the provisions of this article shall be monitored by the local enforcing agency and the Township's Fire Official.

D. All inspections shall be conducted by technicians and contractors who have been certified by the International Certification Board (ICB) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to ensure the quality of the inspection process.

E. All results of the inspections are to be given to the Township Fire Official within 30 days of the completion of the inspection. The Fire Official will keep those inspection reports until the next inspection is completed four years later. If the fire and smoke damper systems are found to be faulty, repairs must be completed and approved by an ICB and ANSI certified technician and contractor within 60 days from the date the system was found to be faulty.