April 16, 2025
30-Year Inspection: Feedback from a Certified Installer
As you know, the 30-year sprinkler inspection is a key milestone in the life of a sprinkler system; it is a mandatory step to ensure you remain compliant and, above all, safe.
The goal of these “thirty-year” inspections is to ensure compliance with the applicable standards (R1, NFEN, NFPA, FM), and the process described in R1 can be adapted to all of these contexts.
According to the APSAD R1 standard from the CNPP: “A sprinkler system must be brought back into compliance every 30 years with the latest applicable standard (reference date: system commissioning). ”
Other standards also mention inspections or require ongoing compliance, which is rarely carried out in practice.
Changes in risk due to operations and products/storage are not taken into account, as they should be addressed through continuous updates to the system.
As a certified installer, we have been carrying out these services with a team dedicated to 30-year inspections for over 6 years.
There are two distinct types of obsolescence:
By the Numbers
This data is provided for informational purposes only, and there is significant variability between sites (input data, corrosion, etc.)
Since the launch of our service dedicated to the 30-year inspection:
Our review of the analyses and samples collected
Sleeves:
- 70% of the sleeves analyzed have a thickness loss of less than 10%
- 24% have a thickness loss between 10% and 20%
- 6% have a thickness loss greater than 20% (2% show unsatisfactory results and may require changes to the piping systems).
Sprinkler Heads:
- All customers complied with the requirements of the APSAD R1 standard for sprinkler head testing (K-factor determined by measuring the flow rate of the heads)
- 8% of the heads do not meet the required standards and may sometimes need to be replaced
Why should you trust us with your 30-year inspection?
As a certified installer, your main advantage in working with our teams is their ability to hold us accountable following a Phase 1 and 2 audit.
Our technical experts are responsible for thoroughly assessing your needs prior to Phase 3. Their proposal is comprehensive and the result of several weeks of research and analysis; it ensures transparency and gives you the certainty that the work will proceed without surprises or additional costs.
To help you make an informed decision, we’ll present you with various binding proposals in the form of scenarios that combine regulatory requirements, technical choices, operational constraints, and associated costs.
Be cautious: some generic specifications require our clients to allocate additional budgets during the construction phase when the compliance plan has not listed all necessary work.
More important than laboratory analyses and sampling, we share the results of our expert assessments and work closely with our clients and the relevant authorities (CNPP, Safety Commission, AHJ or FM engineer, depending on the standard) to ensure that you obtain a sprinkler system that complies with the current standard.
We also liaise with the relevant authorities to request technical exemptions that may lead to a reduction in construction costs during Phase 3.
Our main goals for our 30-year review, for the benefit of our clients:
When our experts conduct Phase 1 and 2 audits, they pay special attention to the following points to ensure our clients’ satisfaction:
- Preserving water sources
- An average of 80% preservation in our projects
- Retaining the existing facility’s piping systems
- Taking your future challenges and the site’s upcoming developments into account
- Liaising with the relevant authorities to secure technical adjustments aimed at reducing costs
- Spreading compliance work over several fiscal years
Our experts specializing in the 30-year review are available to answer your questions and review your project
Do you have a need? Let's talk about it.
Do you have a need? Let's talk about it.