The LWF Blog

Fire Safety Engineering for Design – Sprinkler Commissioning – Part 258

October 27, 2025 11:08 am

LWF’s Fire Safety Engineering blog series is written for Architects, building designers and others in the construction industry to highlight and promote discussion on all topics around fire engineering. In part 257, LWF began to discuss the commissioning and testing of sprinkler systems. In part 258, we continue talking about the commissioning and testing of sprinkler systems, starting with water supply testing.

Water supply for sprinkler systems

When preparing to install a sprinkler system in a building, there is no single element more important than the water supply it must draw from. Once the design is finalised and the installation completed, the capability of the provided water supply should be tested fully, to ensure it’s capable of servicing the sprinkler requirements at all stages of the design demand.

Flow measuring devices should be provided at the installation control valves and adjacent to pumps to allow water flow and pressure to be accurately measured.

In situations where diesel pump sets are to be used, some additional tests should be carried out to prove the automatic starting sequence of the unit is satisfactory.

Fire alarms and monitoring facilities for sprinkler systems

The majority of sprinkler and deluge fire suppression systems are connected to and triggered by a fire alarm system. Any alarm or alarm connection designed to work alongside the sprinkler installation should be fully tested and links to any remote location proved. It is important that all valve monitoring functions are tested fully functioning.

The final stage of commissioning is that when all installation and testing is complete, the authorities having jurisdiction should declare themselves satisfied and a completion certificate will be issued by the contractor who installed the sprinkler system.

Once the completed system is subject to handover to the end user of the building or the building owner, it is essential they are provided with an operation and maintenance manual to ensure the longevity of the system.

The manual should contain:

• Full system documentation including components, associated plant, alarms, utility supplies etc. including record drawings
• Instructions for day-to-day operation of the sprinkler system and procedures for fire safety management in a fire situation
• A detailed schedule of all maintenance and testing procedures necessary to ensure the system stays in full working order

In part 259 of LWF’s series on fire engineering we will look at maintenance of sprinkler systems. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this blog, or wish to discuss your own project with one of our fire engineers, please contact us.

Lawrence Webster Forrest has been working with their clients since 1986 to produce innovative and exciting building projects. If you would like further information on how LWF and fire strategies could assist you, please contact the LWF office on 0800 410 1130.

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.