Our services include the testing of dry risers. In buildings over 18 metres high, dry risers are a vital element in fire protection, delivering vast volumes of water direct to each floor enabling instant access for the fire brigade.

The Legal Requirement

The person responsible for a building or site is legally required to maintain all fire fighting equipment, including dry risers. Current standards require recommend a full annual pressure test and six monthly visual check for dry risers for buildings above 18 metres and below 60 metres (buildings over 60 metres/18 storeys require wet risers).

Standards state that inlets, landing valves, drain valves and landing valve boxes should be inspected every six months and that wet tests be carried out annually when the riser can be checked for leaks. They also state that maintenance and repairs should be carried out by a competent person.

Maintenance & Servicing

Dry risers can be prone to vandalism, because they are situated on each floor, the valves are sometimes in allocated cabinets or they can be left in the open. Therefore, it is important to have them regularly maintained and serviced.

Annual Wet Test

Dry risers are checked and pressurised to a test pressure of 10 bar for a minimum of 15 minutes. All inlets and outlets are checked for leaks and any missing or faulty items replaced. Flow testing is also carried out. If any valves need to be replaced, a further pressure test will be carried out before certification is issued.

Six Monthly Visual Test

This test involves a visual inspection only any missing or damaged items are replaced during the inspection.