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THE REGULATORY REFORM (FIRE SAFETY) ORDER 2005 => Q & A => Topic started by: Fire Monkey on March 22, 2016, 04:24:25 PM
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Hello,
Would air conditioning condenser units inside a building be considered a risk?
What if they were in a room where by occupants of another room had to pass by them to escape the building in case of a fire (dead end situation)?
What rating should such units be given in terms of room risk - low medium or high?
What detection would be best for early warning in a condenser room - heat may not give early enough warning to those using thhe adjacent room but smoke may result in false alarms due to air movement and dust.
Cheers,
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Hi Fire Monkey
Sorry to answer a question with more questions!
What are the possible ignition sources? Motors, compressors, heating elements? What are the fuels associated with the condensers eg refrigerant, paper filters?
When you refer to a dead end are we talking about a corridor with doors off or passing a machine as we pass through one room into another? How close would a person have to pass to the condenser if it were considered to be a hazard?
The chances are that if this was a plant room with an inner room leading off, and if the condenser were considered to be a hazard (it probably is not if for example it's just a motor compressor and uses non combustible refrigerant) then Building Regulations ADB would as a default recommend a high risk rating and for a new building a maximum travel distance of 9m from the inner room though this may be extended by providing AFD. The FSO guides would suggest a maximum of 15-18m firm the inner room plus smoke detection in the access room. Heat detectors are of little use if the room is well ventilated for cooling purposes. I think multi sensor detection including optical smoke or aspirating detection carefully sited may be the best bet.
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An aircon unit is just a big fridge.
I expect no more or less likely to ignite
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I agree. But it would be remiss of a fire risk assessor not to ask the basic questions.
And there's been a number of serious fires involving fridges that use LPG as a refrigerant though as far as I know these have been all domestic appliances rather than commercial.
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All fires are serious ;)
As you say, you need to look at the detail and take a view. Back in the day, we used to put photocopiers in special rooms.
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Hi,
The distance of travel to a final exit is around 9m - I would want detection of some sort. It is not clear how close the compressors would be to a person as they tired to escape - but I think it would be more than 1m. The route would be - meeting room - compressor room - exit.
I can put in place any additional maintenance requirements - such as cleaning of filters.
There would be no other fuel sources in the room.
What about flame detection sensors - costly?
The ventilation in the room would be grills - I don't think any mechanical extraction/supply is currently being considered.
I can certainly check on the refrigerant type.
An additional extinguisher will be required.
Cheers,
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Would you describe the compressor room as a plant room or is it just a room with a single a/c unit within? if it is just a single unit then the risk probably justifies no more than a smoke detector in the access room. Flame detectors have their place but I would say was overkill here especially due to the lack of combustible materials. Recycling and compactor areas are where they come into their own.