Fire Damper Testing & Validation

At ACB Ltd we have over 20 years of experience testing fire dampers to ensure the safety of the building you work in. We carry out regular tests to ensure that there are no faulty fire dampers in the building and are in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It is your responsibility as an employer to maintain the building’s fire safety system. 

To be compliant with regulatory bodies, fire damping testing needs to be carried out annually. A fire damper test requires a visual inspection to ensure there is no damage to the fire damper and a drop test to check the integrity of the damper.

What is a fire damper drop test?

Fire dampers are located within the ductwork that pass through fire compartment walls and floors. The fire damper is usually held open by a fusible link which releases a component such as a fire damper or fire shutter when it reaches a certain temperature. So whenever the fusible link is met with a high temperature from a fire it will release and close the damper. 

For testing purposes the fusible link can be released manually and allows us to carry out our job and report our findings to you. Our operatives will carry out these tests by dropping and resetting the dampers manually. They will then sticker and reference each damper in accordance with construction drawing.

The drop test of a fire damper allows us to test the integrity of the damper, the fusible link and identify any failures in your fire safety systems. All fire dampers should close fully on release. If this does not happen the fire damper will not prevent the spread of smoke and fire in an emergency situation.

Access to the fire dampers are critical as we need to get into the damper to carry out our inspections and tests. All fire dampers should be accessible through either an access panel in the ductwork or a builders hatch. If your fire dampers are not easily accessible this could be something we look into for you.

Completing a routine test will not be sufficient compliance with the requirements set by regulators. You will need to maintain records of when testing took places and the results from those tests.

Upon completion of the test and inspection we will issue a certificate to our clients along with a fire damper drop test report conveying which dampers have passed and if any have failed. It is an obligation to annually test each fire/smoke damper in the building for health and safety purposes as per ‘BS 9999’.

If you’re interested in our fire damper testing services and expertise you can contact us today and we will be in touch with you to understand your requirements.

If you would like to see more information about the other services we offer regarding fire dampers check out: