Frequently Asked Questions

Gas fire suppression is a method of extinguishing fire by rapidly releasing a specific gas into a protected space to remove one of the conditions a fire needs to continue burning — oxygen, heat, or the chemical chain reaction. Unlike water-based systems, it leaves no residue, which is why it's preferred in sensitive environments such as electronic equipment rooms, archives, and museums.

It's used in server rooms, data centers, electrical panels, archives, museums, control centers, manufacturing facilities, and power plants — anywhere that can't be cleaned up with water or needs to keep running without interruption. Choosing the right agent and architecture depends on the space's occupancy, size, and sector-specific requirements.

Water can short-circuit and corrode live electronic equipment, and cause irreversible damage to materials like paper and textiles. Gas systems leave no residue after discharge, making them a safer choice for spaces protecting sensitive equipment or collections.

A signal from a heat, smoke, or flame detector is sent to the control panel; the panel first triggers a pre-alarm to allow time for evacuation, then sends a discharge command to the actuators once the defined time delay elapses. The system can also be triggered manually from a release station.

To reduce the risk of an unwanted discharge, the industry widely applies cross-zone detection, which requires two different detectors in the same zone to alarm at the same time before an automatic discharge occurs. Manual abort buttons also let anyone in the space delay a discharge if needed.

That depends on the gas used and the space's ventilation capacity. With CO2 systems in particular, adequate ventilation must be completed and the oxygen level measured and confirmed safe before anyone re-enters.

IG-541 is an inert gas blend made from nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide in fixed proportions. It doesn't react chemically — it extinguishes by diluting ambient oxygen to a level that can't sustain combustion, while still leaving a margin that a person can briefly breathe even at that concentration.

IG-55 is an inert gas made from a blend of nitrogen and argon, and works on the same physical oxygen-dilution principle as IG-541. It has a near-zero global warming potential (GWP) and is applied at concentrations designed for occupiable spaces; an alarm sounds and the space is evacuated before discharge.

FM-200 (HFC-227ea) is a clean agent that vaporizes rapidly on discharge, drawing heat out of the space and chemically interrupting the chain reaction in the flame zone. Its low design concentration allows a compact cylinder footprint across a wide range of applications.

FK-5-1-12 (marketed as Novec 1230) is a chemical clean agent that, like FM-200, works through heat absorption and chain-reaction interruption. Its key distinction is a GWP of 1 — the lowest environmental impact of any agent in this group.

Both extinguish by diluting oxygen, but CO2 at its extinguishing concentration is life-threatening because the gas itself can be fatal when inhaled, whereas inert gases such as IG-541 and IG-55 are applied at concentrations designed for occupiable spaces. In both cases an alarm sounds and the space is evacuated before discharge.

CO2's extinguishing concentration lowers ambient oxygen to a level that can't sustain human life. Because of this, CO2 systems require strict pre-alarm, time-delay, and evacuation measures, and are generally limited to spaces that are unoccupied under normal conditions or where access is tightly controlled.

GWP measures how many times more effectively a gas traps heat in the atmosphere compared with carbon dioxide. Inert gases sit near zero and FK-5-1-12 has a GWP of 1 — both very low impact — while FM-200 carries a notably higher GWP; this difference directly shapes agent selection on projects where sustainability is a priority.

IG-541, IG-55, FM-200, and FK-5-1-12 are all recognized as suitable agents for occupied spaces at their design concentrations. CO2 is not recommended as a primary choice for occupied spaces, since its extinguishing concentration drives oxygen well below a safe threshold.

The portion of a halocarbon agent such as FM-200 (HFC-227ea) or FK-5-1-12 that comes into contact with flames or very hot surfaces can break down into irritating and corrosive products such as hydrogen fluoride (HF). How much forms depends on the size of the fire when the agent is released and on how long extinguishment takes. That is why halocarbon systems are designed with early detection, which catches the fire while it is small, and a fast discharge of about 10 seconds. Inert gases (IG-541, IG-55) contain no halogens and do not form such decomposition products. Whatever the agent, the space should not be re-entered after a discharge until it has been ventilated and checked by an authorised person.

FM-200 and FK-5-1-12 are the most common choices for panel/cabinet suppression, thanks to their compact cartridge sizes and non-conductive properties. CO2 can also be considered for larger panels or industrial applications where access is tightly controlled.

A Stand Alone system is an independent architecture where each protected zone has its own dedicated cylinder group, piping, and control panel. Since maintenance or a fault in one zone doesn't affect the others, it's the preferred choice when a single critical space needs protection.

A Multi-Zone system delivers gas from a shared cylinder bank to multiple zones through selector valves. Since simultaneous fire across multiple zones isn't treated as a design scenario, the shared bank only needs to be sized for the largest single zone.

Stand Alone is a better fit when there are few zones and independence matters; Multi-Zone makes more sense with many zones, tight space, or a priority on cost savings. The decision should weigh zone count, budget, space constraints, and the risk of a simultaneous incident.

Design concentration is the target gas percentage, calculated through engineering, needed to extinguish a specific fuel class. It's calculated by adding a safety margin to the extinguishing concentration defined in the relevant standard.

Hold time is the minimum period the extinguishing atmosphere must remain in the protected space, without ventilation, to prevent re-ignition. Achieving this depends directly on how well the room is sealed.

Discharge time is the maximum time allowed for the gas to reach most of its design concentration. Keeping it short prevents the fire from growing further and stops a hot smoke layer from disrupting even gas mixing; this timing is verified with hydraulic calculation software.

A system is a linked chain made up of a detection unit, control panel, cylinder or cylinder bank, solenoid and pilot actuators, a selector valve (in Multi-Zone systems), manifold, piping, nozzles, pressure switch, check valve, burst disc, manual release station, and alarm unit.

Cross-zone detection is a design approach that requires two different detectors in the same zone to alarm at the same time before an automatic discharge occurs. This reduces the risk of a single detector's fault or environmental interference triggering an unnecessary gas discharge.

A door fan test uses a calibrated fan to pressurize and depressurize a room, measuring its total leakage area and calculating the expected retention time from it. It confirms whether the room meets its hold time requirement without ever performing a real gas discharge.

It's a mandatory step at initial commissioning, and should also be repeated after any change that could affect the room's structural integrity (a new cable penetration, a door replacement), as well as at regular intervals as part of the periodic maintenance program.

Maintenance frequency varies by system type and manufacturer instructions, but periodic pressure checks, detection function testing, and valve/actuator inspection should be part of a regular schedule. Cylinders are also subject to hydrostatic testing at defined intervals under applicable regulations.

A hydrostatic test is performed at defined intervals under applicable pressure-vessel regulations (TPED/PED) to confirm that a pressurized cylinder's shell still meets its original manufacturing pressure rating. Cylinders that fail or exceed their test interval are taken out of service.

No — most critical components (valve, actuator, detector, control panel) can be functionally tested through an electrical or pneumatic signal simulation, without a real gas discharge, provided their hardware supports it.

NFPA 2001 originates in the US, ISO 14520 is international, and EN 15004 applies in Europe — all are design standards for gas suppression systems. All three define similar engineering principles around design concentration, discharge time, and safety factors; the project specification should state which one governs the design. CO2 systems fall outside these standards and follow carbon-dioxide-specific rules such as NFPA 12.

These are independent testing and certification bodies that document a component has been tested to the relevant standard and meets its performance criteria. UL and FM originate in the US, LPCB in the UK, and VdS in Germany; TSE certifies compliance with national standards in Turkey.

The dimensions of the space to be protected (width, length, ceiling height), the type of equipment or materials inside it, occupancy status, existing cable/pipe penetrations, and any architectural drawings you have all speed up quote preparation. Zone count and budget priorities are also important factors shaping the choice between Stand Alone and Multi-Zone.

First the area is ventilated and nobody enters until an authorized person clears it. The discharged cylinders are then refilled with the agent the system is approved for, in the quantity the manufacturer specifies, single-use parts such as burst discs are replaced, and the system is recommissioned with a functional test. Details on our hydrostatic testing and refill page.

Fill in the short test request form on our room integrity testing page: name or company, phone or e-mail, city and number of rooms. Technical details are optional; we call you to agree the date and scope.

Server rooms generally call for occupant-safe agents such as FM-200, IG-541, or FK-5-1-12; CO2 isn't a primary choice for spaces staff enter and exit frequently. A single hall calls for Stand Alone architecture, while multi-hall facilities call for Multi-Zone.

Where space is limited, the compact footprint of FM-200 or FK-5-1-12 is an advantage; where environmental priorities and near-zero GWP matter, IG-541 or FK-5-1-12 stand out. The choice is made project by project based on available space, budget, and sustainability goals.

Yes — periodic maintenance, room integrity testing, and hydrostatic test tracking for existing gas suppression systems are offered as part of our service. For maintenance, we'll ask for the existing system's brand, model, and installation date.

Installation time depends on the size of the protected space, the number of zones, the architecture (Stand Alone/Multi-Zone), and the readiness of existing infrastructure. The exact timeline is finalized in the project plan once site survey and engineering design are complete.

After installation, you receive a hydraulic calculation report, a certificate of conformity to the applicable standard (NFPA 2001/ISO 14520/EN 15004), a room integrity (door fan) test report, and approval/certification documents for the system's components. These documents serve as the reference for future maintenance and inspection.

Yes — museum and archive projects prioritize residue-free gas agents (IG-541, FK-5-1-12, FM-200) along with concealed nozzle and cylinder placement that preserves the space's historic or aesthetic character. In large open gallery volumes, detailed hydraulic calculation ensures homogeneous gas distribution.