Commission Regulation (EC) No 1497/2007 of 18 December 2007 establishing, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, standard leakage checking requirements for stationary fire protection systems containing certain fluorinated greenhouse gases (Text with EEA relevance)
Subject matter and scope
This Regulation establishes, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 842/2006, the standard leakage checking requirements for working and temporarily out of operation stationary systems consisting of one or more interconnected containers including associated parts installed in response to a specific fire risk in a defined space, hereinafter ‘fire protection systems’.
This Regulation shall apply to fire protection systems containing 3 kg or more of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
System records
1. The operator shall indicate his name, postal address and telephone number in the records referred to in Article 3(6) of Regulation (EC) No 842/2006, hereinafter ‘system records’.
2. The fluorinated greenhouse gas charge for a fire protection system shall be indicated in the system records.
3. Where the fluorinated greenhouse gas charge for a fire protection system is not indicated in the manufacturer's technical specifications or on the label of that system, the operator shall ensure that it is determined by certified personnel.
Checking system records
1. Before carrying out leakage checks, certified personnel shall check the system records.
2. Special attention shall be paid to relevant information on any repeating issues or problem areas.
Visual and manual checks
1. To identify damage and signs of leakage, certified personnel shall carry out visual checks of operating controls, containers, components and connections which are under pressure.
2. Any presumption of fluorinated greenhouse gas leakage in the fire protection system shall be checked by certified personnel.
3. One or more of the following situations shall constitute a presumption of leakage:
(a)
a fixed leakage detection system indicates leakage;
(b)
a container shows a loss in pressure, adjusted for temperature, of more than 10 %;
(c)
a container shows a loss in extinguishant quantity of more than 5 %;
(d)
other signs indicating charge loss.
4. Pressure gauges and weight-monitoring devices shall be checked once every 12 months to ensure their proper functioning.
Repair of leakage
1. The operator shall ensure that a repair or a replacement is carried out by personnel certified to undertake that specific activity.
2. The operator shall ensure that a leakage test is carried out prior to recharging.
Follow-up check
Certified personnel shall, when carrying out the follow-up check referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 842/2006, focus on those areas where leakages have been found and repaired as well as on adjacent areas in cases where stress has been applied during the repair.
Requirements for newly commissioned systems
Newly installed systems shall be checked for leakage immediately after they have been put into service.
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
