Foam suppression systems are used in flammable liquid fires where water alone is insufficient in flammable liquid fires they are used: fuel tank farms, fueling stations, aircraft hangars, chemical storage facilities and transformer rooms. The system can perform its function depending on one thing only — correctly proportioned, still effective foam.
We provide periodic inspections, foam concentrate sample analysis, proportioner and discharge equipment testing, tank and pipeline inspection, and troubleshooting services for fixed foam suppression systems.
What Is Included in Maintenance?
Foam concentrate
- Reading of tank level and comparison with design quantity
- Visual inspection of concentrate — settling, phase separation, color and viscosity changes
- Periodic sampling for laboratory analysis; documentation that the concentrate still complies with specifications
- Verification that concentrate type is suitable for the protected risk (use of appropriate type where alcohol resistance is required)
- Inspection of tank for corrosion, gaskets, venting, and level indicator
Foam concentrate is the "quietest" component in the system: the tank appears full, the level indicator reads normal, no alarm sounds — but the liquid inside may no longer be capable of producing foam. This is why sample analysis in foam systems is more critical than mechanical inspections.
Proportioner and mixing
- Operation control according to proportioner type (venturi, bladder tank, pumped)
- Measurement of mixing ratio and comparison with design value
- Bladder tank integrity and pressure balancing line
- Cleanliness of measurement orifices, filters, and strainers
Discharge equipment and lines
- Blockage inspection of foam generators, air-aspirating nozzles, and sprinkler heads
- Glass diaphragm of tank-top foam chambers and discharge path
- Valve positions, check valves, and pipeline corrosion
- Water source and supply pump flow rate — pump group maintenance is conducted together with
Control and triggering
- Testing of triggering logic between detection system and deluge valve
- Accessibility and functionality of manual activation points
- Transmission of system operation and fault signals to fire panel
Environmental Responsibility
Wastewater generated during foam testing must not be discharged to drainage uncontrolled. Especially at fuel and chemical facilities, the test plan should include collection of wastewater and its proper disposal. This is a point that should be written into maintenance specifications but is frequently overlooked.
As an alternative not requiring a pressure vessel aerosol suppression you may also consider systems.
Legal Basis for This Maintenance
Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY) maintenance of fire safety systems is defined not as an optional improvement, but as an obligation incumbent upon the building owner and administrator defines it as follows:
- Article 84 — Emergency lighting, signage, and fire detection and alarm systems shall be subject to periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance as required by the system specified in the applicable standards, under the responsibility of the building owner and administrator or the building official to whom they have delegated responsibilities in writing.
- Article 100 — Fire suppression systems shall be subject to periodic inspection, testing, and maintenance as required by the system specified in the applicable standards, under the responsibility of the building owner, administrator, or the building official to whom they have delegated responsibilities in writing is a requirementA zone monitoring module connects an entire conventional detector line to the addressable loop. Critical areas are renewed with addressable devices while secondary zones continue to operate with their existing wiring. This provides significant cost advantage in capacity upgrade and renovation projects.
The common aspect of both articles is this: the regulation does not prescribe the period itself, but refers it to the standard the system is subject to. In other words, maintenance frequency is set not by the regulation but by the standard the system was designed to (TS EN 12845 for sprinklers, the TS EN 54 series for detection, TS ISO 14520 for gas systems) and by the manufacturer's own manual. A specification that says "the regulation requires this frequency" is built on the wrong basis.
The Ministry's regulation guide explicitly requires retention of these records: information, documents, and records related to inspections, maintenance, and tests must be kept in a secure place by the building owner, administrator, or responsible party for submission to relevant authorities in any emergency. Maintenance being performed is not enough; it must be documented that it was performed.
Related Pages
To Set Up Your Maintenance Program
One contract, a solution for everything: we provide end-to-end maintenance to fire detection, gas suppression, sprinkler, hydrant, and pump units in their entirety; if you wish, maintenance of camera (CCTV) systems can also be added to the same contract.
If you do not have the brand, age, and last maintenance record of the existing system on hand, that is not a problem; the first step is anyway inventory and current condition assessment. Setting up an annual program without seeing what is there in the field means selling maintenance for a system that does not exist.
You can examine your system brand's product equivalents in our product catalog ; for requirements specific to your facility's use class, you can visit our sectoral solutions pages.
For survey and quotation you can or send your plan through our write or directly You can call call the number. Survey is free within Ankara; for facilities throughout Turkey, the visit plan is established jointly before contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should foam concentrate be replaced?
Decision is made based on analysis results rather than a calendar schedule. Samples taken periodically are examined in the laboratory; if the concentrate does not meet the values specified in the concentrate specification, it is replaced. Concentrates that have undergone sedimentation, phase separation, or freezing-thawing cycles are a priority risk group.
What is the most common failure in foam systems?
More often than mechanical failures: deviation of the mixture ratio from the design value and aging of the concentrate. Neither becomes apparent during system operation; water flows, foam appears, but no permanent blanket forms over the flammable liquid. For this reason, ratio measurement and sample analysis are the core of maintenance.
Can foam concentrate of a different brand be added?
It should not be added unless the manufacturer explicitly states compatibility. Mixing different types and brands can compromise foam stability and make system performance unpredictable. If topping up is to be performed, the type and brand of the existing concentrate shall be used as the basis.