The following Bechtel Jacobs Company, LLC Lesson Learned was generated recent testing of sprinkler systems. It is being disseminated for potential applicability at other DOE facilities. If manufacturers do not provide recommendations for periodic replacement of parts that are likely to have service lives, such as rubber products, recommended replacement frequencies should be requested. For important systems, the replacement frequency should ensure that system down time between testing or maintenance cycles is minimized. This should include a process for analyzing replacement and repair history so replacement frequencies can be adjusted as needed to maintain reliability.
Manufacturers sometimes change technical information.
As a compensatory measure, fire watches were initiated for the building areas covered by the failed sprinkler systems. Emergency repairs were made. A field check inspection was performed in order to identify equipment problems that could cause test failures. It was also discovered that the manufacturer did not provide a replacement interval for parts that could age in service, such as the auxiliary clapper rubber facing and the O-rings, in the technical information provided. Administrative controls were not in place to obtain this information, when not provided, and factor the periodic replacement of parts likely to deteriorate from service into the maintenance practices.