Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-307 - Safety standards for agriculture › INDOOR OPERATIONS › Part S - Fire Protection and Ignition Sources; Exit Routes › Section 296-307-34018 - Hydrostatic testing

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) The
				  employer must ensure that a trained person performs hydrostatic testing with
				  suitable testing equipment and facilities.
(2) The employer must ensure that portable
				  extinguishers are hydrostatically tested at the intervals listed in the table
				  below.
Type of Extinguishers
Test interval (years)
Soda acid (stainless steel shell)
5
Cartridge operated water and/or antifreeze
5
Stored pressure water and/or antifreeze
5
Wetting agent
5
Foam (stainless steel shell)
5
Aqueous film forming form (AFFF)
5
Loaded stream
5
Dry chemical with stainless steel
5
Carbon dioxide
5
Dry chemical, stored pressure, with mild steel,
								brazed brass or aluminum shells
12
Dry chemical, cartridge or cylinder operated, with
								mild steel shells
12
Halon 1211
12
Halon 1301
12
Dry powder, cartridge or cylinder operated, with
								mild steel shell
12
Exception:
Extinguishers must not be hydrostatically tested
								if the following conditions exist:
(a) When the unit has been repaired by soldering,
								welding, brazing, or use of patching compounds;
(b) When the cylinder or shell threads are
								damaged;
(c) When there is corrosion that has caused
								pitting, including corrosion under removable name plate assemblies;
(d) When the extinguisher has been burned in a
								fire; or
(e) When a calcium chloride extinguishing agent
								has been used in a stainless steel shell.
(3) In addition to an external visual
				  examination, the employer must ensure that the cylinders and shells are
				  examined internally before the hydrostatic testing.
(4) The employer must ensure that portable
				  fire extinguishers are hydrostatically tested whenever they show new evidence
				  of corrosion or mechanical injury.
(5) The employer must ensure that hydrostatic
				  tests are performed on extinguisher hose assemblies that are equipped with a
				  shut-off nozzle at the discharge end of the hose. The test interval must be the
				  same as specified for the extinguisher on which the hose is
				  installed.
(6) Carbon dioxide hose
				  assemblies with a shut-off nozzle must be hydrostatically tested at 1,250 psi
				  (8,620 kPa).
(7) Dry chemical and
				  dry powder hose assemblies with a shut-off nozzle must be hydrostatically
				  tested at 300 psi (2,070 kPa).
(8)
				  Hose assemblies passing a hydrostatic test do not require any type of recording
				  or stamping.
(9) The employer must
				  ensure that hose assemblies for carbon dioxide extinguishers that require a
				  hydrostatic test are tested within a protective cage device.
(10) The employer must ensure that carbon
				  dioxide extinguishers and nitrogen or carbon dioxide cylinders used with
				  wheeled extinguishers are tested every five years at 5/3 of the service
				  pressure as stamped into the cylinder. Nitrogen cylinders that comply with 29
				  C.F.R. 173.34(e)(15) may be hydrostatically tested every ten years.
(11) The employer must ensure that all stored
				  pressure and Halon 1211 types of extinguishers are hydro-statically tested at
				  the factory test pressure not to exceed two times the service
				  pressure.
(12) The employer must
				  ensure that self-generating type soda acid and foam extinguishers are tested at
				  350 psi (2,410 kPa).
(13) Air or
				  gas pressure used for hydrostatic testing is prohibited.
(14) The employer must remove from the
				  workplace all extinguisher shells, cylinders, or cartridges that fail a
				  hydrostatic pressure test, or that are not fit for testing.
(15)
(a)
				  Water-jacket equipment must be used for testing compressed gas type cylinders.
				  The equipment must have an expansion indicator that operates with an accuracy
				  within one percent of the total expansion or 0.1 cc (.1 mL) of
				  liquid.
(b) The following equipment
				  must be used to test non-compressed gas type cylinders:
(i) A hydrostatic test pump, hand or power
				  operated, capable of producing not less than one hundred fifty percent of the
				  test pressure, which must include appropriate check valves and
				  fittings;
(ii) A flexible
				  connection for attachment to fittings to test through the extinguisher nozzle,
				  test bonnet, or hose outlet, as is applicable; and
(iii) A protective cage or barrier for
				  personal protection of the tester, designed to provide visual observation of
				  the extinguisher under test.