BS 7346-8 / EN 12101
Site team, logged
Annually minimum
Actuator and battery failure
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm. 24/7 emergency line out of hours.
Smoke ventilation clears smoke from common corridors and stairs so residents can escape and firefighters can get in. In residential blocks it is the system that makes a stay-put or phased strategy viable, and if it does not operate the whole strategy fails.
It is also mechanically the most neglected fire system in most buildings. Actuators seize, control panel batteries die, vents get painted shut, and because nothing tests itself, nobody knows until it is needed.
We service automatic opening vents, natural smoke shafts, mechanical smoke extract and the control panels behind them. Every service includes a functional test of the vent under panel command, actuator condition, battery load test, and confirmation that the vent physically travels its full opening.
Cause and effect matters here. Vents should operate from the right detector on the right floor, and on many sites the wiring has been altered over the years so the wrong vent opens. We verify the sequence rather than just proving the vent moves.
Weekly testing is a site responsibility, and it is simple — a key switch test and a look. We set the logbook up and train whoever will do it, so the record exists when the fire service or your insurer asks.
Every vent operated under panel command and confirmed to open fully and reset.
Verification that the correct vent responds to the correct detector or call point.
Condition, travel and fixings checked; seized or failing actuators replaced.
Panel fault checks and standby battery load testing, with replacement on failure.
Fan operation, dampers, ductwork condition and control interface checks.
Weekly test procedure documented and site staff shown how to run and record it.
Vents, shafts, panels, actuators and interfaces recorded per core and per floor.
Everything operated, sequence verified, batteries load tested, findings recorded.
Certificate issued with priced remedials for anything that failed or is degrading.
Annual service scheduled and weekly site testing set up with a logbook.
Some insurers and managing agents require six-monthly servicing on higher-risk residential blocks — we will schedule to whichever is stricter.
Yes, and it is extremely common. First service typically finds seized actuators or dead panel batteries. Better to find that now than during an incident.
Largely. Vent operation is quiet; the disruption is access to communal areas and the roof. We schedule daytime visits and notify residents in advance.
AOVs are vents that open to let smoke out naturally, usually at the head of a stair or shaft. Mechanical extract uses fans and ductwork, and is used where natural venting cannot achieve the required performance.
Yes — dampers, actuators and their control interface are part of the service where a shaft system is fitted.
One functional service answers that, with a certificate to prove it.
