So you had all of your fire system inspections last year and made all the necessary repairs. This year you know your systems are in good shape and you expect a good and clean inspection report. Nevertheless, when you receive your report from the most recent fire inspection it has a list of deficiencies a mile long! How could this be? Everything was fixed last year!
This happens more times than we can count. It’s frustrating and we get it. The fact is, a LOT of things happen over the course of a year that might go unnoticed without performing the annual inspection. Parts go bad and things get damaged; however, the number one issue we observe on multifamily properties is painted sprinkler heads! DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE TO DEFICIENT SPRINKLER HEADS
In a perfect world we would come out to your property, perform the annual fire inspection, hang a shiny green tag and tell you that everything is A-OK. Unfortunately, that often is not the case. The truth is, our inspectors spend hours walking through apartment units counting hundreds or even thousands of the painted sprinkler heads that have popped up just since the previous year’s inspection. Even tiny specks of paint on the head can cause them to not go off at the right temperature and put your community and property at risk which is why we yellow tag them.
The irony that renovations and improvements to your units can result in thousands of dollars in repairs is not lost on us. Fortunately, this problem is easily solved with better communication and collaboration. Preventing painted heads is as simple as placing a plastic bag over each sprinkler head before any sanding or painting.
We’re on your team! We want to keep you safe and compliant. So, here are a few tips to put an end to painted sprinkler heads:
- Communicate with your staff and all contractors the importance of protecting the fire sprinkler heads in your buildings.
- Explain the cost associated with replacement of fire sprinkler heads.
- Write and enforce a procedure that anyone doing work in your units must follow, whether it’s painting or other work that might cause construction dust.
- Have contractors working in the unit open windows when painting (spray) or sanding.
- Inspect the heads in the unit(s) before and after someone performs work and document any changes.
By implementing a few of these tips, hopefully you can avoid the most common problem that quickly becomes a nightmare for managers of multifamily properties.
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