Room Integrity Testing South Africa is the door fan test that proves a gas suppressed room still holds the agent long enough to work. Rooms leak more every time a cable is pulled, so the test is repeated rather than done once. Send one request and compare quotes.
Tell us about the room and get test quotes.
Get the Best QuoteWhat the Test Does
- Pressurise the room. A calibrated fan in the doorway raises and lowers pressure.
- Measure leakage. Airflow needed to hold a pressure difference gives the leak area.
- Calculate hold time. Software predicts how long the agent stays above concentration.
- Pass or fail. Against the hold time the system design requires.
- Leak location. Smoke or thermal methods find where the leaks actually are.
Why Rooms Fail
- Cable penetrations. Opened for new cabling and never resealed. The commonest cause by far.
- Ceiling voids. Gaps above the ceiling line into adjacent spaces.
- Door seals. Perished, or doors that no longer close fully.
- Air conditioning. Dampers that do not close on discharge.
- Floor voids. Raised floors leaking into corridors.
After a Fail
- Sealing work. Penetrations, voids and dampers made good.
- Retest. Confirms the sealing actually achieved what was needed.
- Report. Documented result for the fire file and the insurer.
- Review the design. Occasionally the room simply cannot be sealed and the system needs changing.
Room Integrity Testing Prices
Ballpark prices so you can check a quotation.
| Item | Ballpark price |
|---|---|
| Single room test | R8,500 - R28,000 |
| Additional room on the same visit | R4,500 - R14,000 |
| Retest after sealing | R4,500 - R16,000 |
| Leak location survey | R3,500 - R12,000 |
| Sealing work, typical server room | R6,000 - R45,000 |
| Written report and certificate | Usually included |
| Travel outside the metro, per km | R8 - R18 |
Prices JUST UPDATED. Ballpark figures, rounded, excluding VAT. They reflect typical South African supplier and contractor rates for fire protection work. They are not our prices or quotations, and no provider is bound by them. Confirm what each quotation includes, such as travel, certificates, consumables, after-hours work and minimum callout fees.
Get a price for testing your rooms.
Get the Best QuoteWhat Affects the Price
- Room size. Larger rooms need bigger fan rigs and longer setup.
- Number of rooms. Several on one visit costs far less per room.
- Door configuration. Double doors or unusual openings need special rigs.
- Access hours. Testing a live data centre often has to happen out of hours.
- Leak location included. Finding the leaks is separate work from measuring them.
- Retest needed. A failed room means a second visit.
What to Include in Your Request
- Room dimensions. Including ceiling and floor voids.
- The suppression system. Agent type and required hold time.
- Number of rooms. And whether they are on one site.
- Last test date. And whether it passed.
- Recent work. Any cabling or building work since the last test.
Keeping a Room Sealed
- Make sealing a condition of cabling work. Every contractor who pulls a cable should reseal.
- Test after any building work. A refit invalidates the previous result.
- Check the dampers. Air conditioning that keeps running on discharge empties the room.
- Keep the report. It is what proves the system can actually do its job.
Room Integrity Testing FAQs
How often should a room be tested?
Annually is the common requirement for gas suppressed rooms, and additionally after any work that breaks the enclosure, which in practice means most cabling jobs.
What is a door fan test?
A calibrated fan is sealed into the doorway and used to pressurise and depressurise the room. The airflow required gives a measurement of total leak area, from which hold time is calculated.
Our room passed at handover. Why would it fail now?
Almost always new cable penetrations. A data room accumulates holes over its life, and each one is small enough to seem harmless on its own.
Can we test without shutting the room down?
Usually yes, since the test does not discharge anything. It does need the doors closed and the air conditioning in its discharge state, so it is often scheduled out of hours.
Integrity testing is one of the services quoted through Fire Safety Inspections South Africa and it is what makes a gas suppression system trustworthy.
Related Services
Get the Best Quote, Fast
Client Reviews
Powered by leaderr
