Testing and Commissioning
Hot and Cold smoke test
Hot and Cold smoke test verifies that the systems work properly together, so a smoke detector in alarm or a sprinkler flow switch causes the smoke control systems to activate and the appropriate dampers to position properly in response to that alarm. These are the “process” and “system” parts of the earlier definition.
This test will checks how well actual system performance delivers the design concept. These are the “assessing” and “performance” parts of “the process of assessing system performance. “Commissioning begins with design – A clear expression of the design criteria or the design intent is a key tool for successful commissioning. It tells everyone what performance they can expect the smoke control system to deliver during commissioning and, therefore, during a fire.
Australian standard AS 4391-1999
Because of their special geometry and sufficiently complex smoke control systems, buildings to which the hot smoke test is ideally applicable include: atrium, factories,
warehouses, department stores, shopping & other complexes, multi-storey office buildings or sporting and entertainment centres. The hot smoke test provides a means by which a specified quantity of smoke is generated by a test fire to assist in the assessment of the performance characteristics of a building’s smoke management system. The test fire provides a dynamic buoyant flow of smoke representative of real fire plumes.
~~~ Page 5 —
This test method is intended for use as a tool in the commissioning process of a building’s smoke management system to verify that the operation of the system, under simulated test fire conditions, is as approved by the regulatory authority.
C1.2 This test is intended to verify the correct performance of a smoke management system including operation, sequence of control and, where practical, specified smoke
layer depths. It is not intended as a means of establishing smoke obscuration levels or system integrity under real fire conditions.
~~~ Page 6 clause 1.2
Advantage of using cold smoke test is that it will not create sooth stains on the wall and ceiling in a building that is already in operation.