Lift for fire protection systems: sprinklers, detectors, smoke venting

Installing and inspecting fire protection systems in a hall, that is sprinklers, smoke and heat detectors, sounders, smoke vents and smoke curtains, and emergency lighting, is done from a cherry picker (aerial work platform, MEWP), most often an electric scissor lift. It travels with the platform raised along a row of sprinklers or detectors, produces no exhaust fumes and does not mark the floor. Over high-bay racking and production lines an electric articulating boom lift is used, and for smoke vents and rooflights from the roof side, a diesel articulating or telescopic boom lift. Single detectors in an office or shop can be handled by a compact vertical mast lift. The height is matched to the mounting point under the ceiling, and the platform capacity to people, tools and material together.

Which lift for which fire protection system?

Manual call points and most access control readers hang within arm’s reach, so they do not need a lift. A lift is needed for everything that is under the ceiling, on the roof and on the façade.

• Electric scissor lift: the basic machine in a hall and warehouse. Sprinkler pipework under the ceiling, point and linear detectors, acoustic and visual sounders, emergency lighting luminaires, smoke curtains, motion sensors of the alarm system and cable routes of access control. In our fleet 7.7–14.3 m working height and 227–565 kg platform capacity. The long platform (up to about 3.8 m) lets you travel along the pipeline without lowering it, and narrow models (width 0.76–0.81 m) fit through doors and between racking. For the tallest halls we have a 22.5 m scissor lift (PB S225-12ES).
• Electric articulating boom lift: when the machine cannot stand under the sprinkler or detector because high-bay racking, a production line, a conveyor or a mezzanine is in the way. The platform passes over the obstacle. In our fleet from about 10.9 to 20.4 m working height, horizontal outreach up to 13.5 m, platform capacity of 200–230 kg for people, tools and small fittings. Long pipes are not carried in it.
• Diesel articulating boom lift 4×4 and telescopic boom lift: work outdoors. Smoke vents and rooflights from the roof side, smoke extraction fans, sounders and detectors on the façade. We have diesel articulating boom lifts from 12.5 to 43 m, and the platform reaches over the edge of the roof to vents within the boom’s reach. When you cannot get up to the wall because of an annex or a strip of greenery, a telescopic boom lift is used: from 14 to about 57 m, with a horizontal outreach of up to 24.4 m.
• Self-propelled vertical mast lift: single detectors, sounders and motion sensors in offices, shops and corridors. A small, manoeuvrable machine, in our fleet 10–12.65 m working height, platform capacity 200 kg, width 0.99–1.2 m. It is easy to move from point to point.

How do you choose the height for the ceiling and roof?

The working height of a lift is the height of the platform floor plus about 2 m, that is the arm reach of a standing person. What you measure is not the height of the hall but the place of work:

• sprinklers and distribution pipes: the level of the pipeline, that is of the hangers under the ceiling or under the purlin,
• smoke and heat detectors: the underside of the ceiling or roof covering at the mounting point, and with a pitched roof the highest point where work will take place,
• smoke vents from inside: the underside of the roof at the vent (actuator, drive, cabling); from outside: the height of the parapet plus the distance from the roof edge to the vent, which the horizontal outreach must cover,
• smoke curtains and emergency lighting: the fixing point of the cassette or luminaire.

The fitter should work at chest height, not at full stretch, especially when tightening sprinklers and pipe couplings. For example, a sprinkler pipeline at 9 m calls for a scissor lift with a working height of about 10 m, and detectors under the roof at 12 m call for a 12–14 m machine. More about the calculation in the article how to choose the working height of a lift.

How much material should you take onto the platform and how do you pass up sprinkler pipes?

Platform capacity is the sum of people, tools and material. The platform of an electric scissor lift (227–565 kg) takes fitters with a cordless screwdriver, spanners, hangers, sprinklers, detectors, sockets and short lengths of pipe. Long and heavy sections of pipeline are handled differently:

• pipes are not hung on the guardrails or leaned against them; the guardrails protect people and are not there for transport,
• a pipe sticking out beyond the outline of the platform will hit racking, a column or the existing installation when you drive,
• pipe sections up to a ceiling height of 7.7 m are lifted by a manual installation lift (Sumner 2000: capacity 300 kg, weight 190 kg, width 0.79 m), and the fitter on a platform next to it only fixes them in place; the light machine will also go onto a mezzanine or a slab that will not carry heavier equipment,
• outdoors and on the site of a new hall, bundles of pipes and heavy items are handled by a telehandler (in our fleet 13.5–17.5 m lifting height, nominal capacity 4 t, less at full reach, as shown by the load chart),
• in a hall under construction, without a finished floor, a diesel rough terrain scissor lift of 10–18 m with a large platform of 450–1,134 kg capacity works well.

How do you work in an operating warehouse, plant or shop?

Inspections and upgrades of fire protection systems are usually done without shutting the building down. Electric lifts are quiet, emission-free and run on non-marking tyres, so they work among people and goods. A few rules:

• the area under the platform is fenced off and marked, and forklift traffic is routed along another aisle,
• the work is divided into sections: a row of sprinklers or detectors in one aisle, then the next,
• picking zones, production lines and sales floors are done on a night shift, at the weekend or during a production break,
• work on a live fire alarm system is agreed with the building manager so as not to trigger a false alarm,
• the width of aisles and gates and the floor loading are checked before the machine is delivered.

How to match the dimensions of the machine to narrow aisles between racking is described in the article lift for a high-bay warehouse.

Inspection or installation: how long should you rent a lift for?

Fire protection equipment is subject to periodic inspections and maintenance, which is why service companies and building managers rent a lift regularly, usually for a short time. An inspection, replacing damaged detectors or sprinklers or checking smoke vents is a rental for as many days as it takes to walk round the building.

Installing a new sprinkler system, fire alarm or smoke extraction takes weeks, and the machine works every day. In that case long-term rental pays off: a lower daily rate, inspections and servicing on our side, and a replacement machine if there is a breakdown. On large installations several machines are combined in one quotation, for example a scissor lift for work under the ceiling and a manual installation lift for pipes.

In the enquiry it is enough to give:

• the height of the ceiling, pipeline or smoke vents,
• the width of aisles, doors and gates, and the type of floor,
• whether the building will be operating during the work,
• the number of points or the length of the installation, the date and the expected rental period.

Who can operate the lift and what if the machine breaks down?

The operator of a mobile elevating work platform must hold a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT). As standard, the machine is operated by the customer’s operator, that is a fitter or service engineer with the licence, and in the platform of an articulating boom lift a safety harness with a lanyard is required. If you need a machine with an operator, ask about it when requesting a quote: this is possible when one of our service technicians qualified as an operator is free on that date. Employees without a licence can be sent on our UDT courses with an examination.

We deliver machines throughout Poland and organise the transport ourselves. If a lift breaks down during the work, RK Rental’s mobile service repairs it on site at the customer’s premises and, if needed, supplies a replacement machine from the fleet.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use to install sprinklers in a hall?

Most often an electric scissor lift: it travels with the platform raised along the pipeline, holds the fitters with their tools and fittings, produces no exhaust fumes and does not mark the floor. In our fleet it has a working height of 7.7–14.3 m and a platform capacity of 227–565 kg. Over high-bay racking and production lines an electric articulating boom lift is used (up to 20.4 m). Long and heavy lengths of pipe are not carried on the guardrails: up to a ceiling height of 7.7 m they are lifted by a manual installation lift, and outdoors by a telehandler.

How tall a lift do I need for smoke detectors under the roof of a hall?

The working height is the height of the platform floor plus about 2 m. You measure the place where the detector is mounted, that is the underside of the ceiling or roof covering, and with a pitched roof the highest point where work will take place. Detectors at 12 m can be reached with a machine of 12–14 m working height. In our fleet electric scissor lifts usually reach up to 14.3 m, and for the tallest halls we have a 22.5 m scissor lift.

Which lift should I use to service smoke vents in a roof?

From inside the hall, for the actuators, drives and cabling of a vent, an electric scissor lift is enough, and where there is racking under the vent, an electric articulating boom lift. From outside, for the vent leaves, seals and rooflights, you need a diesel 4×4 articulating boom lift (12.5–43 m in our fleet) or a telescopic boom lift with a horizontal outreach of up to 24.4 m: the machine stands by the wall and the platform reaches over the edge of the roof. Whether the outreach is enough for a particular vent is checked on the machine’s reach chart.

Can a fire protection system inspection be done in an operating warehouse?

Yes. Electric lifts are quiet, produce no exhaust fumes and run on non-marking tyres, so they work in an operating warehouse, plant or shop. The area under the platform is fenced off, forklift traffic is routed along another aisle and the work is divided into sections; in busy areas it is planned for the night or the weekend. Work on a live fire alarm system is agreed with the building manager so as not to trigger a false alarm.

How long should I rent a lift for an inspection, and how long for installing a fire protection system?

An inspection, replacing individual detectors and sprinklers or checking smoke vents is a short rental, for as many days as it takes to walk round the building. Installing a new system in a hall takes weeks, so long-term rental pays off: a lower daily rate, servicing on our side and a replacement machine if there is a breakdown. We deliver machines throughout Poland.