6 Minimum recommended maintenance
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1318/Rev.1 – Revised Guidelines for the Maintenance and Inspections of Fixed Carbon Dioxide Fire-Extinguishing Systems – (25 May 2021) - Annex – Revised Guidelines for the Maintenance and Inspections of Fixed Carbon Dioxide Fire-Extinguishing Systems - 6 Minimum recommended maintenance

6 Minimum recommended maintenance

 6.1 At least biennially (intervals of 2 years ± 3 months) in passenger ships or at each intermediate, periodical or renewal surveyfootnote in cargo ships, the following maintenance should be carried out (to assist in carrying out the recommended maintenance, examples of service charts are set out in the appendix):

  • .1 all high-pressure cylinders and pilot cylinders should be weighed or have their contents verified by other reliable means to confirm that the available charge in each is above 90% of the nominal charge. Cylinders containing less than 90% of the nominal charge should be refilled. The liquid level of low pressure storage tanks should be checked to verify that the required amount of carbon dioxide to protect the largest hazard is available;

  • .2 the hydrostatic test date of all storage containers should be checked. High-pressure cylinders should be subjected to periodical tests at intervals not exceeding 10 years. At the 10-year inspection, at least 10% of the total number provided should be subjected to an internal inspection and hydrostatic testfootnote. If one or more cylinders fail, a total of 50% of the onboard cylinders should be tested. If further cylinders fail, all cylinders should be tested. Before the 20-year anniversary and every 10-year anniversary thereafter, all cylinders should be subjected to a hydrostatic test. Flexible hoses should be replaced at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer and not exceeding every 10 years. When cylinders are removed for testing, the cylinders should be replaced such that the quantity of fire-extinguishing medium continues to satisfy the requirements of 2.2.1 of chapter 5 of the FSS Code, subject to SOLAS regulation II-2/14.2; and

  • .3 the discharge piping and nozzles should be tested to verify that they are not blocked. The test should be performed by isolating the discharge piping from the system and flowing dry air or nitrogen from test cylinders or suitable means through the piping.

 6.2 At least biennially (intervals of 2 years ± 3 months) in passenger ships or at each renewal surveyfootnote in cargo ships, the following maintenance should be carried out by service technicians/ specialists trained to standards accepted by the Administration:

  • .1 where possible, all activating heads should be removed from the cylinder valves and tested for correct functioning by applying full working pressure through the pilot lines.

  • In cases where this is not possible, pilot lines should be disconnected from the cylinder valves and blanked off or connected together and tested with full working pressure from the release station and checked for leakage.

  • In both cases this should be carried out from one or more release stations when installed. If manual pull cables operate the remote release controls, they should be checked to verify the cables and corner pulleys are in good condition and freely move and do not require an excessive amount of travel to activate the system;

  • .2 all cable components should be cleaned and adjusted as necessary, and the cable connectors should be properly tightened. If the remote release controls are operated by pneumatic pressure, the tubing should be checked for leakage, and the proper charge of the remote releasing station pilot gas cylinders should be verified. All controls and warning devices should function normally, and the time delay, if fitted should prevent the discharge of gas for the required time period; and

  • .3 after completion of the work, the system should be returned to service. All releasing controls should be verified in the proper position and connected to the correct control valves. All pressure switch interlocks should be reset and returned to service. All stop valves should be in the closed position.

Parent topic: Annex – Revised Guidelines for the Maintenance and Inspections of Fixed Carbon Dioxide Fire-Extinguishing Systems
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