Produced Foam Testing Requirements

Foam concentrates are stored for long periods and may unknowingly degrade or become contaminated unless regular testing is performed. Foam proportioning systems are often idle for most of their design life and so an annual test is important to confirm the system will work as intended on demand.

International Fire Standards NFPA 11:2021,  BS EN 13565-1:2019 and BS EN 13565-2018 recommend annual testing of foam concentrates and produced foam at least annually in order confirm they are fit for purpose.

The test requires the system to be run at or near design conditions whilst samples are taken of the produced foam as close to the protected area as possible. The produced foam sample is then tested against a set of calibration fluids in order to determine whether the produced foam concentration is within the range specified by the Standards.  This range is dependent on the manufacturers recommended concentration which is typically 1%, 3% or 6% by volume.

Acceptable Produced Foam Concentrations (by volume)

The produced foam concentration should be validated in an independent laboratory to confirm a successful test but on-site testing is useful for:

• interim testing between annual tests without having to use a laboratory;
  
  
• to give personnel confience the laboratory will return a positive result and therefore avoid having to repeat the test at a later date.