Dry riser inspection checklist

What the six-monthly inspection covers

The checklist follows the riser from the bottom to the top:

• The inlet: reachable, the cabinet opens, the glass is intact, caps and chains are on every coupling, and nothing is painted over.
• Signage at the inlet and on each floor.
• Every landing valve, one row per floor: cabinet reachable, valve closed and not leaking, cap and chain fitted.
• The air valve at the top and the drain at the base, so the riser empties after use.
• Visible pipework, for damage, leaks and corrosion.

The faults it finds most

Almost always at ground level: an inlet blocked by parked cars or bins, blank caps missing or seized, a broken glass panel, or a padlock nobody has the key to. On the floors, landing valves that have seized or whose washers have perished. The pipework can be perfect and the riser still useless if a fire crew cannot couple to it in the dark.

What it does not replace

A visual inspection does not prove the riser holds pressure. BS 9990 also requires a pressure test once a year, the riser charged to 12 bar and held for 15 minutes, which needs a pump, a fire service approved hose and a specialist: see dry riser testing. If the inspection finds faults, dry riser repairs covers what happens next. Everything BS 9990 asks of a riser, visit by visit, is in BS 9990 explained.