# Smoke Hatch Testing



## firewater88 (Jan 12, 2017)

What are the rulings for testing smoke hatches? Is it the same as the fire curtain? I am in Michigan and have not found much out about testing these. Found the building code where it shows the requirements to have them, but have not seen anything about annual testing or otherwise.
Can someone shed some light on it or point me to where I can find it?

Thanks


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## Footer (Jan 12, 2017)

Ours open whenever we trip a smoke head. We have 28 so if they all actually open correctly its a small miracle. We annually test our firewall via a head trip so this gets rolled into that. I would just add it to your testing procedures/timeline for your firewall. That is doing your due diligence.


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## BillConnerFASTC (Jan 12, 2017)

There has never been a requirement for testing but a very timely post. One will appear in the 2018 Life Safety Code:

"12.4.6.5.4 Testing . Vents shall be inspected, maintained, and tested in accordance with Chapter 12 of NFPA 204."

In summary, all parts of the vents need to be inspected and tested at least 
annually or more often if the manufacturer recommends it. Cables have to be released where connected to a link or other release device. A log has to be kept.

You can read NFPA 204 at NFPA.ORG Its all chapter 12.


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