Sachin recently wrote with the following question, “Whether single cylinder bank is acceptable for many rooms like inert gas?”

Here’s our answer:

You can use a single FM200 cylinder for multiple hazards but on one main condition, that all the hazards are exactly the same size. If they aren’t and say you use an amount of FM200 that is designed for the largest room, then the smaller rooms will be over gassed and therefore you will need to provide safety lock off’s to ensure no one is entering the hazard when the system is in automatic mode. If you use more than one cylinder and use a manifold you may find that the equipment needed makes this much more expensive that individual systems.

We also recommend using Inert Gas for systems where multi hazards are being protected and even then only up to a maximum of 5 hazards per system. Don’t forget also to provide Main and Reserve cylinders to ensure continuity of the system if the system discharges.

We tend to find that where we use Main and Reserve Systems for Multi Hazards that you gain very little especially with regards to cost as the distribution valves usually cost so much that it is just as easy to use one system per hazard. The main reason for using multi hazard systems is usually due to a lack of space.

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