iMist becomes first company to pass FPA’s UKAS accredited BS 8458 test

Improving fire-safety standards across the built environment is one of the FPA’s key aims and we are proud to be the first UKAS-accredited fire-testing facility in the UK to offer testing on residential and domestic watermist systems to BS 8458: 2015.

Watermist systems are effective fire-suppression systems but must be designed with the exact environment in mind. As the design of each system is often almost entirely unique, each system should be tested prior to installation.

Designer, manufacturer and installer of watermist fire-protection systems for homes and residential buildings, iMist recently became the first company to pass the FPA’s UKAS accredited BS 8458 Annex C range of residential and domestic watermist system tests.

Domestic and residential properties pose high fire risks and as one of only a few companies around the world who keep everything in house from design through to manufacturing and installation, passing the FPA’s UKAS-accredited test provides iMist’s customers with the assurance that the system has been tested to the highest standard and will perform as intended should a fire occur.

iMist’s aim was to show that their system is effective in keeping a fire suppressed in a standard residential-sized room, whilst not allowing the flames or heat to escape into adjacent rooms and keeping water damage to a minimum.

One of the biggest challenges they faced in achieving this was the activation time of the watermist nozzles, but in the latest design they were found to activate 40 seconds into the test on average, keeping the fire under control, and in some instances, extinguishing it altogether.

The independent testing facility at our laboratory in Blockley, Gloucestershire provides the ideal environment to run the tests, and offers our customers the opportunity to watch the tests via our video camera system.

iMist is delighted to be the first company to pass the FPA’s UKAS accredited BS 8458 Annex C residential and domestic watermist system test, which demonstrates the rigour of the test. Now they have passed it, iMist is unique in the market as they can provide their customers with a UKAS-accredited stamp of approval when installing the system.

Tony Sims, iMist Founder commented: ‘It was important to us to get tested by a UKAS accredited facility – it gives our customers an independent stamp of approval for the iMist system and we are proud to have the only system that can claim this. We really valued the expertise and professionalism of the FPA team at Blockley and were of course delighted that our newly designed nozzle reacted so quickly and took the performance of the system to a whole new level.’

Jade Musto, Head of Suppression Systems at the FPA said: ‘Testing conducted by a UKAS accredited laboratory provides evidence of the effectiveness of a system, enabling manufacturers and designers to build trust with their customers and show them they are investing in a reliable system. At the FPA we strongly believe that third party testing is the best way to achieve this and we are delighted that iMist’s system has passed the test, demonstrating its performance in the event of a fire.’

Find out more about our UKAS-accredited BS 8458 watermist systems testing