Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an ANSUL® system cost?
Is the question how much to install an ANSUL® system? Good question. The ANSUL® system installation cost is driven by how many tanks are required to protect the hazards in question. The more tanks, the higher the cost. Once installed, that same ANSUL® system requires scheduled semi-annual and annual preventative maintenance (PM). These costs are also driven by the number of tanks. Scheduled PM keeps the system tags up-to-date and also maximizes the performance of your ANSUL® system in the unfortunate event of a kitchen fire.
The number of tank also drives costs for competitive alternatives to the ANSUL® R-102 Restaurant Wet Chemical Extinguishing System including:
Amerex KP (Kitchen Protection) including Amerex with Strike
ANSUL® RED (Restaurant Electronic Detection) system
PYRO-CHEM Kitchen Knight II
Buckeye
Is ANSUL® the only option for kitchen fire suppression?
No. There are competitive alternatives to the ANSUL® R-102 Restaurant Wet Chemical Extinguishing System including:
Amerex KP (Kitchen Protection) including Amerex with Strike
ANSUL® RED (Restaurant Electronic Detection) system, an updated system that works alongside the market leading ANSUL® R-102 Restaurant Wet Chemical Extinguishing System
PYRO-CHEM Kitchen Knight II
Buckeye
And others
All of these competitive alternatives to ANSUL® are approved for use in the United States. Industrial Fire’s team is trained on nearly every approved kitchen fire suppression system. Which option works best for your kitchen depends on multiple factors including cooking equipment, budget, etc. We at Industrial Fire enjoy healthy relationships with all major manufacturers. This allows us to recommend the optimal system for your kitchen regardless of manufacturer.
I want ANSUL®, not another brand. What are my options?
ANSUL® offers three lines in the U.S. for commercial kitchen fire suppression. Industrial Fire offers all three so we can recommend multiple options even if you don’t want to look outside of the ANSUL® product lines
ANSUL® R-102 Fire Suppression System
The ANSUL® R-102 Fire Suppression System incorporates a flexible design with an extremely effective ANSULEX Low pH Liquid Agent. ANSULEX quickly knocks down flames and cools hot surfaces, while generating a tough vapor securing blanket that helps prevent re-flash.
The R-102 system is designed to protect areas associated with ventilating equipment, including hoods, ducts, plenums, and filters. It also protects auxiliary grease extraction equipment and cooking equipment such as various types of fryers, griddles, range tops, broilers, char-broilers and woks. The system is ideally suited for commercial kitchens in fast food chains, retail food courts, diners, convenience stores, catering facilities, mobile food trucks, hotels and casinos, stadiums, schools, hospitals and more.
The R-102 system is cooking equipment friendly and offered in two designs: Appliance-Specific and Overlapping. The appliance-specific design aims the nozzles at the specific hazard areas of each appliance. With the overlapping design, the nozzles are arranged to overlap and provide a “fire-free zone” throughout a group of appliances.
PIRANHA DUAL AGENT RESTAURANT FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
The PIRANHA Dual Agent Restaurant Fire Suppression System employs the best firefighting attributes of two extinguishing agents: the fast flame knockdown and securing power of wet chemical and the fast cool-down capability of water. The system provides protection for settings such as casual and fine dining, fast food chains, culinary schools, sports complexes and stadiums, and four- and five-star lodging facilities.
The only agent-plus-water fire suppression hybrid on the market today, the PIRANHA System outperforms all conventional single-agent systems. The system attacks fire using the rapid flame knockdown and the securing capabilities of PRX Liquid Fire Suppressant. After that, water follows, quickly cooling the cooking media and further helping to prevent re-flash.
Tests have shown dramatically increased firefighting performance:
Twice the coverage of conventional single-agent systems
15 times faster than conventional single-agent systems in cooling down cooking oils
60 percent less chemical agent required and covers hazard areas better
Flexible overlapping nozzle coverage for most appliance arrangements
Smaller and fewer agent storage tanks required per system
Intelligent, Reliable Fire Protection for Commercial Cooking Environments
ANSUL® RED (Restaurant Electronic Detection) FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
Industrial Fire is proud to be one of the first four distributors in the entire State of Texas chosen to receive a distributorship and factory training for the ANSUL® RED Fire suppression system. ANSUL® RED is the latest technology from ANSUL® for commercial kitchen fire suppression
Centrally monitored fire hazard zones reduce downtime and cleanup by discharging ANSUL® Fire Suppression Systems individually, only where needed rather than entire kitchen
A 4,000+ event history log with real-time date stamps provides a comprehensive record
Single display unit centralizes monitoring and simplifies control of up to 8 controllers
Hood cleaning mode allows kitchen staff to disengage one hood while keeping other hoods in operation and a failsafe timer automatically resets the system if the hood is not manually reengaged
Password protection for Authorized ANSUL® Distributor access maintains system integrity
System helps minimize the potential for grease buildup and simplifies maintenance
Expandable system accommodates growth and allows for the monitoring of up to 16 zones
Configuration tool makes system installation and setup clear
Easy integration with existing ANSUL® fire protection systems with no change to the basic fire suppression system
Multiple temperature ratings in a single hazard zone adapt to the needs of a wide variety of appliances
When combined with ANSUL® R-102 and PIRANHA systems, ANSUL® RED Technology holds a complete UL and ULC Listing
Service and maintenance notifications and around-the-clock troubleshooting simplify maintenance schedules
When is an ANSUL® not an ANSUL®
Houstonians and other Texans often refer to “ANSUL® systems” as a generic term for all kitchen fire suppression regardless of manufacturer. We periodically have new customers ask us to come “work on my ANSUL®” and the manufacturer is actually a different manufacturer than ANSUL®. This is not unlike some folks referring to all soda pop as “Coke” and all tissue as “Kleenex.” This in and of itself is a big accomplishment! ANSUL® is the market leader in kitchen fire suppression. Many builders call specifically for ANSUL® branded systems. Industrial Fire earned our coveted ANSUL® distributorship in 1978. We at Industrial Fire enjoy healthy relationships with all major manufacturers and this allows us to recommend the optimal system for your kitchen regardless of manufacturer. Based on market share, far and away the number one kitchen fire suppression system remains ANSUL®
I don’t care if it’s ANSUL® or not. Just give me what’s legal, what’s best, and what’s cheapest
There are several other good options for kitchen hood fire suppression beyond ANSUL®. Different manufacturers have different strengths. For example, Amerex KP has outstanding fryer nozzle coverage. Sometimes we can save our customers a few dollars by going with another manufacturer and model like the Amerex KP. It all depends on the proposed kitchen lineup and the hazards requiring protection.
This kitchen hood has a Pollution Control Unit (PCU) upstream. Now what?
Pollution Control Units (PCUs) require special attention. Everyone talks about ANSUL® around kitchen fire suppression and with good reason! ANSUL® is the market leader in kitchen fire suppression. It is important to note that Amerex has demonstrated significant leadership in innovation in recent years. Amerex launched the Amerex HELIX™ Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Fire Suppression System. The HELIX™ Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Fire Suppression System was the first system UL-approved specifically for PCUs. Also please note that Amerex launched the Strike panel for electronic detection several years ahead of the ANSUL® RED Fire suppression system.
Every situation is different with Pollution Control Units. Please call Industrial Fire at 713-223-9181 for a free assessment.
What happens during a proper kitchen hood wet chemical fire suppression system inspection?
Semi-annual inspections are the minimum requirement for commercial kitchens. This PM includes a semi-annual inspection with key elements including:
Testing the detection line and replacing fusible links
Confirm proper nozzle coverage, nozzle placement, nozzle positioning, nozzle height
Testing pull station functionality & gas valve shut off
Confirm power shut down in the event of system actuation, supply air shut down, exhaust fan continues
And more.
Finally, we install dated annual tamper seals and inspection tags after completing your semi-annual inspection and repeat preventative maintenance
ON TOP OF SEMI-ANNUALS, REQUIRED ANNUAL PM INCLUDES :
Use dry air or nitrogen through the agent distribution piping to confirm that lines are clear. Confirm that nozzles are not blocked.
Rubber nozzle caps must be replaced at least once annually (not necessary for metal nozzle caps)
Why did my system go off for no reason?
There’s always a reason why the system went off. Sometimes there is a fire event and sometimes not. An Industrial Fire technician can help us all understand why your fire suppression system actuated after performing a proper PM and proper recharge. We are factory trained and fully certified but we are not magicians. We don’t have a crystal ball. Industrial Fire cannot accurately tell why your fire suppression system actuated without getting into the system and performing the work properly, top to bottom.
We had a fire. Why didn’t my ANSUL® system go off?
First of all, we hope everyone is ok and that no one got hurt. There are multiple reasons why there could have been be a fire and the fire suppression system didn’t actuate. An Industrial Fire technician will need to come onsite immediately to diagnose. Every fire is different. Here are a few reasons we’ve seen over the past seven decades and this list is far from complete:
You had a fast-thinking employee that put the fire out with a fire extinguisher before the fire got hot enough to trigger the automatic detection over the appliances.
The fire started behind the appliance lineup due to grease buildup. The fire behind the appliance didn’t get hot enough to trigger the automatic detection over the appliances. Pre-engineered fire suppression systems protect fires that happen with your appliance lineup. These fire suppression systems do not penetrate solid steel and protect grease buildup behind the appliance lineup.
The fire started with an appliance that wasn’t under the hood. Ever have a chef run out of room under the hood so they set up a stock pot or a fryer next to the hood but not under the hood? Owners need to be mindful about preventing that and not just because it’s not legal. It’s not safe! The fire suppression system only protects the kitchen lineup under the hood. If the appliance lineup changes, then please call Industrial Fire back out to adjust your fire suppression system to cover the updated appliance lineup so that your fire suppression system puts out the fire 100% of the time.
Your fire suppression system hasn’t had a proper PM every six months or more. If you only got the oil in your car changed every 20,000 miles, do you think that your car would operate properly? The same principle applies to your fire suppression system. Fire suppression systems work and fire suppression systems put out the fire 100% of the time when they are properly maintained and the kitchen lineup hasn’t changed since the most recent kitchen hood fire suppression PM.
You chose a cheap vendor (there, I said it) that cuts corners so they can be the low cost leader and still make enough margin to scrape out a living. You got your fire suppression systems tagged for the insurance company and the fire marshal for a low, low price so you didn’t care about cut corners. My Grandmother’s generation called this approach “penny-wise and pound foolish” These low cost leaders typically aren’t checking the detection line, testing the gas valve shut off, blowing air through the distribution lines, etc. These are all deficiencies that can lead to your fire suppression system not operating as designed. Low cost leaders know how much money they have to make that day. They start from that point and work backwards. Industrial Fire is different. The Industrial Fire proven process includes doing everything that should be done at a fair price. You should enjoy peace of mind that your fire suppression systems are maintained at a fair price and will work as designed every single time.
How often do fire extinguishers need to be inspected?
Fire extinguishers need to be checked monthly by a designated employee onsite and annually by an Industrial Fire Service Technician.
I just want my extinguishers tagged. Why should I care about proper PM (preventative maintenance) on my fire extinguisher?
There are so many reasons you should insist on proper PM for your fire extinguisher vs. what we call “ragging and tagging” which is street slang for tagging extinguishers in exchange for money with little or no regard to any recognized quality standard. Sadly, ragging and tagging is common. In the spirit of not writing a long lecture, let us simply state that proper PM is a crucial piece of optimizing your chance of the fire extinguisher working when you need it to work.
What happens during a proper annual fire extinguisher inspection?
Annual inspections are the minimum requirement. NFPA 10 requires that maintenance on every portable fire extinguishers at your facility be completed on an annual basis. This maintenance includes an annual external examination of all extinguishers, and according to NFPA 10 7.3.2, its purpose is to:
Perform visual inspection (looking for excessive rust, corrosion, dented cylinder, etc.)
determine if the nozzle has become blocked
ensure that the operating instructions are still on the unit, facing forward and able to be clearly read
check that the HMIS is present
fix any issues which are discovered
among other things
Finally, we install dated annual tamper seals and inspection tags after completing your annual extinguisher inspection and repeat preventative maintenance
I have a food truck. Does my food truck require a kitchen hood fire suppression system?
Depends where you live. Probably yes. Food truck are increasingly popular. Food truck kitchen hood fire suppression was not addressed under the fire code until recently. Mobile and temporary cooking is addressed in Section 50.7 of the 2018 edition of NFPA 1, Fire Code, and Adoptable Annex B of the 2017 edition of NFPA 96, Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. We anticipate food truck kitchen hood fire suppression systems with semi-annual Preventative Maintenance intervals matching requirements for commercial cooking operations.
Some of the top brands in the world chose Industrial Fire to install and perform Preventative Maintenance (PM) on their food trucks, including Torchy’s Taco’s in Austin, Texas and Chick-Fil-A in Atlanta, Georgia. Call Industrial Fire at 713-223-9181 to schedule an appointment just east of downtown Houston for your PM while you wait.
Where are my inspection reports?
We are happy to send you a copy of your inspection reports. Just call us at the office. We will also create a username and password for you to access your inspection reports anytime 24/7/365. Bookmark the website for a later time. You won’t need these inspection reports until you need them, but the online access is very helpful for communicating with stakeholders including:
Fire marshals
Insurance companies
Senior management
The more locations you are responsible for, the more helpful you’ll find your online access. You’ll find your inspection reports with Industrial Fire give you much more data than you’re likely accustomed to, including the ability to budget for 6-year and 12-year required maintenance on your portable fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems. These reports help take the nasty surprise out of these expenses as you can see them coming years in advance. Also, in the unfortunate event of a red tag, our technicians take a photo of the deficiency that ties to the exact NFPA code so you can see with your own eyes why that item is red tagged and the NFPA code that substantiates the deficiency. We like pictures as pictures remove doubt. Pictures remove the nagging voice saying “I want to trust these guys but do I really need to pay for this?” That doubt is a terrible feeling. I once had a boss and his wife at that time was German. She would say “Thinking is good, but knowing is better.” Pictures help our customers know and have absolute confidence that the deficiencies we document are real and must be addressed.
As you may know, most fire codes now allow for electronic reporting including:
NFPA 10 – Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers
NFPA 12A – Standard for Halon Systems
NFPA 17 - Standard for Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems
NFPA 17A - Standard for Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems
NFPA 25 – Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems
NFPA 72 – National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors
NFPA 96 - Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations
NFPA 731 – Standard for Security Systems
NFPA 2001 – Standard for Clean Agent Systems
Do I need signs for all of my fire extinguishers?
Fire extinguishers must be in direct line of sight from every angle. Otherwise a fire extinguisher locator sign is generally required. The AHJ makes the final call. Best practice is to add a fire extinguisher locator sign if there is any question that one may be required. Please contact Industrial Fire for more information.
How many fire extinguishers do we need? What kind of fire extinguishers do we need?
The hazard being protected drives what type of fire extinguisher is needed. The square footage requiring protection drives how many fire extinguishers. For example, commercial kitchens require at least one Type K fire extinguisher located in the kitchen. Lobby areas and office areas typically require Class ABC fire extinguishers. Please contact Industrial Fire for an assessment tailored for your business
Why is the Harris County Fire Marshal’s office threatening to shut me down?
There is a deficiency with one of your life safety systems. Harris County is huge. In face, Harris County, Texas is bigger than many states in the union! Industrial Fire has deep experience collaborating alongside the Harris County Fire Marshals. 76 years provides a lot of opportunities to build trust. Call us so we can learn about your situation. We’ll help you get open and stay open by complying with the rules.
What is a Type K Extinguisher?
Let’s begin by discussing how to identify a Class K fire. A Class K fire is fueled by flammable cooking liquids, like cooking oil and animal or vegetable-based grease. At high temperatures, they become volatile and can ignite very quickly. Due to their high combustibility, they can also spread very rapidly. Class K fires are more likely to start in commercial kitchens including restaurants, food trucks, office cafeterias, bakeries, etc. These businesses should be equipped with Class K fire extinguishers as a part of a complete fire protection plan. Class K fire extinguishers use special extinguishing agents that separate and absorb the heat elements of the fire, namely the fuel, oxygen, and heat necessary to start a fire. The wet mist contains potassium acetate, potassium carbonate, or potassium citrate mixed with the cooking grease to create a wet blanket also known as saponification that will cool the flammable liquid and block oxygen, extinguishing the flames and preventing re-ignition.
Why is there a red tag on my ANSUL®? Also known as your kitchen hood fire suppression system?
There is a deficiency with your ANSUL® (or another brand) kitchen hood fire suppression system. If Industrial Fire red tagged it, please call us at 713-223-9181 and we can refresh your memory on the particulars. If another company red tagged your kitchen hood fire suppression system, call us now at 713-223-9181.
Why is there a red tag on my fire extinguisher?
There is a deficiency with your fire extinguisher. If Industrial Fire red tagged it, please call us at 713-223-9181 and we can refresh your memory on the particulars. If another company red tagged your fire extinguisher, call us now at 713-223-9181.
Why is there a red tag on my fire alarm panel?
There is a deficiency with your fire alarm panel. If Industrial Fire red tagged it, please call us at 713-223-9181 and we can refresh your memory on the particulars. If another company red tagged your fire alarm panel, call us now at 713-223-9181.
Can you service our ANSUL® system fast?
Industrial Fire provides the fastest ANSUL® system service and many say, the best ANSUL® system service and PM that they have ever seen. That’s why so many restaurants in Houston and East Texas choose Industrial Fire.
We found an old fire extinguisher that still has pressure on the gauge. Can we use it?
Perhaps you can, the answer depends on that particular fire extinguisher. Please call Industrial Fire at 713-223-9181 so we can schedule an inspection and PM on your fire extinguisher. Then you can proceed with confidence.
How can I tell if my ANSUL® system needs to be inspected and serviced?
Look at the tag on the pull station. If you are in Texas, then your ANSUL R-102 Wet Chemical Fire Suppression system is due six (6) months after the date punched on the tag. If there is no tag on your pull station, then please call Industrial Fire at 713-223-9181
Can I inspect my own exit & emergency lights?
While you can perform the monthly inspection by hitting the button, for the annual inspection and PM we recommend an experienced Industrial Fire technician who will properly test, diagnose, certify, document, and tag to indicate that your e-lights conform to the 90-minute rule per NFPA 101.