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Steele Services — Fire Protection Specialists

Knowledge Library

Straight answers about the systems in your building.

Articles and information to help you understand your systems and what they require.

Hydraulic design placard listing sprinkler density, design area and system demand
Hydraulic placard · basis of design

For building owners

Knowledge Articles

Compliance

9 min

What a building owner has to do each year: NFPA 25 in plain English

What the code requires, how often, and the tests most owners find out about only after they fail one.

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Sprinkler

6 min

A closed control valve is why most sprinkler systems fail

A closed control valve is invisible, free to fix, and the most common reason a system does nothing during a fire.

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4 min

Fire sprinkler leaking? What causes it and how it gets fixed

Fire sprinkler leaking? Where leaks start, what the code says about a leaking head, and who to call to get it fixed.

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3 min

Fire sprinkler signs: which ones are required and where they go

Fire sprinkler signs: a sprinkler system has a sign on the sprinkler room door, on each valve, on the fire department connection and on the riser. Here is what each one says and why it is there.

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4 min

What is a standpipe? Classes, types and testing

What is a standpipe? The pipes that carry water to a hose connection on each floor — the three classes, wet and dry types, and the testing associated with them.

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Extinguishers

4 min

How to read a fire extinguisher inspection tag

The tag on each extinguisher records when it was last serviced and when the next service is due. Two of those dates are the ones that get missed.

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3 min

The Class K fire extinguisher in a commercial kitchen

Where the Class K fire extinguisher goes, how many a kitchen needs, and how it works alongside the hood system over your cooking line.

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Special Hazards

7 min

Room integrity testing: the five-year test that goes overdue

Your agent is only as good as the enclosure holding it. What a door fan test measures and why it fails.

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Emergency Lighting

3 min

Emergency lighting requirements for commercial buildings

Emergency lighting requirements for owners: lights that come on when the power fails, a check every month, a longer test every year, and a record of each.

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More is coming — one informative article at a time, each one grounded in what we find on real inspection reports. If there's a question you want answered plainly, ask us directly.

Tell us your systems. We'll build your inspection schedule.

Getting started takes one conversation. We'll do the legwork and come back with a detailed estimate.

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