Plumis Automist User manual

Automist® Fixed Wall
Head Handbook
Version 1.2.3
The Automist Fixed Wall Head Handbook is designed to
provide Accredited Automist Installers with essential
information regarding specification, installation,
maintenance and commissioning of the Automist fire
protection device.
Supersedes –Automist Fixed Wall Head Handbook Version 1.2.2

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 2 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
Contents
INTRODUCTION TO THE FIXED WALL HEAD SYSTEM ............................................................................................... 4
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Automist operation....................................................................................................................................................... 6
The Automist System.................................................................................................................................................... 7
Fire Performance and Regulations Compliance........................................................................................................ 8
LABC Registered Detail ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Fire Engineered Applications .................................................................................................................................. 8
Quality Assurance ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
HOW TO SPECIFY THE FIXED HEAD AUTOMIST SYSTEM ........................................................................................ 10
Specifying Automist .................................................................................................................................................... 11
Room Compatibility ............................................................................................................................................... 13
Spray Head Placement .......................................................................................................................................... 14
Detection System ........................................................................................................................................................ 15
INSTALLER GUIDELINES.............................................................................................................................................. 17
A) Preparing the site............................................................................................................................................... 19
B) Configuring the Spray Head ............................................................................................................................. 20
C) Installing the Automist Head ............................................................................................................................ 21
D) Connecting the water supply ........................................................................................................................... 23
D) Connecting the electrics ................................................................................................................................... 26
E) Commissioning and maintenance ................................................................................................................... 29
The Automist Controls ............................................................................................................................................... 30
Commissioning Procedure.................................................................................................................................... 30
Power supply .......................................................................................................................................................... 33
Water Supply........................................................................................................................................................... 33
Pump & Placement ................................................................................................................................................ 33
Alarm Relay Placement.......................................................................................................................................... 34
Head Placement ..................................................................................................................................................... 34
High Pressure Hose................................................................................................................................................ 34
Coverage.................................................................................................................................................................. 34
Documentation....................................................................................................................................................... 34
Cleaning ....................................................................................................................................................................... 36
Repair ........................................................................................................................................................................... 36
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................................................... 36
Warranty ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Fixed Head System Servicing……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….38

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 3 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 4 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
INTRODUCTION TO THE FIXED
WALL HEAD SYSTEM

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
Introduction
•Read all of these instructions.
•Retain this guide for later use.
•The content in this manual may differ from the product and is subject to change without prior
notice.
•Follow all warnings, cautions and instructions contained in this guide.
•The appliance is not to be used by persons (including children) with reduced physical, sensory
or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given
supervision or instruction (excluding children).
•Automist requires recommissioning at least annually to provide effective protection.
•When this product has reached the end of its serviceable life, it should be disposed of in a safe
manner.
IMPORTANT: Once installed, complete and submit an installation and commissioning form to Plumis.
WARNING: To avoid hazards, all installation procedures and maintenance must be supervised by an
Accredited Automist Installer.

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
Automist operation
In the event of a fire, Automist is triggered automatically by a relay contact, provided by one or more
heat alarms/detectors,
1
compliant with either BS 5446-2 or BS EN 54-5
2
.The link between detector and
relay may involve a fire panel or, more commonly, a direct wired or wireless connection between the
devices.
Once triggered, a pump drives mains water through the unique nozzle unit, quickly filling the room volume
with a dense fog. Water mist removes heat and displaces oxygen from the fire zone, resulting in fire control,
suppression or extinguishment. The intention is to lower the temperature and the accumulation of toxic
gases, thereby reducing damage and increasing survivability. Adding water to a chip pan fire can greatly
exacerbate the fire; the same is not true for water mist as the updraught from the flame and the
evaporation of the tiny droplets prevents water from reaching and collecting in the pan.
Unlike conventional sprinklers, Automist can be stopped manually by pressing a button on the pump’s
front panel, by means of an optional remote STOP button, or by cutting power to the independent
circuit on the consumer unit (marked with an indicator sticker). As Automist uses much less water than
a traditional sprinkler system, water damage in the event of activation is minimised. Where desired,
manual activation can also be provided through a manual call point.
The water mist technology also has benefits for suppressing a greater range of fire scenarios, particularly
fires that are shielded from the nozzle release point.
Watermist has a different principle of fire fighting to sprinklers which suppress fires by wetting surfaces and
directly cooling the flames with large water drops, helped by gravity. Water mist uses fine droplets that
evaporate at the base of the fire to extract heat (cool) the fire and displaces oxygen from the fire zone,
resulting in fire control, suppression or extinguishment. Thus, water mist works best when placed closer to
the ground avoiding ineffective evaporation in the hot layer in the ceiling and the upward flow of hot
combustion products. Automist leverages this phenomenon by placing the spray head half way up the wall
(around light switch height): between the hot layer and furniture. This allows increased fire suppression
performance with the same amount of water. Automist is a member of the International Water Mist
Association’s (IWMA) “Archimedes Club” for the products which utilise the optimum deployment of water
mist technology.
1
In this document the terms “heat alarm” and “heat detector” are used interchangeably.
2
With suitable interface equipment, either BS 5446-2 heat alarms or BS EN 54-5 heat detectors may be used to
activate Automist. Other specific alarms/detector models are also acceptable where Plumis has tested the
products and documented their use on the Plumis Partner Site library page, provided that associated Plumis and
manufacturer guidance is followed.

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 7 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
The Automist System
1. WRAS approved isolation valve
2. Automist Smartscan supply label & cable tie
3. ¾” single check valve
4. Filter
5. ¾” Stainless Steel Inlet Hose
6. Automist Smartscan Pump Unit
7. Quick connect with test point for pressure gauge
8. High pressure Outlet Hose
9. Assembled Automist wall mounted head
10. Heat alarm and relay base (not included)
11. Sticker set (not shown)
10
9
1
2
8
6
7
3
4
5

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 8 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
The nozzle is positioned at a recommended strategic height of 1.4m to 1.5m from the ground to avoid
obstructions by most domestic furniture while still placing mist close to the base of the fire, maximizing
the effectiveness of the very small water flow.
Fire Performance and Regulations Compliance
LABC Registered Detail
Automist is described in an LABC Registered Detail (EW171) for use in open plan layouts in loft converted
houses in England and Wales. The Registered Details scheme allows UK building control officers to approve
a project without a long and detailed investigation.
The full report "Ad-hoc tests on watermist systems utilising the principles of the procedure defined in Draft
BS 8458: 2014: Annex B, Method for Measuring the Capability of a Watermist System to Control a Fire -
"Room Fire Test for Watermist Systems with Automatic Nozzles" Document Reference 356142" can be
downloaded from the Plumis website.
A copy of the report can be downloaded from the Plumis website.
Fire Engineered Applications
Automist may be used in a variety of applications as part of a fire engineered solution where suppression is
used as a key enabler for means of escape by extending tenable conditions.
A fire engineering assessment has been commissioned by BB7 Fire Engineering to allow fire engineers to
more easily interpret the fire performance of Automist using Fractional Effective Dosage (FED) heat
calculations for the testing carried out on the BS 8458:2015 test protocol. FED Asphyxia for toxic gases did
not need to be measured as the suppression test protocol is an open door ventilated fire where there is no
retention of combustion gases and oxygen can be freely replaced in the test chamber.
A copy of the report can be downloaded from the Plumis website.
EN 60335-1:2002 Household and similar electrical appliances –Safety:
Automist System Clarifications
•The Automist system is a Class I appliance, meaning the system provides additional electric
shock protection in the form of a fully earthed pump enclosure
•The system therefore uses protective impedance because of the earthed enclosure
•The Automist pump unit is a stationary device
•The spray head is a fixed appliance
•The Automist pump unit uses a type Y power supply cord –if the cord is damaged, it can only be
replaced by Plumis (the manufacturer) to avoid a hazard

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 9 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
Quality Assurance
Concept
•Independently tested - Objectively and extensively tested by Exova Warrington (further details in
Ad-hoc test on watermist systems utilising the principles of the procedure defined in BS 8458:
2015: Annex B)
•All concept proposals are underpinned by British Standard fire engineering justification.
•CE marked –Tested to meet EU consumer safety, health & environmental requirements
•Water Regulatory Advisory Scheme Approved - Automist fire suppression system was examined,
tested and found, when correctly installed, to comply with the requirements of the United Kingdom
Water Byelaws (Certificate number 1102330)
Company
•Third Party Certification by BRE Global have established Plumis Limited have complied with the
Quality Management Systems requirements of ISO 9001:2008 for the design, manufacture and
supply of water mist fire suppression systems.
Installation
•Installation - Automist should be specified, commissioned and signed-off by Plumis or an
Accredited Reseller. Each installer is fully trained to ensure that every project is installed to the very
highest standards, receiving a Plumis Certificate of Approval on successful completion of their
training.

Automist®Fixed Wall Head Handbook v1.2.3
Plumis Ltd Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. Page 10 of 41
SMARTSCAN
®
HOW TO SPECIFY THE FIXED
HEAD AUTOMIST SYSTEM