What does this dry-pipe sprinkler valve quarterly checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering notice before the round, pressures and priming, alarms and quick-opening device, enclosure and valve, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The building engineer or sprinkler service tech reading the gauges and the enclosure on the quarterly round, recording conditions rather than tripping the valve.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter, and watched most closely heading into cold weather since the enclosure heat is what keeps the valve from freezing and false-tripping.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a dry-pipe sprinkler valve quarterly inspection?

System air and water gauges read individually but never compared, so a differential that has crept toward the trip point isn't caught before the valve dumps on its own. The enclosure heater tripped or the space cold, discovered only after ice at the clapper false-trips the valve and floods the system. Priming water level never checked, so water backs over the clapper seat and the valve either weeps through or trips low.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Dry-pipe sprinkler valve quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly dry-pipe valve round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against NFPA 25, NFPA 13. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Notice before the round

Monitoring company and owner warned before any alarm test
Monitoring company placed on test for waterflow and low-air signals, the owner advised of the window, and the call and account status logged before any trim valve is opened.
No photo
Owner's impairment procedure opened for the dry system
Impairment entered under the owner's procedure for the time the alarm line or drains are open, the zones served known, and a fire watch posted where the procedure requires one.
No photo

Pressures and priming

Air and water pressures read and the differential compared
System air pressure and supply water pressure both read at the gauges and compared against the valve's required differential, readings noted, neither gauge stuck or pinned.
Priming water level checked at the priming valve
Priming level checked at the test/priming valve, water present to the intended level over the clapper, no excess backing over the seat.
Air or nitrogen supply feeding at its set pressure
Compressor, plant air or nitrogen feed valve open, air maintenance device or regulator gauge at its set point, bypass closed, and the supply not running constantly to hold pressure.
Air and water readings logged against the site baseline
Readings entered in the site log beside the commissioning or prior values, with a steady air loss or a supply pressure change flagged for the technician to trace.
No photo
Intermediate chamber drip checked for water or air leakage
Ball drip or automatic drip valve at the intermediate chamber free to move and dry, with steady water or air at the drip flagged as a leaking clapper or air seat.

Alarms and quick-opening device

Low-air alarm and its pressure setting observed
Low-air supervisory setting on the switch or maintenance-air device read against the intended value, the low-air signal confirmed reaching the panel where it can be observed without tripping the valve.
Quick-opening device condition observed where fitted
Accelerator or exhauster isolating valve open, device pressurized and free of leaks, priming chamber where fitted not weeping, nothing left isolated after prior work.
No photo
Waterflow alarm operated through the valve's alarm test line
Alarm test valve opened with the clapper left shut, pressure switch or water motor gong operating and the panel showing waterflow, then the valve closed and the line drained.

Enclosure and valve

Enclosure heat and freeze protection observed
Valve enclosure or riser room held above freezing, heater or heat trace operating, thermostat set and the space free of drafts at the openings.
Valve position and supervision checked
Main control valve open and supervised, tamper confirmed reporting to the panel, trim valves in their normal positions and the reset/trip instruction plate legible.
Auxiliary drains at each low point emptied of condensate
Each drum drip drained with its upper valve shut first, the lower valve and plug closed tight after and the upper valve reopened, and any water found noted by location.

Return to service

Fire alarm panel back to normal after the round
Panel showing no waterflow, low-air or supervisory condition standing, alarm test valve and drains shut, and the dry system holding its normal air pressure.
Monitoring company and owner told the dry system is restored
Monitoring company confirms the account is off test and receiving normally, the owner is told, and the impairment is closed in the owner's log.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

System air and water gauges read individually but never compared, so a differential that has crept toward the trip point isn't caught before the valve dumps on its own.
The enclosure heater tripped or the space cold, discovered only after ice at the clapper false-trips the valve and floods the system.
Priming water level never checked, so water backs over the clapper seat and the valve either weeps through or trips low.

Verified against

Common questions

6 answers

What does this dry-pipe sprinkler valve quarterly checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering notice before the round, pressures and priming, alarms and quick-opening device, enclosure and valve, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The building engineer or sprinkler service tech reading the gauges and the enclosure on the quarterly round, recording conditions rather than tripping the valve.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter, and watched most closely heading into cold weather since the enclosure heat is what keeps the valve from freezing and false-tripping.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 12 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a dry-pipe sprinkler valve quarterly inspection?: System air and water gauges read individually but never compared, so a differential that has crept toward the trip point isn't caught before the valve dumps on its own. The enclosure heater tripped or the space cold, discovered only after ice at the clapper false-trips the valve and floods the system. Priming water level never checked, so water backs over the clapper seat and the valve either weeps through or trips low.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 12 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.