Valves, Control Assemblies, and Components
Components must be in the right position and condition
Valves and control assemblies include control valves, check valves, alarm check valves, dry-pipe and preaction valves, deluge valves, pressure-reducing and relief valves, gauges, flow and supervisory switches, tamper switches, backflow preventers, and fire-department connections. Inspectors verify open or closed position, supervision, leaks, corrosion, trim condition, gauge readings, and accessibility. A control valve must be open and properly supervised; a tamper switch should signal when the valve is moved from normal. Check valves must be oriented correctly. Alarm and dry-pipe valve trim must be clear and functional.
Traps
Accepting a valve as open when it is only partially open; confusing a tamper signal with a flow signal; missing a broken gauge or closed gauge valve; overlooking a check valve installed backward; assuming a backflow preventer is not part of the system; and treating a control assembly as just piping.
Worked example / rule of thumb
At a riser, confirm the control valve is fully open and back-seated where required, verify the tamper switch reports to the panel when the valve is moved, then restore and confirm normal. Rule: position, supervision, and condition are three separate checks. A valve can be open, supervised, and still fail because of a leak or missing trim.