Car Park Essential service maintenance

“Ongoing responsibility”

Insight Control Services offer a test & calibration service for Carbon Monoxide (CO) sensors as part of the essential services maintenance. Once a building is constructed the owner is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance as part of the Australian Standards AS 1851 (Routine services of fire protection systems and equipment) and Australian Standards AS 1668.2 (Mechanical ventilation)                                                                                         

WHAT IS CARBON MONOXIDE?

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas emitted by petrol, gas and diesel powered motors.  It is odorless and invisible and has the potential to build up in poorly ventilated areas like underground car parks. 

Most enclosed or underground car parks without natural ventilation should be equipped with an exhaust ventilation system to remove CO from the source.  CO sensors will be positioned to monitor CO levels throughout the car park and activate mechanical ventilation when required. 

 The Occupational Safety and Health Act states any CO controlled ventilation system is regularly serviced and records kept, ensuring CO levels do not exceed exposure standards. CO sensor test & calibration is an essential service.  

Insight Control Services offers Bi-annual (six monthly) programmed maintenance for CO sensors, ensuring building owners & property managers meet their responsibilities.   

The following tasks are carried out during a CO monitoring system maintenance service.

• Test & calibrate CO sensors.

• Visual check of control panel wiring.

• Check controller operational.

• Visual inspection of field devices and sensors.

• Check VSD (if fitted).

• Check mechanical fans are operational.

• Check Time clock (if fitted) is operation.

• FIP - Test stop and start.

• On / Off / Auto switch operational.

• Report on other visual faults or damage.

• Label sensors with test date tag.

• Provide service report

• Provide onsite log book for records.

 Primary requirements - mechanical ventilation systems 

A CO control monitoring system installed to regulate mechanical ventilation serving a garage, parking station or other enclosure used for servicing or operation of motor vehicles shall require the following standards. 

• Be provided with a digital display.

• Operate continuously and effectively whenever motor vehicles are present in the enclosure in accordance with Clause 7.13.3

• Under any fault condition automatically activate an alarm and operate the mechanical ventilation in the enclosure in accordance with Clause 7.13.6

• Be clearly marked to indicate servicing and calibration requirements in accordance with Clause 7.13.7

• The system must also provide at least 1 air change in every 24 h period.

• No point in the car park can be more than 25m away from a sensor.

• Every monitoring system installed in enclosures should be operated and maintained to maintain its reliability. The service frequency should be that period during which the supplier guarantees the system will, without maintenance report analytical results. Each supplier will have different requirements from 6 months to 12 months. We carry out test and calibration service for carbon monoxide sensors every 6 months as our standard to maintain consistent reliability across different manufactures along with the Occupational safety and health act any CO controlled ventilation system must ensure CO levels do not exceed exposure standards.

  If you require a Car Park test & calibration service, Insight Control Services can help, please contact us.