FM-200 fire suppression systems, supplied and installed in Lebanon.
A complete engineered system for rooms where water would cause more damage than the fire. Cylinders, detection, control and distribution, designed to NFPA 2001, built from UL-listed and FM-approved components, and serviced after handover.
What FM-200 is.
FM-200 is the trade name for HFC-227ea, a halocarbon clean agent listed under NFPA 2001. It is colourless, odourless, electrically non-conductive and leaves no residue. Residue is usually the expensive part: in a server room, a switchgear cabinet or an archive, the fire itself often does less damage than whatever was used to put it out.
The agent is stored as a liquid, superpressurised with nitrogen to around 24.8 bar (360 psi). On release it flashes to gas and floods the enclosure, suppressing the fire mainly by absorbing heat faster than the combustion can produce it. NFPA 2001 requires the discharge to reach 95% of the minimum design concentration within ten seconds, so the whole system is engineered around getting the agent everywhere in the room at once.
What a complete FM-200 system consists of.
Every part below does a job. Leave one out and the rest of it will not behave the way the calculation says it should.
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Agent cylinder and valve
Holds the FM-200 charge under nitrogen pressure, with the discharge valve that releases it.
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Cylinder bracket
Restrains the cylinder against discharge recoil. UL-listed or FM-approved.
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Pressure gauge and supervisory switch
Monitors the charge continuously and signals the panel if pressure falls.
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Electric actuator
Fires the cylinder valve on command from the releasing panel.
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Manual actuator
Mechanical release at the cylinder itself, independent of the electrical system.
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Pipe network
Sized by flow calculation, because pipe bore and run length decide whether the agent arrives everywhere at once.
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Discharge nozzles
180° or 360°, positioned so the agent reaches design concentration throughout the enclosure.
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Releasing control panel
Monitors detection, runs the pre-discharge sequence and fires the system.
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Cross-zoned smoke detection
Two independent detection zones must agree before release. This is what prevents a false discharge.
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Manual release station
Lets a person release the system deliberately, sited at the exit.
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Abort station
A held-constant switch inside the hazard that holds the countdown while someone investigates.
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Discharge pressure switch
Confirms the system actually fired, and signals that onward.
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Horn and strobe
Pre-discharge warning, so the room can be cleared before release.
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Warning signage
At every entry to the protected space.
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Door closers and damper interlocks
Seal the enclosure on release so the concentration holds long enough to work.
The numbers.
| Agent | HFC-227ea (FM-200) |
|---|---|
| Standard | NFPA 2001, Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems |
| Storage | Liquid, superpressurised with nitrogen to approximately 24.8 bar (360 psi) |
| Design concentration | Commonly around 6.25-7% for Class A hazards, higher for Class B |
| Discharge time | 95% of minimum design concentration within 10 seconds |
| Residue | None. No clean-up, no secondary damage |
| Electrical | Non-conductive, safe to discharge over live equipment |
| Nozzles | ½" to 2", in 180° and 360° distribution patterns |
| Approvals | UL-listed and FM-approved components |
The rooms this protects.
Server and data rooms
Live equipment, irreplaceable data, and no tolerance for water or powder.
Switchgear and control rooms
Electrical fires over energised equipment, where the agent has to be non-conductive.
Archives and record stores
Paper and film, where the agent has to leave nothing at all behind.
Telecom and broadcast
Rooms whose downtime costs more per hour than the equipment inside them.
Medical imaging suites
High-value equipment with replacement lead times measured in months.
Built to NFPA 2001, from listed components.
We design to NFPA 2001 and build from UL-listed and FM-approved components. The two listings answer different questions: UL tests to published safety standards, FM Approvals tests for property-loss performance. Between them they cover both, which is why we specify parts that carry both marks.
Every system is handed over with the flow calculation, the as-built drawings and the commissioning record. Without those three documents there is no way to show the system was ever designed for the room it sits in, which becomes a problem at insurance renewal and again when someone else takes over maintaining it.
What people ask about FM-200.
What does a complete FM-200 system consist of?
An agent cylinder and valve on a restraining bracket, a pressure gauge and supervisory switch, electric and manual actuators, a calculated pipe network, discharge nozzles, a releasing control panel, cross-zoned smoke detection, a manual release station, an abort station, a discharge pressure switch, a horn and strobe, warning signage, and door closers or damper interlocks. That list is the same on every clean agent system we install. What changes from room to room is the agent quantity and the pipe run.
How fast does FM-200 discharge?
NFPA 2001 requires the discharge to reach 95% of the minimum design concentration within ten seconds. Ten seconds is quicker than anyone can cross the room, which is why the warning and the time delay run before the discharge rather than during it.
Is FM-200 safe in an occupied room?
FM-200 is used in normally occupied spaces at typical design concentrations, which is one of its main advantages over CO₂. The system still runs a pre-discharge alarm and a time delay so the room can be cleared, and an abort station lets someone hold the countdown while they check what triggered it.
Does FM-200 leave residue?
No. It discharges as a gas and leaves nothing behind, so there is no powder to clean out of equipment and no water damage or corrosion to deal with afterwards. That is why it gets chosen over water or powder anywhere there is electronics.
How much does an FM-200 system cost in Lebanon?
It depends on the volume of the room, the hazard class, and how far the pipe has to run from the cylinder to the nozzles. The agent quantity is calculated from the enclosure, so no two rooms price the same. Call us with the room dimensions and we will come and measure it before we put a number on it.
How often does an FM-200 system need servicing?
Cylinders are inspected and weighed on a scheduled interval, detection and release circuits are function-tested, and the enclosure is re-checked if the room has been altered. After any discharge the system has to be recharged and recommissioned before it protects the room again.
FM-200 or Novec 1230, which should I choose?
Both are NFPA 2001 clean agents and neither leaves residue. FK-5-1-12, better known as Novec 1230, has a far lower environmental impact and a wider occupant safety margin. FM-200 has the longer track record and the broader installed base to match against. The two price similarly here, so budget rarely settles it. Send us the room details and we will say which one we would specify for it.
Related data sheets.
Tell us the room. We will tell you what protects it.
Dimensions, what is in it, and whether anyone works in there. That is enough to get us out to survey the room and price the job from its actual volume.