FPS-1650, FPS-3250, and FPS-5000 Installation and Startup – South-Tek Systems

Applies to: South-Tek Systems N2-BLAST® FPS-1650, FPS-3250, and FPS-5000 fire protection nitrogen generators.

Installation and startup are performed by the installing contractor, working from the project-specific installation package and general arrangement (GA) drawing. This article is the general procedure behind that package — what to check on delivery, how to set and connect the unit, the startup sequence and what you should see at each step, how to isolate a leak, and what to record and submit before you leave site. Site conditions and utilities are covered separately in Site and Utility Requirements; confirm those before the unit ships.

South-Tek field service is available on request, and remote startup support is available for installs where a site visit is not practical. Contact South-Tek through the Help Center to arrange either.

⚠ Warning — five energy sources, not three Stop the unit at the controller first and let it finish its shutdown — on the FPS-1650 the air section blows down on stop, and pulling power first traps that air. Then isolate and verify zero energy on every source, at a gauge or a meter: 1. electrical power — open and lock the branch-circuit disconnecting means ahead of the cabinet, then test for absence of voltage with a meter you prove live before and after. A dark display is not a test, and the dry-contact alarm circuits in this panel are fed by the fire alarm panel or BMS and stay live with the generator disconnected. 2. compressed air — on the FPS-3250 and FPS-5000 close the main air input ball valve and bleed the receiver; on the FPS-1650 the source is the internal compressor, isolated by item 1. 3. bypass air, wherever auto air bypass is fitted — close the bypass air inlet ball valve and bleed that leg to 0 PSIG at its own gauge. It is a separate supply and neither of the steps above isolates it. 4. stored nitrogen — close the nitrogen outlet ball valve and both nitrogen tank ball valves, then relieve the trapped section and confirm 0 PSIG on the gauge for the section you are opening. 5. riser pressure — close the isolation valve in the AMD trim. The riser is the one most often missed: closing the generator's nitrogen outlet ball valve leaves full supervisory pressure sitting on the downstream side of it. Do not drain a supervised riser to work on the generator.

Nitrogen is colorless, odorless, and displaces oxygen. Install the unit in a well-ventilated room that is not sealed off from normal building air changes — never a closed closet, a pit or an unventilated below-grade room — and route the generator's exhaust outdoors or to a large, well-ventilated space. Never enter a confined area downstream of a vent without an O₂ meter reading 19.5% or higher. Never crack a fitting under pressure. The air side and the nitrogen side both hold stored pressure after the unit stops — a South-Tek-supplied feed compressor cuts out at 175 PSIG, and the nitrogen tank stays at its cut-out pressure with the machine off. Prove 0 PSIG on the gauge for the section you are opening before you break any joint. An unsecured hose can whip. Wear ANSI Z87.1 eye protection and use hearing protection while the equipment runs.

What ships, and what the contractor provides

Category	Items
Ships with the unit	FPS cabinet with internal nitrogen storage tank · touchscreen controller · BlastOff® leak detection and auto air bypass where ordered — confirm against the order · AutoPurge System (APS) devices, which mount out at the risers rather than in the cabinet · installation kit · document packet in the cabinet's adhesive envelope
Ships separately (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000)	External air compressor sized to the system demand · refrigerated air dryer, where specified as a separate unit · air receiver, where the design calls for feed-air storage between the compressor and the generator — peak feed-air demand can reach around three times the average flow rate
Contractor provides	Pad or prepared floor area · 120–240 V single-phase supply to the cabinet · compressed-air piping run (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000) · bypass air supply and its piping, where auto air bypass is fitted — all three models · bypass piping · one AMD per riser · sample lines from each zone to the Quick Check™ PowerSaver Manifold · drain lines to a floor sink

What differs by model at install

The three models share one cabinet and one startup sequence. Everything that actually changes on install day is in this table — check it before you mobilize.

Item	FPS-1650	FPS-3250 & FPS-5000
Air source	Internal oil-free compressor — no feed air to pipe. Bypass air is a separate external supply where auto air bypass is fitted — confirm against the order	External compressor, piped by the contractor
Air drying	Not required	Drying must be running and holding a dew point below 40°F before the generator sees air. It is either fitted inside the cabinet or standing separately in the room — the job's submittal shows which
Shipping bolts	Four painted bolts under the cabinet — remove before first power-up	None (no internal compressor)
Air inlet valve at startup	Not used — skip that step	Open slowly; confirm the inlet reaches 120 PSIG
Electrical draw	Less than 8 A	Less than 5 A, plus separate service and disconnect for the external compressor — verify rotation if three-phase. A dryer fitted inside the cabinet runs off the generator's own supply; a dryer standing separately in the room needs its own service
Warranty paperwork	South-Tek checklist	South-Tek checklist and the compressor manufacturer's startup paperwork
Annual filter kit	FRP-007	FRP-022 (current, white ASCO filters) — legacy black-bowl units take FRP-013

Receiving, unpacking, and moving

The generator arrives bolted into a wooden crate. Open the side marked “Open Side” and check every item on the packing list for presence and damage before the carrier leaves. South-Tek is not responsible for shipping and handling damage — document anything visible, report it to the shipping company, then call South-Tek Warranty and Shipping Claims at (888) 526-6284 to assess it. For defects that are not shipping damage, a written claim must reach South-Tek within one week of receiving the shipment.

Unbolt the unit from the crate, lift it out carefully, set it on the floor, and use a floor jack to move it to its final location. The cabinet is 59" tall — 63.6" once the gas connections on top are counted — and weighs up to about 303 lb.
If the unit will sit before installation, store it upright (or in its crate as shipped) in a dry, climate-controlled room held between 60°F and 80°F — a narrower window than the 40–100°F operating range. Never place or stack anything on top of it.
Keep all gas lines dry so moisture does not enter the generator at hook-up.
Break the crate down and store it safely — it is reused if the unit ever goes back for factory service.

⚠ Warning — FPS-1650 shipping bolts On the FPS-1650 only, remove the four painted bolts below the cabinet before first power-up. They clamp the internal compressor's vibration isolators for transit, and the isolators cannot do their job until the bolts are out. The FPS-3250 and FPS-5000 have no internal compressor and no shipping bolts.

Tools and materials to have on site

Socket set and ratchet for the FPS-1650 shipping bolts, plus a floor jack for positioning.
PTFE tape or an equivalent sealant, for tapered pipe threads only — never on push-to-connect, compression or flare fittings.
Spray bottle with soapy water for leak checking — on non-electrical components only.
A gauge you trust for the pressure-decay test, and a way to log the start and end readings and times.
Quick Check™ portable purity sensor to verify each zone before you leave site.
ANSI Z87.1 eye protection, hearing protection, and an O₂ meter if any confined space downstream of a vent will be entered.
A camera — high-resolution photos of all components are part of the closeout package.

Setting and securing the unit

Set the cabinet on a hard, flat, level surface rated for the installed weight with margin — approximately 223 lb (FPS-1650), 243 lb (FPS-3250) or 303 lb (FPS-5000). The 300+ lb minimum published in the manual is the FPS-1650 figure and does not cover the larger models. On an elevated slab, a wood-framed floor or a mezzanine, have the structural engineer of record confirm the loading.
Four anchor bolt-holes are provided in the support legs. Anchor the cabinet wherever site, seismic or local code requires it — it is 59" tall and top-heavy. South-Tek imposes no anchoring requirement of its own, so the governing requirement is the code.
The left side is the electrical face — power entry module, UL 508A panel, touchscreen, certification and torque labels, and both drain connections are all on it. NEC 110.26 working space applies there, not at the front: 36" deep, 30" wide or the width of the equipment (whichever is greater), and 6.5 ft high, kept clear and illuminated. At 120–240 V single phase that 36" does not reduce in any installation condition — if the room cannot provide it, the unit cannot go there. Leave 36" at the front for maintenance and the filter change, 6" minimum on the remaining sides for ventilation, and keep the top clear for the gas-line connections.
Plumb the two filter drain lines individually to the nearest floor sink or site drain and leave them open to atmosphere, with continuous fall and a visible air gap at the sink. Do not tee them together and do not cap them. Both ports are low on the cabinet's left side: on the FPS-1650 they are 1/4" OD, and on the FPS-3250 and FPS-5000 they are 1/4" NPT female bulkheads fitted with push-to-connect connectors. Either way the run is made in 1/4" OD tubing.

⚠ Warning — safety relief valves The cabinet contains ASME safety relief valves. Never plug, cap, valve off, adjust or bypass a relief valve, and never set the unit so that a relief discharge is obstructed or aimed at a walkway or a work position. Confirm every relief valve is unobstructed at commissioning.

Gas and electrical connections

All N2-BLAST FPS models are factory-equipped with 1/2" NPT female connections unless otherwise noted. Use PTFE tape or an equivalent sealant on tapered pipe threads only, started a thread back from the end so no tape enters the gas stream — never on push-to-connect, compression or flare fittings. Confirm each connection location against the panel layout and the GA drawing before energizing or opening any valve.
Install the nitrogen bypass piping — the piping that lets an alternative supply hold the riser supervised while the generator is out of service. Install it on every job: without it, every filter change and every service visit takes the riser out of supervision. This is not the same thing as the bypass air supply in the next bullet, which is the air source that feeds the auto air bypass function.
Where auto air bypass is fitted, the bypass air inlet is its own assembly with its own ball valve, regulator, and gauge, fed from an external air source through the cabinet — on the FPS-1650 as well as the larger models. Confirm that supply is connected and the bypass regulator is set before startup, and record the setting. A bypass that has never been pressurized will not be discovered until the day the generator needs it.
Install an AMD on each riser and set it up completely: the AMD is a regulating device and contains no pressure switch — the riser's low-pressure supervisory switch is a separate device, still required, and wired to the fire alarm panel by others. Set the downstream supervisory pressure to the value on the project specification for that system, read off the design documents, and record the as-left setting. Check valve verified to seat; isolated during the hydrostatic test; and confirmed to close fully on a trip before signoff. If the AMD does not close on a trip, supply pressure holds the trip valve shut and the system fails to discharge water — it is the highest-stakes valve in the assembly.
Mount the AutoPurge System horizontally, one per riser, at a remote and accessible point where water will not collect. Pull a sample line from each zone back to the Quick Check™ PowerSaver Manifold, taken from the hydraulically most remote point of that zone — at or near the inspector's test connection, off the top of the pipe — and label each line to its zone. A sample taken at the riser reads the generator, not the system, and tuning depends on knowing which line is which.
Final electrical connection must be made by a qualified electrician per local and site requirements. Land power at the cabinet's power entry module on the left side of the cabinet, not directly onto the internal power supply. That module carries the generator's built-in 15 A over-current protection, which protects the machine: it is not the branch-circuit protection and it is not a disconnecting means. Provide a lockable disconnecting means ahead of the cabinet so the machine can be locked out for service, and size and protect the branch circuit to the unit nameplate and local code. Run an equipment grounding conductor with the branch circuit and land it on the cabinet ground terminal. Units ship with a standard 3-prong US power cord unless the order specified otherwise, so either a hard-wired connection or a dedicated receptacle is acceptable — a receptacle is not a substitute for the lockable disconnect, and some authorities will not accept cord-and-plug connection of fire protection equipment at all. Supply voltage is factory configured and cannot be changed after build — read the product information label and verify the incoming voltage and frequency match it before energizing. The control panel is a UL 508A open-type industrial control panel, so the cabinet is its enclosure: do not operate the unit with the panel exposed.
FPS-3250 and FPS-5000: complete the external compressor's own installation and startup per its manufacturer's manual before starting the generator, allow the clearance the compressor manufacturer specifies on all sides of it, and confirm rotation on three-phase units before first start. Confirm the refrigerated drying is running and up to temperature — starting the generator on undried air drives moisture into the PSA beds, and that damage is not covered under warranty.

Before the first start

On new construction the installing contractor must flush and hydrostatically test the sprinkler system to clear debris before the FPS is brought online. On a retrofit into a system already in service, do not hydrostatically test it as part of this work — confirm instead that the system is clean and dry and that the AHJ does not require a retest. For the test itself: close and lock the nitrogen outlet ball valve, close the APS isolation valves and isolate the AMD at its trim isolation valve, because water driven back into the generator outlet wets the PSA beds and that damage is not covered under warranty. Afterwards restore in order — AMD trim isolation valve open, APS isolation valves open, nitrogen outlet ball valve open — and confirm the riser is back at its design supervisory pressure and any supervisory signal has cleared at the fire alarm panel. In normal service the APS stays open.

Confirm all installation, piping, and electrical work is complete and matches the project drawings.
Confirm the FPS-1650's four painted shipping bolts are out.
Confirm the nitrogen storage tank and associated piping are correctly connected.
Confirm the external air supply is available and set correctly (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000).

ℹ Note — read the setpoints first Before you start the unit, open the controller's N2 pressure settings screen and write down the cut-in and cut-out pressures. They are what tells you whether the unit is behaving during startup. Do not assume a number, and do not change them without South-Tek's involvement — the control program is proprietary and password-protected, and unauthorized changes void the performance specification.

Startup sequence

#	What you do	What you should see
1	Apply power.	Touchscreen comes up, start/stop button is red, status reads Off.
2	Confirm the nitrogen outlet ball valve is closed.	Nothing downstream is open to the riser yet.
3	FPS-3250 and FPS-5000 only. Slowly open the main air input ball valve and let pressure build to the cabinet air-inlet regulator. On current builds that is the inlet filter/regulator ahead of the dryer; on legacy black-bowl builds it is the internal regulator downstream of the filter bank — confirm which you have on the unit. Skip on the FPS-1650.	The cabinet inlet regulator holds its factory setting of 120–125 PSIG static — that is what the generator runs on, and it is not a field adjustment. The feed compressor upstream cuts out at 175 PSIG. If the regulator reads below 120 PSIG the fault is upstream — the compressor, the piping run or the dryer — so do not turn the regulator up. Feed air above 125 PSIG at the generator can cause damage that is not covered under warranty. No audible major leaks.
4	Press and hold the power button on the home screen, about two seconds.	The button turns green and status reads Running. Air rushes through the system and nitrogen begins filling the tank.
5	Watch the outlet gauge or the touchscreen pressure reading.	Tank pressure climbs steadily toward the cut-out setpoint you recorded.
6	Let it reach cut-out.	The unit finishes its cycle and enters Standby.
7	Note the tank pressure and watch it for 5 minutes.	Pressure holds. A drop you can read on the gauge over five minutes means a leak — find it before going further. The formal acceptance figure is the pressure-decay test below, not this check.
8	Slowly open the nitrogen outlet valve to the air maintenance device.	No leaks at the connections. From here the generator runs and stops automatically on internal tank pressure.
9	Watch the riser gauge as the outlet valve opens.	The riser reaches its design supervisory pressure and holds, and any low-pressure supervisory signal clears at the fire alarm panel.
10	Confirm with the alarm monitoring company that the supervisory point reads normal, and clear any impairment tag.	Monitoring company confirms normal. Tag removed and the restoration time recorded.
11	Close and secure every cabinet cover, then let the unit complete one full cycle unattended.	The unit runs and returns to Standby on its own, all covers on, no active alarms.

⚠ Warning — if you hear a leak while it is running Hold the stop button first, then close the nitrogen outlet ball valve so the riser cannot feed the leak. Now isolate the air side properly — Stop is a control action, not an energy isolation.

FPS-1650: the air source is the internal compressor, so open and lock the disconnect. The air section blows down on stop — the gauge after the copper coil reads 0. The nitrogen storage tank does not: it stays at its cut-out pressure until you close the tank valves and bleed that section. Where auto air bypass is fitted there is also a separate bypass air inlet ball valve taking air in through the cabinet — close that too.
FPS-3250 and FPS-5000: close the main air input ball valve first, then slowly open the air service valve after the regulator to relieve the filter section to 0 PSIG and leave it open for now. That order matters — opening the bleed while the inlet is still open just dumps live feed air. Where auto air bypass is fitted, close the bypass air inlet ball valve as well: it is a separate supply and closing the main inlet does not isolate it. Confirm 0 PSIG at the filter/regulator gauge before touching anything.

For a leak inside the cabinet, isolate and verify zero energy as above, then remove the cover and locate it. Use only factory parts supplied by South-Tek or your distributor, and refit the cover before returning the unit to service.

This is a fire protection impairment. Closing the nitrogen outlet ball valve stops supervisory gas reaching the riser. Before you close it, tag the system under the site's impairment program and notify the building owner or their impairment coordinator and the alarm monitoring company, and keep the window as short as the repair requires. Before you leave the cabinet: reopen the main air input ball valve (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000) or re-close the disconnect (FPS-1650); reopen the bypass air inlet ball valve where fitted; close the air service valve; restart the unit; confirm tank pressure recovers to the cut-out setpoint you recorded and the unit returns to Standby; reopen the nitrogen outlet ball valve and confirm the riser is back at its design supervisory pressure; confirm the supervisory and trouble signals have cleared at the fire alarm panel and been acknowledged by the monitoring company; then clear the tag with everyone you notified.

Leak checking and isolation

Leak-check every line before placing the system in service. Leaks make the generator run excessively, shorten compressor life, and trigger nuisance BlastOff® alarms. Listen first, then spray soapy water at the connections — on non-electrical components only. Push-to-connect fittings will show some bubbling; up to about 5 ccm is generally acceptable. Isolate and relieve pressure before working on any section.

Two things about the outlet side are worth knowing before you start chasing a reading. Where auto air bypass is fitted, the bypass air line joins the nitrogen outlet through a check valve, so bypass air cannot backfeed into the generator's air side. That check valve does not isolate the riser. With the nitrogen outlet ball valve open the tank feeds the riser — that is the machine's whole job — so the outlet ball valve is what isolates the riser, and it must be closed before any work downstream. Second, some outlet assemblies carry a pressure sensor as well as a local gauge; confirm which one you are reading. If the screen and the gauge disagree by more than a couple of PSI, stop and call South-Tek before drawing a conclusion from either — a drifting transducer and a real leak look identical on one instrument.

Step 1 — is the leak upstream or downstream of the generator?

With the unit powered on, close both ball valves on the nitrogen tank, note the storage tank pressure, and let the system keep running. It should reach Standby within about 10 minutes. Wait 5 minutes in Standby, then read the table.

⚠ Warning — on an in-service system this is an impairment Closing the nitrogen tank valves or the outlet valve on a system already in service stops supervisory gas reaching the riser. Treat it as an impairment: tag it under the site's impairment program, notify the building owner or their impairment coordinator and the alarm monitoring company — and the AHJ and the insurer where they require it — and keep the window as short as the test requires. Whatever the result, restore the valves before you leave the cabinet — reopen the tank ball valves and the nitrogen outlet ball valve, confirm tank pressure recovers to the cut-out setpoint, confirm the outlet gauge follows, and confirm the unit returns to Standby. A diagnostic that ends with the nitrogen supply valved off is worse than the leak you were chasing.

What you observe	What it means	Where to look next
Holds Standby for 5 minutes, tank pressure unchanged	Leak is downstream of the generator	The building pipelines
Holds Standby for 5 minutes, tank pressure dropped	Leak is at the storage tank	Storage tank fittings
Drops back into Run	Leak is inside the cabinet	Work the lines back to the tank, or run Step 2 below
Never reaches Standby within 10 minutes	Large leak, or the unit is not making pressure	Big fittings first; on the FPS-3250 and FPS-5000 verify 120 PSIG at the inlet. Contact your provider if it will not build.

Step 2 — finding a leak inside the cabinet

⚠ Warning — this procedure is an impairment It stops supervisory gas reaching the riser for the whole of the test. Before step 1: tag the system under the site's impairment program and notify the building owner and the alarm monitoring company. Starting state: the nitrogen outlet ball valve closed, and both nitrogen tank ball valves open. Complete the final step before you leave the cabinet.

Once the nitrogen tank is above 60 PSIG, turn the unit off.
Open the front door and locate the nitrogen tank.
Close the tank's output ball valve — the upper valve on the red manifold.
Watch the exterior gauge above the cabinet for 60 seconds. If pressure drops, the leak is between the tank output port and the outlet connection. Find it by listening and by soapy-water spray on non-electrical components only — never put a hand into a suspected gas jet. Isolate and prove 0 PSIG before repairing it. If pressure holds, continue.
Leave the tank output ball valve closed, close the cabinet door, turn the unit on and let it run — the control panel is open-type and the cabinet is its enclosure. It should reach Standby within 10 minutes. If it does not, stop and contact your local provider or installer.
Once in Standby, wait 5 minutes. It should stay in Standby. If it does not, the leak is between the check valve and the tank.
If it holds Standby and you still have a loss, contact your local provider or installer.
Restore before you leave. Reopen the nitrogen outlet ball valve and both tank ball valves, confirm the tank recovers to the cut-out setpoint and the outlet gauge follows, and confirm the unit returns to Standby. Clear the impairment tag and notify whoever you notified when you started.

▲ Attention — acceptance leak rates Confirm the pressure-decay leak rate before signoff against the acceptance criterion in the project specification and the NFPA edition your AHJ has adopted. Commonly quoted figures are on the order of 1.5 PSI over 24 hours for a new install and 3 PSI over 2 hours for an existing system, and the code test is run from a defined starting pressure — read the governing test pressure, duration and allowable drop off the adopted edition before you document a pass. Record the observed rate with the start and end readings and the time window on the commissioning form.

If it does not behave during startup

Symptom	Likely cause	What to check
No power, display dark	Supply or branch circuit	The supply connection at the power entry module, then the building breaker or GFCI. A breaker that keeps tripping usually means the circuit is overloaded.
Runs continuously, never reaches Standby	Leak, or feed air below spec	Run the leak isolation above. On the FPS-3250 and FPS-5000 confirm 120 PSIG at the inlet and that the dryer is running.
Cabinet-top gauge reads low	Below the cut-in setpoint, or a loss downstream	Compare the gauge against the cut-in and cut-out setpoints you recorded from the controller. Then check power, whether the fire protection system is being tested or drained, and leak-check.
Bubbles at push-to-connect fittings	Small leakage is normal at these fittings	Up to about 5 ccm is acceptable. Reseat or replace anything beyond that.
An alarm appears on the screen	Bypass, BlastOff®, compressor, dryer, or filter	See Operation and Alarms for what each one means. A Bypass alarm at startup means the system is feeding air rather than nitrogen — investigate before signing off.

Commissioning data to record

Capture these while you are on site. They go on the commissioning form, they are what South-Tek support will ask for on the first service call, and several of them cannot be reconstructed later.

Record	Why it matters
Generator model and serial number; feed compressor and dryer model and serial (FPS-3250 / FPS-5000)	Warranty, parts, and every future service call start here.
Cut-in and cut-out pressure setpoints as found	The baseline for judging behavior later; also proves they were not altered.
Supply voltage measured; rotation confirmed on three-phase compressors	Voltage and rotation problems show up as premature compressor failure.
Feed air pressure and dew point at the generator inlet (FPS-3250 / FPS-5000)	Out-of-spec feed air is the most common cause of non-warranty damage.
Tank pressure at Standby, and the 5-minute hold result	First evidence the system is tight.
Observed pressure-decay leak rate, with the start and end readings and the time window	Required for acceptance against NFPA 13 or NFPA 25.
Bypass fill test — time for the largest single zone to be restored to its design supervisory pressure	NFPA 13 requires the air supply to restore normal system pressure within 30 minutes; this is the number the AHJ asks for.
Bypass air regulator setting, and confirmation the bypass supply was pressurized and proven	The bypass is the fallback that keeps the riser supervised during service. An untested bypass is discovered at the worst possible moment.
Inlet filter/regulator reading with the compressor running (FPS-3250 / FPS-5000)	Record the reading. The regulator is factory set at 120–125 PSIG and is not a field adjustment — if it reads outside that band the fault is upstream, so call South-Tek rather than turning it. Recording it gives the next technician a known-good reference.
Which filter kit the unit takes — FRP-007, FRP-022, or legacy FRP-013	Recorded once at commissioning, it stops the wrong kit being shipped a year later.
APS setting for each riser	Needed to re-tune after any change, and to diagnose a zone that will not hold purity.
Purity reading per zone at handover, and the run hours on the controller	Establishes the starting point of the purge period — a new install will read below 98.5%, and that is expected.
High-resolution photos of all components as installed	Lets South-Tek support see the actual arrangement without a site visit.

Commissioning checklist

Unit set securely and level, indoors, 40–100°F, with required clearances.
Four painted shipping bolts removed (FPS-1650).
Power landed at the power entry module; voltage verified before energizing.
External compressor started per its own manual, rotation verified on three-phase, and the clearance the compressor manufacturer specifies on all sides (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000).
Feed air proven at the generator inlet — compressor cut-out at 175 PSIG, cabinet inlet regulator holding 120–125 PSIG, dew point below 40°F, drying running (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000).
Bypass piping installed for service.
AMD set per riser — regulator only, no pressure switches — and confirmed to close fully on a trip.
APS fitted per riser, mounted horizontally, not plugged, and properly tuned.
Sample lines pulled from each zone to the Quick Check™ PowerSaver Manifold and labelled.
Nitrogen tank leak-tested and the acceptance leak rate met and documented.
Bypass fill test passed — largest single zone restored to its design supervisory pressure within 30 minutes, against the acceptance criterion in the project specification and the NFPA edition the AHJ has adopted.
Monitoring demonstrated to the facility manager; commissioning data recorded and photos taken.
Completed Contractor Installation & Startup Checklist submitted to South-Tek before leaving site. The warranty term runs 12 months or 1,000 run hours from date of shipment, whichever comes first.
External compressor startup paperwork submitted to that manufacturer — a separate submission (FPS-3250 and FPS-5000).

ℹ Note — reaching purity takes time A new install does not reach 98.5% nitrogen on day one — the system drives oxygen out of the piping over an initial purge period. Set that expectation with the building owner before you leave site, record the day-one purity reading per zone so the trend can be judged later, and record the purge settings configured on that unit. Leave the AutoPurge devices in service; do not valve them shut once a zone reaches purity, because they keep the piping blanketed as gas is consumed.

Important notes

Do not energize the system until piping and electrical connections have been verified, and do not proceed with startup if any part of the installation is incomplete or does not match the project drawings.
Do not adjust the factory cut-in and cut-out pressure settings without first consulting South-Tek. The control program is proprietary and password-protected; unauthorized changes void the performance specification and the warranty.
If a nitrogen bypass system is required by code for pre-filling, follow the project-specific installation drawing.
Improper installation can cause damage and unsafe operation, and may void warranty coverage. Feed air outside the pressure, temperature, and dew-point requirements is a common cause of non-warranty damage.

Manual download

FPS-1650, FPS-3250, and FPS-5000 O&M Manual

Need help? South-Tek Systems Service — Phone: (910) 415-1880 · Open a support ticket at support@southteksystems911.zendesk.com or through the Help Center.