Pressure Equipment Directive (PED)
Manufacture, installation and operation of pressure tanks has up to 1999 been controlled by different national individual control institutions in all European countries. With the introduction of the European directive 97/23/EG, Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) on 29.11.1999, these overall conditions have changed. Pressure equipment, including pressure vessels and pipelines, must be manufactured in accordance with the requirements of these Pressure Equipment Guidelines, but can be marketed across Europe.
Irrespective of the danger stamping of the charging medium it is regarded to be pressure equipment if the allowed operational pressure of 0.5 bar (500 hPa) is exceeded. Pipelines operated with non-poisonous media according to PED, i.e. water, CO2 and other extinguishing gasses are subject to the PED and with that almost all extinguishing installations and parts of extinguishing installations.
Manufacturers of extinguishing installation components and manufacturers/installers of extinguishing installations must manufacture/install their products in accordance with the requirements of the PEG. According to the PEG, an installer who “only” combines individual components into an extinguishing installation, is regarded as a manufacturer of a building group. Such installer must then perform a conformity evaluation procedure in accordance with PEG and must attach the CE label, if required.
VdS has compiled a guideline in conjunction with the "bvfa", which covers the above subject in detail. Please use the contact address below if you are interested.
Conformity Evaluation and CE Labelling according to the PED
According to Appendix III of the PED, the manufacturer/installer is obliged to perform a conformity evaluation procedure in accordance with the danger emanating from an extinguishing system or its individual components in their capacity as pressure equipment.
For extinguishing installations of Category II and higher, the manufacturer/installer has to engage an instance specified by PEG at various stages of production. The PEG allows the manufacturer/installer to decide himself when to engage such instances by selecting different modules and module combinations. The conformity evaluation procedure is conducted jointly with the specified instance and the installation is then labelled with the CE label.