Hose reels and wall hydrants have a standard of their own, UNI EN 671-3.
UNI EN 671-3 is the European technical standard that governs the regular checks, the annual check with maintenance and the five-yearly pressure test for hose reels with semi-rigid hose and wall hydrants with flexible hose. It doesn't design the system — that's UNI 10779's job — it says how to keep one working over time: who checks what, how often, and when the pipework has to be pressure-tested. In Italy it becomes a concrete obligation where a law points to it, from DM 1 settembre 2021 to DPR 151/2011; outside Italy the same European text changes its name — DIN, NF, ÖNORM — but not its technical content.
What UNI EN 671-3 covers, in brief
UNI EN 671-3 — "Fixed firefighting systems — Hose systems — Part 3: Maintenance of hose reels with semi-rigid hose and hose systems with lay-flat hose" — is the Italian version of a European (EN) standard, published by UNI in its 2009 edition. It applies to hose reels and wall hydrants installed in any type of building, regardless of use, and sets out how to keep them ready for use: from day-to-day surveillance through to the pressure test on the pipework.
It's a maintenance standard, not a design one: it says how an already-installed system is checked, not how it's sized. Sizing and designing the hydrant network is a separate chapter, covered by UNI 10779; UNI EN 671-3 comes into play afterwards, once the system is in place and has to be kept that way over time.
Being a European (EN) standard, adopted identically across CEN countries, UNI EN 671-3 has identical siblings in other countries: the same EN 671-3 is adopted in Germany as DIN EN 671-3, in France as NF EN 671-3, in Austria as ÖNORM EN 671-3, in Switzerland as SN EN 671-3. The technical content — the stages, the intervals — is the same everywhere; what changes is the legal text that makes it compulsory and who, in each country, is authorised to carry it out.
The stages set out by the standard — and the cadence the decree adds
UNI EN 671-3 entrusts the regular checks to the responsible person, at intervals depending on environmental conditions and fire risk, and reserves the annual check and the five-yearly test to a competent person. The six-monthly cadence used in Italy comes from DM 1 settembre 2021, not from the standard's text.
- 01
Regular checks
at intervals depending on environmental conditions and fire risk
person responsible for the system
- 02
Periodic check (Italy)
at least every 6 months: set by DM 1 settembre 2021, with reference to UNI 10779
qualified maintenance technician
- 03
Annual check and maintenance
once a year, with a check of the pipework's tightness under mains pressure
competent person
- 04
Pressure test
every 5 years, at maximum working pressure
competent person
The annual check repeats the intermediate items and adds unwinding the hose fully and putting it under mains pressure to check for tightness.
Hose reels and wall hydrants: what differs between the two
The standard treats them together because they share the same maintenance logic, but they're two different units in construction and use.
| Feature | Hose reel (semi-rigid hose) | Wall hydrant (flexible hose) |
|---|---|---|
| Hose | semi-rigid, wound on a fixed drum | flexible (lay-flat), often folded in a Z-fold in a cabinet |
| Nozzle | built-in adjustable branch, always connected | hose with coupling, often kept separate from the branch |
| Typical use | first response by whoever is on site | response by firefighting teams or the fire brigade |
| Pressure test | every 5 years on the semi-rigid hose | every 5 years on the flexible hose |
The intervals for checking and pressure-testing are the same for both: the hose changes, not the cadence.
What the annual check verifies in practice
Six points a competent person checks when the annual appointment comes round, on top of what's already covered by the periodic check.
- The hose has to be fully unwound and put under mains pressure: only that way do porosity or leaks that aren't visible when wound show up
- Pressure and flow at the nozzle are measured and compared against the network's design values, not judged by eye
- The valve and drum, and any automatic opening mechanism, have to be tested in operation, not just looked at
- Hose or pipework, branch and couplings are checked for wear, cuts and corrosion: a fault here doesn't wait for the five-yearly pressure test
- Signage, access to the recess or cabinet, and a clear space in front of the unit are as much part of the check as the hose itself
- The check date and outcome have to be recorded, along with any part replaced and the next due date
A voluntary technical standard, an obligation where the law points to it
UNI EN 671-3 is a technical standard, not a law: no provision in itself requires compliance with it. It becomes a concrete obligation only where a decree or regulation refers to it explicitly, and that's exactly what happens for most Italian buildings with hose reels or wall hydrants installed.
The main reference is DM 1 settembre 2021 (the "decreto controlli"): it's the decree that requires checks at least every six months on hose reels and wall hydrants — a frequency the text of UNI EN 671-3 doesn't set — carried out to the standard's criteria, together with the keeping of an inspection logbook. For activities subject to fire-prevention control, DPR 151/2011 is added, placing on the operator of the activity the obligation to keep installed systems serviceable; for the design and operation of fixed systems, DM 20 dicembre 2012 comes into play instead, pointing to "good practice" and hence to UNI standards, EN 671-3 included.
The distinction matters because it changes what happens if a check is skipped: not complying with a voluntary technical standard isn't in itself an offence, but not complying with the obligation imposed by the decree that refers to it is. In practice, for whoever manages hose reels and wall hydrants in a building subject to these rules, the difference is theoretical: the interval to follow is still that of UNI EN 671-3.
The periodic check isn't the surveillance
Mixing up surveillance and the periodic check is the most common mistake: surveillance is an ongoing visual observation, within reach of whoever works on site; the periodic check and the annual one are technical interventions, with a precise list of items, reserved to a competent person. Treating them as the same thing leaves exactly the technical check that in Italy DM 1 settembre 2021 requires at least every 6 months uncovered.
What UNI EN 671-3 doesn't cover
The standard doesn't design the system — that's UNI 10779's job — and it doesn't cover portable fire extinguishers (UNI 9994-1) or fire doors (UNI 11473). It covers only the maintenance of hose reels and wall hydrants already installed: surveillance, periodic check, annual check and the five-yearly pressure test, nothing beyond that.
This guide is informational material: it does not replace the standards cited, the manufacturer's manual or the judgement of a qualified technician. ToriSet organises deadlines and documents; it does not certify compliance.
The same deadlines, without the spreadsheet to recalculate.
Anyone who reaches the end of a guide like this one usually keeps the dates on a spreadsheet, on a tag, or from memory. It works as long as the assets are few and there is one person keeping track. Here is what changes with a logbook.
A spreadsheet with one date per row, on a single computer
A shared logbook: whoever opens the record sees what's due and who did the last job
You recalculate the next deadline yourself, if you remember
ToriSet calculates it from the last job: by months, by hours of use, or whichever comes first
The reminder is a sticky note or a diary
An email 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before, to you and to whoever has to act
Reports and invoices in a folder, to go looking for when needed
Attached to the job, on the product's record
What changes from one country to the next.
UNI EN 671-3 is a European (EN) standard: it wasn't born Italian and doesn't stay Italian. Every country adopts it under its own prefix — DIN, NF, ÖNORM, SN — keeping the same technical content. What changes from one country to the next isn't the technical interval, but the legal text that makes it enforceable and who, in each country, is authorised to carry it out.
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Italy
References
UNI EN 671-3:2009
The technical standard that provides for regular checks by the responsible person at risk-based intervals, an annual check with maintenance by a competent person, and a five-yearly pressure test for hose reels and wall hydrants.
DM 1 settembre 2021
Requires checks at least every six months on hose reels and wall hydrants, carried out to the criteria of UNI EN 671-3, along with an inspection logbook and a qualified maintenance technician.
DPR 151/2011, art. 6
Places on the operator of an activity subject to fire-prevention control the obligation to keep installed systems serviceable, hose reels and hydrants included.
Intervals
Regular checks
at risk-based intervals, as the standard provides
person responsible for the system
Periodic check
at least every 6 months: set by DM 1 settembre 2021
qualified maintenance technician
Annual check
once a year, with a check of the pipework's tightness under mains pressure
competent person
Pressure test
every 5 years, at maximum working pressure
competent person
NoteFrom 25 September 2026 the qualification of maintenance technicians required by DM 1 settembre 2021 becomes a standalone requirement: check that whoever carries out the check already holds it, not just that the right intervals are being followed.
France
References
NF EN 671-3
The French adoption of the same European standard: it describes verification and maintenance of robinets d'incendie armés (RIA), the local equivalent of hose reels and wall hydrants.
Code du travail, art. R.4227-28
Places on the employer the installation and serviceability of RIA in workplaces.
Règlement de sécurité ERP, art. MS 17
For buildings open to the public, requires RIA to be provided and periodically checked.
Intervals
Vérification annuelle
every year
competent technician
Épreuve quinquennale
every 5 years on the semi-rigid hose
competent technician
NoteThe French interval matches that of the shared European standard; what changes is the name of the unit (RIA rather than hose reel or wall hydrant) and the text that requires the check.
Germany
References
DIN EN 671-3
The German adoption of the same European standard.
DIN 14462
The German technical rule on designing, installing, operating and maintaining wall-hydrant networks (Wandhydrantenanlagen): it refers to DIN EN 671-3 for the checking intervals.
Intervals
Kontrolle (operator check)
in practice at least every 6 months, per DIN 14462
operator or delegated person
Wartung (maintenance)
once a year
competent person (Sachkundiger)
Druckprüfung (pressure test)
every 5 years, as set by EN 671-3
competent person
NoteThe technical interval is that of the shared European standard; what makes it binding in Germany is DIN 14462, referred to in turn by state building regulations for buildings that must have Wandhydranten.
Austria
References
ÖNORM EN 671-3
The Austrian adoption of the same European standard.
TRVB F 128
The Austrian technical directive on Wandhydranten and Steigleitungen: it sets provision, periodic checking and revision.
AStV
The workplaces ordinance: it places on the employer the maintenance of firefighting equipment, hose reels and hydrants included.
Intervals
Überprüfung (check)
once a year
qualified person
Revision
at least every 5 years
authorised specialist firm
NoteThe Austrian framework is the closest in detail to the Italian standard among the four foreign ones: a dedicated technical directive, with intervals that track those of UNI EN 671-3.
Switzerland
References
SN EN 671-3
The Swiss adoption of the same European standard, via the Swiss Association for Standardization.
AICAA/VKF-Richtlinie 18-15 «Löscheinrichtungen»
The Swiss fire safety guideline on extinguishing equipment: it refers to SN EN 671-3 for water-based extinguishing stations.
Intervals
Check by a specialist
at least once a year
specialist
NoteIn Switzerland enforcement is cantonal: check what your canton's fire insurance body requires.
What we get asked most.
What does UNI EN 671-3 require?
UNI EN 671-3 is the European technical standard governing the maintenance of hose reels with semi-rigid hose and wall hydrants with flexible hose: it sets surveillance, periodic checks, annual checks and pipework pressure testing, with the interval and the responsible party for each stage. It doesn't cover system design, which is a chapter of UNI 10779.
How often does hose reel maintenance need doing?
The text of UNI EN 671-3 provides for regular checks by the responsible person, at intervals depending on environmental conditions and fire risk, an annual check with maintenance by a competent person, and a pressure test on the pipework every 5 years. In Italy a precise cadence is added on top: DM 1 settembre 2021 requires checks at least every 6 months.
How often does the annual inspection of wall hydrants need doing?
Once a year, by a competent person: it repeats the periodic check's items and adds fully unwinding the hose and putting it under mains pressure to check its tightness. It's a distinct stage from the intermediate checks — in Italy at least six-monthly under DM 1 settembre 2021 — not another name for them.
How often does the pressure test on hose reel pipework need doing?
Every 5 years: UNI EN 671-3 calls for all the hose — semi-rigid for hose reels or flexible for wall hydrants — to be put under the maximum working pressure set by the product standards EN 671-1 and EN 671-2. It's the most demanding of the four checks, and it applies to both types of unit.
Is UNI EN 671-3 the same standard across Europe?
Yes, it's a European (EN) standard adopted by every member state under its own prefix: DIN EN 671-3 in Germany, NF EN 671-3 in France, ÖNORM EN 671-3 in Austria, SN EN 671-3 in Switzerland. The technical content — the stages and intervals — stays the same; what changes is the legal text that makes it compulsory and who, in each country, can carry it out.
Does ToriSet handle hose reels and wall hydrants too?
They're not in the default catalog, but you can add them as custom products in a minute: type, location and their check and pressure-test deadlines. ToriSet helps you keep to the deadlines set by the applicable standard, with automatic reminders and a digital log of work attached to the right unit.
Hose reels and hydrants run on a precise cadence. Does your logbook follow it?
Periodic check, annual check and a five-yearly pressure test: three different appointments, on three different dates. Even though hose reels and wall hydrants aren't in the default catalog, you can add them as custom products and ToriSet calculates the deadlines, warns you in time, and keeps the reports next to the right unit.
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