×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Fire Alarm Strobes w/ indirect lighting

Fire Alarm Strobes w/ indirect lighting

Fire Alarm Strobes w/ indirect lighting

(OP)
Wondering if anyone has either designed a fire alarm system (strobes) to be visible when using a lit ceiling (ie indirect lighting) or been flagged for not having one?  Any idea of the enforceability of such a design issue?

Thanks.

RE: Fire Alarm Strobes w/ indirect lighting

Yeah, I have.  In fact a couple "computer rooms" with local gas type fire extinguishing / suppression systems.

The strobes themselves have to be clearly visible and mounted at a height compliant with the applicable code (I think NFPA70 establishes locations, but it may be another NFPA standard).

The last one I did this was the case, and the strobes had to indicate for the rest of the area, despite the local gaseous system, or should I say in addition to the local system.

Fire inspectors are like that.

Please let us all know how this works out for you! and don't forget FAQ731-376

RE: Fire Alarm Strobes w/ indirect lighting

NFPA 70 is the NEC.  NFPA 72 is Fire Alarms.

RE: Fire Alarm Strobes w/ indirect lighting

(OP)
HCB Flash - Thanks for your reply.

I was really asking specifically about the situation of applying strobes when the ceiling is lit.  The strobes must be clearly visible, but I think there is a pretty wide latitude in the various codes and standards regarding what "visible" means - e.g. I think the general guideline is that it is not required that the strobes be directly visible from all points in the space, but that someone in the space would be visually aware they are flashing.  

The issue is that if you have relatively high furniture partition walls and a ceiling which is lit by normal lighting, for example, you could have the situation where it may not be easy or practical to see the flash of the strobe.  If you were to take the most stringent interp of "visible" short of "directly visible", we could end up with a 177 candela strobe every 20 feet or something like that.

That's the situation I was talking about.  After all, if one strictly follows ADA (prescriptive) requirements for this placement, it could be difficult/impossible to see flashing strobes if you're sitting down, have any ceiling height.

Any thoughts?

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources