Each area seems abit different but here in the West many Electrical Engineers specifiy that the Duct Smoke Detectors should be provided by Div 15, installed by 15 and monitored by the Fire Alarm Contractor. After the Analog Addressable technology came out and many of the panels will allow you to...
Much of the time Duct Detectors are provided by Div 16 and installed by Div 15 and monitored by Div 13851 now being the Fire Alarm Contractor. A concern when specifying who is to provide the duct detector arises from the new technology. Analog Addressable panels and devices give you more...
Code states that Horn/Strobes in hallways cannot be more than 100 feet apart yet the cd ratings normally only go 25 feet out each side or 50 feet forward. If you mounted them facing each other it would be 100 feet but in a hallway is it true they need to be 15 feet from the end of the corridor...
NFPA 72-54 (2002) 6.15.3.6 states that smoke detectors shall not be installed in unsprinklered elevator hoistways unless they are installed to activate the eleavtor hoistway smoke relief equipment.
Three relays are now required for recall on elevators: Primary, secondary and Fire Hat which is...
Is elevator recall required on a building with just tow floors? Is elevator recall required on a buildling with a wheel chair lift? When a shunt trip for the power in the elevator shaft is tied to the smokes or heats under the temp rating for the sprinkler system does it have to be tied to the...
Please correct me if I have made any errors here. As far as we understand the codes, if you have a sprinkled building with at least 20 sprinkler heads IFC 903.4 it is required that the system be monitored by a central station, have a Fire Alarm Panel, at least one pull station NFPA 72 (2002)...
Is it true that ION smoke detectors do not work as well as photoelectric smoke detectors in high altitude areas? We were told that they false more often and we should specify Photoelectric instead unless we were going to use them in a duct or an electrical closet since the smoke off wires would...
When does code require that Magnetic door holders be installed and tied to the fire alarm system? Some designers tie the older 120 volt smokes to release doors but according to code the constant power sourse should be supervised and the backup sourse should also be supervised making this method...
NFPA 72 (2002) 72-55 6.15.7 Access Control doors that do not have free access with mechanical hardware need to be tied to the fire alarm system for door release. Example: If the door has a Maglock or a fail secure strike on it, the door needs to release in the event of a fire alarm. Some...
According to my understanding of code, Duct Detectors are required on the RETURN side if the air handling unit is over 2000 cfm, this would detect smoke that is going back into the unit. Is this correct? If the unit is over 15,000 cfm then you are required to install duct detectors on the supply...
When do Duct Detectors require that a RTS? (Remote Test Switch) NFPA 72 (2002) 72-43 5.14.5.8 Please let me know if you think my interpretation is correct on this matter. The way I read this I understand that when the Duct Detectors that are installed cannot be seen easily they are either...
What determines whether not not you implement global shutdown of the air handling units or just local shut down activated by individual duct detectors? Does building type and building contents have something to do with this?
FPL is fire rated wire for Fire Alarm systems. FPLR is fire rated cable that is known as RISER wire that is capable of holding it's own weight when for example it is dropped down a building wire chase. FPLP is fire rated wire that is PLENUM, this simply means that when it burns it will not put...
NEC 760 goes over the type of cable that can be used for low voltage fire alarm systems, namely FPL, FPLR, FPLP (Plenum) and the CMP wire types. Most Fire Alarm systems currently are using low voltage 24 VCD so the wiring is POWER LIMITED. Electrical Contractors are telling me that their...
NFPA 72 (2002) 6.15.5.2 states "If connected to the fire alarm system-------" Is there anywhere in the code that states that dampers must be connected to the FACP?
NFPA 70(NEC) Art 760.9 was a quote that someone gave me that stated that system grounding was not required for Fire Alarm systems of 50 volts or less. When I looked in my 99 version I could not find this reference. Some Fire Panels have step down transformers outside the panel and others have...
