Fire Alarm Design Company Upgrade Can Be

These can be photoelectric smoke and heat detectors, ionization smoke detectors, heat detectors, in-duct smoke detectors, manually operated pull stations and sprinkler waterflow sensors.

This includes knowing how to disarm the control panel of a deranged system and troubleshoot the heads, pull stations, horns, and zone wiring so that the equipment goes back online, restoring fire protection for the building.

David Herres Dec 01, 2006 Even if youre not ready to take the plunge into fire alarm system design and installation just yet, you should still know the fundamentals in order to perform emergency work.

Because these ailments can be frequent with older and newly commissioned systems alike, its important for electrical contractors to understand the basics of fire alarm systems.

Referring to the installation manual, you can use the touchpad to program the systems many options.

Although a seemingly straightforward device from an installation standpoint, fire alarm work can be quite complex, especially when you consider the enormous moral and legal responsibilities involved.

There have also been some recent updates to the technology over the last few years worth noting.

Before these updates, in the event of an alarm, the alphanumeric display at the control panel indicated which zone was affected something like Fire Alarm Zone 6, East Wing Third Floor.

With an addressable head system; however, the exact location is pinpointed.

Moreover, the addressable head system has enhanced diagnostic capabilities.

This is a great advantage because when a system goes down, time is of the essence in restoring fire protection to the building.

Each new head possesses an address, which conveys its exact location.

You may be asking yourself if this means a spare head has to be kept in inventory for each location.

No, each initiating device has on its back a set of DIP switches by means of which you enter a binary number that comprises the address prior to installation.

If replacement is necessary, use a small screwdriver to set the DIP switches on the new device.

Fire Alarm Design Company Upgrade Can Be

For a large set of buildings, the expense to upgrade can be formidable.

These are reflected in the different states a control panel can be in as reported by the alphanumeric display.

A system may also be power limited, or, less commonly, non-power limited.

Say an expensive commercial building is all but finished; however, the fire alarm doesnt pass inspection, meaning the facility cannot legally be used.

As a few rattled electricians work feverishly to get the bugs out of the system, the owners lose thousands of dollars every day.

Another potentially problematic scenario might involve slightly creased conductors coming out of a conduit connector at the detector head base.

Although this situation would pose no problem in ordinary power or telephone circuits, it could throw one of these systems into false alarm.

Typically, a fire alarm system is made up of the following components.