Hello,
i know some of you like to show off your knowledge about fire alarms. So i have made a quiz post your answers in the post box.
1.what is an slc loop
2.could a fire alarm system be used other then fire protection
3.what would a conventional fire panel be used for other thena hobbyest system
4 is halon a type of gas or is it a brand
The SLC loop is what all of the initiating devices communicate with the panel over (also known as polling; represented by a flashing LED on some systems).
A fire alarm system is more commonly used as a fire/security systems.
A conventional fire panel can be used for legitimate fire alerting. It can also be used for agent release systems. I think I’ve seen one where whenever the blue pull station is activated, it calls the building police to assist with opening a door (in a secret facility that has automatic door locks).
I don’t know a lot about gas, but they have notification appliances that say “HALOGEN” instead of “FIRE”.
System Sensor developed and manufactures it, although it isn’t documented on their site. Pittway owned System Sensor, Notifier, Fire-Lite, and the other brands now owned by Honeywell.
False.
False, but may be true because AC input connections are on the bottom of most panels.
I believe it was Faraday in the early 1970s.
Wheelock, around 1977
Strobes are required on all US systems but only on certain systems in Canada. In parts of Canada (especially Quebec), English/French pull stations and bilingual signals are a requirement, but not in the US.
Basically the alarm panel needs to be wired into the phone line so all the phones installed after it run through the panel.
When the panel enters alarm, it disconnects the second line, interrupting any phone call, then uses the line to contact the monitoring center.
Correct.
Correct, but incomplete. There’s something about how the NACs work that is different too.
Yes, it is usually used with the SLC loop, speakers, and annunciators to prevent interference from other electrical wires. It is also recommended that electronic horns are used instead of mechanical horns, and bells. Twisted wire is also recommended. If none of those are followed, then the wires can be sent through conduit for minimum protection.
That’s the basics (kind of). During PAS, whenever a detector activates, the panel will not go into alarm for 15 seconds. During this time, a control module can be used for sound PAS signals. If the ack button has not been pressed within 15 seconds to allow extra time (up to 3 minutes), the NAC’s will activate.
It is a module that looks like a monitor module, but is basically like a relay. It can communicate with the panel via the SLC loop, and has input terminals for 24VDC from auxiliary power (like a power supply panel). The panel can tell it draw power from the power source and send it to something (like NA’s, for example).
True. Signature series detectors can function in two-wire mode. This is because the EST 2 and 3 have a degrade mode that kicks in if the CPU fails so that alarms can still function conventionally.
Correct! Conduit may enter the bottom of the panel, but only if it is sufficiently separated from the batteries. Supposedly a piece of cardboard is considered sufficient by many inspectors.
It was Space Age Electronics in 1971. They didn’t have the first visual signal, but they were the first to market a horn and a light together as one “unit”.
Correct!
Correct! Canada also requires LED annunciation of zones on all panels (even addressable), which the US does not.
Cardboard? I would say something for heat resistant, and less combustible, like a slice of thermoplastic, the same material used to make many of today’s exit signs. Cardboard is practically the material we use to feed fires, lol.
I was thinking about putting that in my answer, because some panels integrate the LED annunciator into the dress panel.
If the Fire-Lite detectors have the Hockiki addressable protocol, I think some Simplex panels will accept them.
The proper way to reset a BG-12 is to insert the key or allen wrench, rotate it to unlock the station, pull the cover open, close it once the handle has popped back up, and then rotate the key/wrench to lock it (and remove the key/wrench). There is no need to flip the switch inside.
I don’t think some would be more likely than others, but it could be a tamper switch (as you stated), or a waterflow switch.
Waterflow switches always should come in as an alarm condition because that means there is a sprinkler head open because water is following in the main pipe that feed the sprinkler
Just thought I’d give this quiz a try with a few of my questions (they might be somewhat simple).
What does the white diagonal stripe seen on pull stations in many NYC buildings stand for?
Two companies, one of them being Edwards, manufactured large systems with the model number “8500” in the '80s (both are unrelated). What is the name of the other company?
What happens if a fire alarm panel is removed from its enclosure and directly mounted in a cabinet other than its own (different model or manufacturer)?
What is the purpose of a firefighters’ telephone?
What was Pyrotronics’ first addressable system called (model)?