Is This Against Code?

ok, now this is just stupid, how does this pass inspection?

I don’t know how anything in this school passes inspection. 85% of the emergency lights are dead, there’s rat’s nest juction boxes with wires hanging out, and more.

Most cities have a page on their website where you can report a problem to them, I would recommend this option, that’s how I got my local Container store to get a new system.

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The panel was falling off the wall

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Jesus…how did all of that slip by the inspector? (unless they’re just terrible at their job)

Not sure. I doubt the school has been inspected recently and I don’t think they really care being the structure was finished in 1975 and life safety equipment was installed in 1986 when an addition was built.

That’s really a shame (they’ll likely start caring if that leads to serious injury or death though).

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I’m surprised an incident hasn’t already happened. One of the mentioned junction boxes is sitting on top a HVAC gas line with wires all over.

It’s so sad how they don’t care until something bad happens

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I know. I wish they did better. I hope to get an internship with our local place (Summit Companies) and I will try to fix some stuff.

Wow, I am in awe. If this was my school they wouldn’t care for a week but then they would have somebody come look at it.

This one has been this way for longer than I’ve gone to this school sadly. They just tend to neglect things.

Yeah that’s definitely a bomb waiting to go off (quite literally).

Yep: that’s most people these days sadly.

Maybe the kids see the “Alarm” lamp and then think they’re connected to some sort of security system and just run away. They don’t want to fuss the cops.

Carson is correct here. Not a violation, but a really goofy setup.

Duct detectors located in a concealed location do require a remote indicator:

17.4.7: Unless otherwise permitted by 17.4.7.3, where detectors are installed in concealed locations or in arrangements where the detector’s alarm or supervisory indicator is not visible to responding personnel, the detectors shall be provided with remote alarm or supervisory indication in a location acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

17.4.7.1: The location of the detector and the area protected by the detector shall be prominently indicated at the remote indicator by a permanently attached placard or by other approved means.

17.4.7.2: Remote alarm and supervisory indicators shall be installed in an accessible location acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

So, assuming that those detectors are located up in the ceiling or in a concealed location, they have to have remote indicators - not necessarily switches. Code doesn’t prohibit test switches, but the lamps are required.

The switches are labeled “Test/Reset”, so they may not necessarily be programmed for test (and by “test”, it doesn’t necessarily activate the detector). Most duct detectors go into a supervisory upon activation, not alarm, so they wouldn’t necessarily dump the building if pressed. Maybe it’d throw a supervisory on the panel, shut down the associated AHU, and dial out to monitoring that a supervisory came in, but I don’t think you’d get FD response.

Maybe the switches aren’t even connected at all, and just the LED will light upon alarm the way code requires them to. The button may not even be hooked up to anything.

Alright, good to know.

That’s a possibility. Most are up in the units on the roof which would explain why they would put them up. I’m thinking that they’re probably just for indication now. I still think they should be protected though.

You’d be surprised. The law enforcement has to deal with a lot of them all the time. We’ve got kids that just really don’t care what will happen.

I didn’t see it in this thread, but what kind of system is the school running?

It is an 8 zone Simplex 4002 system. It’s been with the school since around 1986.

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Did the kids already start pressing the button on the boxes and cause false alarms?

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