Bell NAs

The local Sears outlet has a white Wheelock bell as the only NA in the shopping area mounted on the wall above the side exit/entrance. In the back employee area which is visible from the restroom hallway there is a panel, horn/strobe and pull station. That’s one of the very few times that I’ve seen a bell for an NA in my area. I typically only see them for outside sprinkler alarms.

Yeah, bells are kind of going out the doors these days, with the advancement of electronic horns. Bells nowadays are really being used only for sprinklers or in large industrial areas. Though it does depend on where you are from. Being in Canada, I can say that bells are still used quite often because of EST. Lots of new buildings or renovations I see now and again use bells (EST, notifier, potter, or Mircom).

I know of only one system in my hometown where the signals are bells.
The reason why they aren’t used anymore is simple: bells and electromechanical horns are current hogs. I’m not sure what the vintage horns drew but modern electronic signals use a fraction of that current, therefore allowing you to fit more signals on a NAC.

That Sears Outlet store opened in the late 1980s. It has a white Wheelock bell as the only NA in the shopping area of the store. No strobes anywhere on the sales floor. Only strobe in the store is located in the back employee area.

I have never seen any bells over here ever used as a notification appliance or even at all. Then again we don’t get a lot of variety over here. I always thought that they stopped using bells in the 70s and they wouldn’t be on ANY system anymore and were all replaced.

I know we’ve had a ton of threads on this topic.

That being said, there are a few places in the US where bells remain common. Most notable is Washington, DC, where places without EVAC generally have bells. I have seen very few systems with horns in DC. My university campus in New York has at least 12 buildings with bells. Horns dominate in NY buildings, but there is a not-small number of schools and colleges with bells.