Is there an available 24V conventional flood/water sensor, available for listed interconnecting with a commercial FACP? The goal would be to hook that to a trouble only zone, to alert occupants to a flood or pipe break. I’m aware that sprinkler release must be monitored, but here I’m talking about flooding water, not a fire event.
A flood could become a life safety issue of course, even if not generally as quickly as a fire.
For home use it’s common to be able to purchase a water sensor for connection to a home alarm. In my specific case it’s a commercial size building, and the the need is basement water sensors. I’ll do it separately from the FACP if needed: my question is are initiating units available, and are they semi-commonly integrated into commercial life safety panels?
It will really fall on what the AHJ has to say about the use of a FACP as a monitoring device.
If you have a communicator or dialer to a central station that would be an even be a better solution with perhaps a sounder or bell identified for flood.
For years we had multiple waterbugs connected to a conventional FACP that comunicated a simple flood alarm to the central station. When I upgraded the security system here I changed them over to the security alarm. I for one do not feel a fire alarm should be indicating a flood alarm, just to confusing. You can also run into ground fault troubles.
My current solution is a dedicated DSC control panel with a zone per detector connected to a zone on a radio box.
Is there any code support for the monitoring of flood?
I see 17.16.3.3 for low water level in a tank, and 17.16.4.1 for freezing conditions in a tank. There’s 17.14.1 that permits a manual alarm other than for fire (it can’t be colored red). Flood seems like a reasonable analog to all those. The waterbug would be great, especially if it can be run off the panel supervisory voltage (one less thing for someone to neglect to maintain or to unplug).
In my case there’s no offsite monitoring. There will be wireless Internet eventually, if there’s a good contact closure gateway available.
(The WB-200 or WB-350 are not listed devices. With the WB-200 I could imagine using the normally closed contacts to complete a circuit to an end of line device. If the WB-200 is ever unplugged it would disconnect the EOL resistor and signal trouble. Is there a better way or device, particularly a listed device?)
Wireless internet is not a viable method to report an alarm from a life safety system. There’s too many things to go wrong, the equipment is not listed for the purpose, and most of the time there won’t be battery backup.
If you want your fire system to be monitored and there’s no phone line available, talk to a fire alarm service company about getting a GSM transmitter installed and programmed with a monitoring center.
As for your flood sensor, if you have a phone line on site there are kits you can buy from Lowe’s or Home Depot that are flood sensors with dialers built in – they call a programmed number and transmit a voice message. An example is you could set it up to call the head of maintenance for that building.
The wireless/internet is for the flood alarm.
The fire alarm is presently unmonitored and that’s unlikely to change.
The present fire system protects occupants, not the building. The FD can’t reach the building anyway in winter: if a fire starts the building is a loss.
The insteon controllers look pretty good for wireless/internet/mobile flood alarms.
I find this a bit ridiculous. First you are fixing a fire alarm that is out of the scope of the work you should be doing, and now you are installing a flood alarm which you want listed but the system is not monitored and you are willing to place with cheap devices off the shelf not designed for commercial or professional use.
Sounds to me like you have a plan in mind already and want to go that route.
I was not able to find a listed device myself.
If I learned through this forum that a listed flood sensor was available, then pursuing the route of using the FACP would be explored.
If it’s not listed, I understand I can’t use it, and would not use it.
I’m well versed in the non-listed internet / sms / cellular data or phone line options that don’t involve the FACP, and I’m not seeking any advice on those systems here.
Note that California does require anything beyond a C-10, and as I said earlier: that requirement is met on this project. See http://www.cafaa.com/ or :
California Administrative Code, Sections 4-225(c) and 4-316 (e)
Health & Safety Code 13195 & 13196.5
All system design and installation must comply with 2010 NFPA 72, Section 10.4.1 (or 2002 NFPA 72 Section 4.3.2). An Electrical Engineer or a C-10 licensed contractor is authorized to design the system within the parameters of their license…
Any system designed by a C-10 licensed electrical contractor must be installed by that contractor with his/her own employees and under the supervision of the license holder. Such systems may not be installed by another company or individual not professionally associated with the licensed installation contractor.