zones in fire alarms

[r.b]

I understand a fire alarm on a conventional are wired in zones.Sounder circuits are on separate circuits.Zones are made up of breakglasses and detectors together.But how do you decide the zones are these already on the plans for a new install for instance.Or do you just decide and make it up as you go along.For instance you might have a staircase as a zone, downstairs as a zone and upstairs as a zone.Surely they would be a plan?

As for adding on fire alarm points sounders ,detectors,breakglasses all I would do is turn the main spur off at the fire alarm panel this right?I mean the alarm wouldnt start sounding?

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

If an alarm system stopped working because you removed the mains power it would not be a very useful system IMHO...

Have you not considered battery back-up operation?

So as to keep the alarm sounding when the mains goes off?

Probably best to get some training on fire alarms before just dabbling around and making it up as you go along...

Probably need some hefty insurance cover as well for the just bung-it-in trial & error method of installation.

:C

 

[sparkytim]

As for adding on fire alarm points sounders ,detectors,breakglasses all I would do is turn the main spur off at the fire alarm panel this right?I mean the alarm wouldnt start sounding?

Well try that and see what happens then,

BS 5839 Part 1 will give you all the details you will require to work on Fire alarm systems.

 

[Andy™]

I understand a fire alarm on a conventional are wired in zones.Sounder circuits are on separate circuits.Zones are made up of breakglasses and detectors together.But how do you decide the zones are these already on the plans for a new install for instance.Or do you just decide and make it up as you go along.For instance you might have a staircase as a zone, downstairs as a zone and upstairs as a zone.Surely they would be a plan? As for adding on fire alarm points sounders ,detectors,breakglasses all I would do is turn the main spur off at the fire alarm panel this right?I mean the alarm wouldnt start sounding?

you should call someone who knows what they are doing. the time when your bodge will fail is when there is a fire and someone ends up dead through your incompetence. and unfortunately, it will be some innocent person and not you.

if you really insist on the taking on the job, at least get a fire alarm co to design & comission the system

 

[Terry W]

[quote name='Andy

 

[batty]

food for thought (system appered to worked having detected fire)Large Fine !!!

Who's going to prosecute them?

BBC News - Investigation after Hull smoke alarm catches fire

 

[Bacon]

Recently had to disable a fire alarm in a disused warehouse as it's faulty.

Any how to cut long story short had a phonecall from gaffer to pick the keys up and meet a fire alarm survey/designer at the site to find out what was required for the refurb of the warehouse.

Upon having a chat with him it transpires that when my gaffer enquired with CEF about a price for new panel, call points,sounders and smoke they sent this company out to verify what was and wasn't compliant with the current system in place and there was a lot of noncompliance with the current system.

So your first port of call would be with your local wholesaler who would then put you in touch with an alrm design company which will carry out a survey and design the system that will fit the needs of your client.

 

[Terry W]

Who's going to prosecute them?

nobody, ( I understand the fire service gets a cut of a successful prosecution)

So your first port of call would be with your local wholesaler who would then put you in touch with an alrm design company which will carry out a survey and design the system that will fit the needs of your client.

If your unable to design I would assume your unable to comission & verify the design is valid

 

[Manator]

nobody, ( I understand the fire service gets a cut of a successful prosecution)If your unable to design I would assume your unable to comission & verify the design is valid

Not true really, many electrical contractors often use a design and commision service, this can be arranged through your local wholesalers. The advantage of this is that you are only ever then responsible for the installation which is fully planned. The company who supplied the design and plans will then come and commision it.

Back to the op

You can make any area a zone, the most often used zones for a typical multi floored building would be each floor is designated a zone, and the staircase would be a seperate zone. However this is all dependant on the fire risk assessment carried out before any fire alarm is designed.

Adding anything onto any fire alarm already installed is going to be subject to various tests and compatability. Not all systems can be of mixed types for instance, and the continuity of any single circuit should not be over the maximum that the fire alarm panel manufacturers state.

All panels should be installed correctly, and have battery back up, if you turn the main power off, the panel will immediately go into fault status, after a while the panel will start to "bleep", you must have the correct codes/keys, to access the engineers facility, the user code will not give you the access level you require to add any additional devices.

You must be competant to work on fire alarm systems, it is one area where any negligence, or proved incompetancy will lead to legal action, or even death, should the system fail to raise an alarm.

There are short courses run all over the country where you can gain practical experiance in the design and installation of fire alarm systems.

 

[Terry W]

Not true really, many electrical contractors often use a design and commision service, this can be arranged through your local wholesalers. The advantage of this is that you are only ever then responsible for the installation which is fully planned. The company who supplied the design and plans will then come and commision it.

Thats the point I'm making, the OP (IMHO ) is not competent to design or comission,

In their circumstance I would appoint a proper fire protection co. as my sub contractor & look carefully at what they do on site.

2nd job I' may work to theirs or a manfactures cad drawing & errect systems & get co. or manfacture to comission

if there was enough jobs, I would advise to the FIA modules, train & invest in autocad (or sub) most here would only need to add a set of poles & db meter to your kit

that the easy route from knowing little to doing it properly ?

 

[Manator]

Very true, I think I may have mis interpreted your first post, and what you say is a very good way of learning how and why its done.