CFAA SPEECH ON COMMON FIRE ALARM ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS by Dean Norman
Revised Version for Reading
For all that read this speech; I tried to rewrite the speech for correct spelling and grammar, but it seems to loose it’s “zip “so, please bear this in mind.
I put a great deal of thought into presenting the issues in such a way as to draw attention to the issues without “pointing a finger “at any one group. All groups participate when involved with a Fire Alarm System, whether at the early design stage, installation stage, verification stage and finally using the system/ maintenance stage (All areas need to improve).
My approach taken in this speech is to show and explain what happens with real life examples, when one or all involved parties’ lack.
The issues that are covered follows:
-Confusion of the word Normal when applied to different areas of the Fire System
-Sprinkler Flows and Tampers not being hooked up correctly and not ready for testing
-Meter Usage and how it takes the guess work out of trouble shooting
-Where to find a listing of the Common Codes, Reading them and time saved
-The Development/History, Physical Placement and Benefit of Data Isolation Modules
-The Placement and Proving of Duct Detectors using a Manometer for pressure differential
-How to be ready and how Not to be ready for Programming/ Verification
-How End users can determine if the hired Testing Companies are ready to test their building to the CAN/ULcS 536 Standard for the Testing of Fire Alarm Systems.
Please enjoy and I hope everyone will come away with ways that they can contribute at a higher standard.
Regards,
Dean Norman
Start of Speech
Good afternoon, I would like to offer a personal Thankyou to everyone here and for using your valuable time to attend our CFAA annual seminar. I know how busy everyone’s schedules are at this time of year. We do appreciate the effort everyone has made to attend.
I was asked to Present, Common Fire Alarm Issues and Possible Solutions.
My allotted time is 45 minutes. We have a lot to do, so let’s get started with introductions at the front left table. Hang ON. That will take just about take the whole time, so let’s skip that part shall we?
Just Kidding!
You know, that’s just me being a little off center.
You know a little “Off Normal”.
Over the years many people who I have had the pleasure of working with, know I really do not fit the “Normal Mould, Maybe a Jello Mould on the front a bit “. But I think that most can attest to the fact that we always have a good time and lots of laughs on our way to “Getting It Done”.
Its Interesting word that “ Normal “. Its kind of a Value term of sorts. Its kind of “Out There “ where people use the term, observe it, think it, embrace it and feel that they understand it.
But do they? Really, it can have very different results or mean very different things from two very similar individuals that come from similar backgrounds.
In The Trades World,
To and Electrician, the Normal state for contacts or equipment means Deenergized, on the Shelf, in the box. Yes?
To an S Hurder, or I mean, a Plumber, it takes on a “usage meaning” of sorts. It is how ever a valve or series of valves in a system are being used, normally. You know, what it is intended to do. If there is Stuff running out of the pipe and that is desirable, then all is good and the valves are in their Normal positions (closed where they need to be closed and open where they need to be open).
Now , To a FAG,,, that’s a Fire Alarm Guy by the way , it takes on a usage meaning as well, When the system is energized and in a Trouble Free State Without and Alarm Present, what ever position the equipment is in at that point, is said to be in the Normal position.
There is one area that seems to still be open for interpretation. The board marking of the audible and visual circuits that show polarity. The question is what state does the polarity indicate, the supervisory state or in the ring or activation state. One manufacture may think the normal state of the circuit is when the audibles are sounding and another manufacture considers the supervisory state. So each mark their boards opposite to one an other. Confusing enough? Lots of guys get really upset over this one, so I teach people it is ok so long as they are consistent we can easily swap the field wire at the panel to make it work.
Doing ok right?
This IS WHERE WE ALL TEND TO GET DERAILED.
It’s comes from the Sprinkler People who pride themselves AT BEING, NOT NORMAL and Sprinkler Manufactures belonging to the same Species, seem to follow right behind. Well, it’s like they don’t have any rules to base the Word NORMAL On.
I sometimes think that there is a Guy in a Backroom somewhere assembling sprinkler valves and flow switches, chuckling away to himself while installing the microswitches into the equipment, let just say, with Creativity.
It was not to long ago I experienced 2 new valves , new out of the box with the Microswitches installed within there cases opposite to one another. This used to be more common in years past than today.
The NO and NC markings read one way while the internal contact within the units where installed opposite. After having to rectify the situation, I went to the supplier, not to mention any names “ Emco”, and complained. I received a response I was not expecting. The Gent said from behind the counter said and I quote, “it did not matter so long as the little button would go in and out “!
Little did he know that earlier I was called to a site in a panic by our tech, there was 6 people working for over 2 hours in a dimly lit room where an Electrician and a Sprinkler Tech were getting ready to Pound each other out! It was explained to me by the Electrician that he hooked up the valves exactly the same way and one of the valves was defective. The Sprinkler Tech had a similar story stating that there was nothing wrong with the valves “ you can hear them Click “and it was the Electrician who did not know what he was doing. The Engineer busy on his phone at the time, ready to leave, as there was no headway being made.
I opened my pack and pulled my best friend out, complete with new batteries.
Quickly I found that one valves micro switches were reversed to the other valves micro switches, moved one wire from the terminal marked NO to NC, everything worked the way we needed. AHHH! Peace and Tranquility fell upon the room. The VI was completed and all were buddies again. By the way both were partly right, there was nothing wrong with the valves, and the wiring was correct to the markings but how could they have avoided this dilemma?
(HOLD UP THE METER)
USE THE METER LUKE !
THE FORCE IS WITH YOU, WHEN YOU USE THE METER !
It truly is your best friend, won’t lie, and can tell you things that you may not expect.
I was sent to diagnose a crane problem one time, it was popping the overloads in different positions. I was presented with Lots of theories about bad windings and such. I hooked up the amp meter and observed while the operator moved the crane.
There were a few locations where the current consistently went high. We noted that it was always in the same parts of the track, so we marked the track, and found that the support welds we broken in a few places (this allowed the track to spread jamming the travelling wheels). The welds were repaired and the crane worked fine. Not an electrical problem at all But the meter told us the answer that we required.
Back to sprinkler.
A hint when checking the contacts on a current version of Sprinkler Shut off valves, ( not the old series modules), Make sure the contact you are trying to use is open when the valve is open and closes when the valve closes. The contact should match the valve position. Valve open, contact open. Valve Closed, contact closed.
Similarly for the Flow switch, contact open when the water is not flowing, Contact closed when the water is flowing. After getting the contact hooked up, then wire one lead to the closed cover switch (cover switch is closed when the cover is installed). Then connect from the cover switch to one side of the EOL and the other side of the contact directly to the other side of the EOL.
SO From the zone card or field module , A wire under each side of the open contact, then take one side thru the cover switch to the EOL and the other side of the open contact to the other side of the EOL. A quick test to make sure you have it right is to remove all covers and make sure you can still get the valve activation or flow switch alarm form each valve or flow switch.
*On a Side note. There is a new batch of plastic body tamper switches used on ¼ turn ball valves that barely have enough room for 18 gauge wire with B crimps or #29s. They seem to be warping drifting out of position when set to snug.
WOW that was good.
Now for the Next most popular issue, the words Can We, How Do We Know, Do We Need Too, How Far Apart, or How Far Away? And there is many more so I lumped all of this style of question into the same category.
At the front of most Job Specifications there is a listing of Regulatory Requirements or Referenced Documents.
HOLD UP A SPEC OPEN TO THE PAGE AND SHOW AUDIENCE
Like: CAN/ULC S524 Installation of FA Systems 01
Alberta Building Code 2006
Alberta Fire Code 2006
CAN/ULC S537 Standard for Verification of FA Systems.04
CAN/ULC S528 AND S529 for Manual Pull Stations and Smoke Detectors.
And lots of other codes that apply for testing, water type devices, visual signal
Appliances and others.
I know The codes are Expensive , BUT I question, how much money is lost with 4 people in a discussion during a Verification on Whether there needs to be a pull station installed here or a smoke installed in the Elev Shaft?
I know of a few Engineering Firms that have the requirement of a “job site copy “of CAN/ULC S524, in their specification requirements.
Reading the codes save everyone time and we know time is money!
Moving on.
This next issue comes up on every site and is Always being asked, and if not, then they are being installed wrong or omitted altogether. It is so frequent that I am compelled to address the issue, but I will keep this very general and very brief as Ken Baird is going to address this issue in detail, following this presentation...
The questions that I keep getting asked on Every job site, go like this,
What is a Data circuit isolator, and / or where does it go?
First what is an isolator, it is a module or base, that senses zero volts (a short) between the data circuit wires and will open internal relays, which has the effect of isolating a shorted pair of wires from the remainder of the circuit. This allows the rest of the circuit to function correctly. ( we only loose the section of wire and devices between isolators ) explain with your hands panel , devices and wire, iso, devices and wire, iso, devices and wire return side of the panel.
Secondly is the intent of isolators which indirectly answers, Where Do They Go?
This has always been the intent.
It is, “not to not loose more that one fire separation at a time, during a fire condition“. NOW Back to the first generation of Addressable Fire Panels so we may understand.
There wasn’t isolation modules developed when the first Addressable Panels were released, so as soon as a fire started, the panel would receive the alarm and initiate bell ringing. Soon after, the fire progressed in the area, heat built up and the data wire melted together shorting the data circuit, resulting in the entire data loop loss. Sometimes this encompassed the entire building (if there was only one loop controller). Back then, some of the panels even locked up with the last event being left on the display “data circuit failure” Nice message for the Fire Dept to Read upon Arrival to the Site. Everyone here can appreciate this put the Fire Dept in a very bad situation.
Legislation soon followed after the situation was discovered.
Next, The Research and Development teams built isolation modules and were released by the manufactures.
Then the First attempt at isolation module placement followed, we were told to put an isolator at each of the fire separations, Seemed Ok, but someone came up with a , Pause “ what if”, “ what it the isolator was involved in the fire ?, then you would loose 2 areas at one time”. SO, this was corrected by placing an Isolator on each side of the separation, offset from each other and plugging the pipe to make sure there was no smoke that could travel from one side of the fire separation to the other. Now even if “one” of the isolators was involved in the fire, the other isolator on the other side of the fire separation would protect the second area, finally, meeting the requirement of loosing only one area at a time.
By having only one area being lost at a time has distinct advantages for the Fire Dept. This allows for the tracking of the fire for speed and direction.
Say it travels from North to South and takes 30 min to jump a fire separation, the Fire Person can now plan, how quickly they will need to evacuate residences/people and or where to move them, whether they need to call for another truck, or where it should be safe to stage equipment in an area. It allows for planning the attack.
Isolators ARE very important and must be installed correctly to function correctly.
I look forward to Ken’s presentation so that he can fill in the details and we can learn even more about Data isolators and make better sense of them.
The fire separations generally follow the sprinkler zones. A flow switch generally indicates the fire separation it is protecting. This is only a rule of thumb, but by reading the fire codes and knowing the building structure it can be made clear. (Just like the previous issue of Where to).