Fire Shutter Actuator Control Circuit Monitoring

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luckylerado

Senior Member
We have coiling counter shutters at our transaction windows. The shutters are fire rated and drop on general alarm. Rather than power the drop device from the FACP, the electrician has a control transformer stepping down line voltage to 24 volts ran through a relay controlled by the fire alarm to drop the doors. My question is if NFPA 72 or other require the control voltage to be monitored similar to an elevator shunt trip circuit. There is a fusible link so an actual fire should drop the doors. The only reason we are required to tie to the fire alarm is because that is what is specified. I do not see this as a code requirement so I assume that the code does not address monitoring the control voltage. I have looked but that does not mean it is not there.
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
We have coiling counter shutters at our transaction windows. The shutters are fire rated and drop on general alarm. Rather than power the drop device from the FACP, the electrician has a control transformer stepping down line voltage to 24 volts ran through a relay controlled by the fire alarm to drop the doors. My question is if NFPA 72 or other require the control voltage to be monitored similar to an elevator shunt trip circuit. There is a fusible link so an actual fire should drop the doors. The only reason we are required to tie to the fire alarm is because that is what is specified. I do not see this as a code requirement so I assume that the code does not address monitoring the control voltage. I have looked but that does not mean it is not there.

Will the shutters be wired as power-on-to-close or power-off-to-close? If the former, then monitoring would be required, similar to a shunt trip circuit. While the code may not require the shutters to be activated by the FACP, once you choose to do so you have to treat it as if it had been required by the code. Use a System Sensor EOLR-1 with a monitor module to check for presence of voltage.

If the shutter closes when the power is withdrawn, then it is like a mag door holder, if the circuit opens for whatever reason the shutter closes. If you loose power when there isn't a fire, someone will probably notice. ;)
 

luckylerado

Senior Member
Will the shutters be wired as power-on-to-close or power-off-to-close? If the former, then monitoring would be required, similar to a shunt trip circuit. While the code may not require the shutters to be activated by the FACP, once you choose to do so you have to treat it as if it had been required by the code. Use a System Sensor EOLR-1 with a monitor module to check for presence of voltage.

If the shutter closes when the power is withdrawn, then it is like a mag door holder, if the circuit opens for whatever reason the shutter closes. If you loose power when there isn't a fire, someone will probably notice. ;)

The power must be on for the fire alarm to release the door. It is just a big fire damper with a solenoid on the fuse. Do you have a reference that you can site. What you say makes perfect sense to me but I need to prove it in black and white if I can.
 

ryant35

Member
Location
Cypress, CA
Most fire doors are fail safe, if for some reason the door isn't normally powered then supervising the power might be a good idea but it isn't required by NFPA 72.
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Most fire doors are fail safe, if for some reason the door isn't normally powered then supervising the power might be a good idea but it isn't required by NFPA 72.

Since the fire shutter is arguably an "emergency control function", 21.2.8 require that the interconnection be monitored for integrity according to 10.17.
 
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