Siemens Fire Alarm Panel Wiring

[xenuem]

I am currently in the process of reviewing a set of drawings for a fire alarm system and I have noted that the designer has utilized 4C 16 AWG cable for both the SLC pair and the NAC pair. Admittedly, this is not a typical wiring that I have previously encountered, although it appears to be acceptable since both circuits are PLFA circuits. However, I am left with a question as to whether the fire alarm control panel maker, Siemens, permits such wiring arrangements. As I recall, certain manufacturers have rather stringent requirements with respect to wiring. I have reviewed the Siemens panel installation manual but could find no restrictions on this matter. I would be interested to know if any colleagues have encountered similar situations.

 

[gadfly56]

I am currently in the process of reviewing a set of drawings for a fire alarm system and I have noted that the designer has utilized 4C 16 AWG cable for both the SLC pair and the NAC pair. Admittedly, this is not a typical wiring that I have previously encountered, although it appears to be acceptable since both circuits are PLFA circuits. However, I am left with a question as to whether the fire alarm control panel maker, Siemens, permits such wiring arrangements. As I recall, certain manufacturers have rather stringent requirements with respect to wiring. I have reviewed the Siemens panel installation manual but could find no restrictions on this matter. I would be interested to know if any colleagues have encountered similar situations.

Your caution serves you well. The restriction appears in their XLS Wiring Compatibility Guide. Siemens does not allow multi-pair cables for wiring addressable devices, network risers, or notification appliances. The DAC-NET installation manual says that you can combine certain pairs, but tech support told me one time this is an error.

You can put multiple cables in the same conduit with the exception of the ZAM-180 output, which is non-power limited. The guide has a handy chart, and a quick Google shows it is available at multiple locations for downloading.

 

[xenuem]

Your caution serves you well. The restriction appears in their XLS Wiring Compatibility Guide. Siemens does not allow multi-pair cables for wiring addressable devices, network risers, or notification appliances. The DAC-NET installation manual says that you can combine certain pairs, but tech support told me one time this is an error.

You can put multiple cables in the same conduit with the exception of the ZAM-180 output, which is non-power limited. The guide has a handy chart, and a quick Google shows it is available at multiple locations for downloading.

Thank you for sharing your insights! I was able to locate the document through a Google search.
However, I am curious as to why the guide is not readily available on the Siemens website.

 

[petersonra]

Thank you for sharing your insights! I was able to locate the document through a Google search.
However, I am curious as to why the guide is not readily available on the Siemens website.

It is all about money. They want you to take their classes and be told where to acquire this document in their classes as opposed to making it easy for you to find stuff so you don't need to pay them.

Like most such documents, it is not hard to find if you know how to look for it.

 

[gadfly56]

Thank you for sharing your insights! I was able to locate the document through a Google search.
However, I am curious as to why the guide is not readily available on the Siemens website.

I know, it's very strange because you can get almost any of the installation manuals without logging in as a distributor, but I had to use my Siemens login to find that guide. You'd think something like that should be readily available for electrical contractors as they would be most in need of it.

 

[petersonra]

The search function on the Siemens Web site is as bad as the one on the ab web site. Just Google search. It will usually find it.