Upgrading or adding on to existing fire alarm systems;

[olc]

Can you list things to look for and consider when upgrading or adding onto existing fire alarm systems?
I know part of the answer is "it depends".
Upgrading usually means adding visual alarms (strobes).

Is there an age system (conventional or addressable) that probably can not be changed?

Can horn/strobes be added to older systems with:
bells?
horns?
old style strobes (opaque type light)?

Other things to look for?

 

[DavJ09]

Can you list things to look for and consider when upgrading or adding onto existing fire alarm systems?

I know part of the answer is "it depends".

Upgrading usually means adding visual alarms (strobes).



Is there an age system (conventional or addressable) that probably can not be changed?



Can horn/strobes be added to older systems with:

bells?

horns?

old style strobes (opaque type light)?



Other things to look for?

Can you cut wiring to completely remove old fire alarm systems and add new modern fire alarm system to the existing wires?


-- J. Davis (tapatalk!)

 

[MichaelGP3]

Can you list things to look for and consider when upgrading or adding onto existing fire alarm systems?
I know part of the answer is "it depends".
Upgrading usually means adding visual alarms (strobes).

Is there an age system (conventional or addressable) that probably can not be changed?

Can horn/strobes be added to older systems with:
bells?
horns?
old style strobes (opaque type light)?

Other things to look for?

1. Is the existing system powered from a 20 amp dedicated circuit?

2. Are you upgrading or adding on to a clean system, a troublesome system, or a troublesome system that appears clean because someone has re-located end of line supervision resistors jumping out circuits in trouble, pulled out ground fault detection jumpers, etc? Can the customer furnish past inspection records?

3. Was the original installation permitted and passed inspection by the AHJ? Can the customer furnish accurate and up-to-date as-built drawings for you to base your bid on? This, assuming what you're furnished is correct, means that you don't have to start from square 1 when developing new voltage drop and backup battery calculations.

4. AHJ's will likely require that the system sound the same throughout the facility. So, as a general rule, add bells to existing bell circuits and add horns to existing horn circuits, within circuit limitations. Different brands of horns will sound different enough to require that you change out existing for new models.

5. You may not have to add booster power supplies, but that is the way to bet; this will be especially helpful in getting the strobes to synchronise (which is required). I'm hoping that your bid will include replacing those 1.5 cd strobes installed 30+ years ago.

6. Your question "Is there an age system (conventional or addressable) that probably can not be changed?" cannot be answered generically, but only on a case by case basis with the answer 'It depends on whether the manufacturer is still in business, and if so whether the manufacturer still supports that panel with new parts'. Some panels only have parts from the factory available for repair, which in your case may require replacing the panel. Just to be clear: you cannot install used parts for the kind of project you've described.

7. Regarding older addressable systems, is there someone factory trained with access to factory support (software/firmware updates, service bulletins, product recalls, etc) available who can alter the existing program?


I'm happy to stand corrected if anything I've stated here is wrong. Good luck with your project.

 

[charlie b]

I am in the middle of a Fire Alarm System upgrade project. One thing I will add to the above list is that any two strobe lights have to flash in synchronization with each other, if a person can see them both at the same time. That requirement has led to the replacement of many strobe lights that were made by a different company than the one that made the new Fire Alarm Control Panel.

 

[gadfly56]

I am in the middle of a Fire Alarm System upgrade project. One thing I will add to the above list is that any two strobe lights have to flash in synchronization with each other, if a person can see them both at the same time. That requirement has led to the replacement of many strobe lights that were made by a different company than the one that made the new Fire Alarm Control Panel.

Actually, based on the 2007 NFPA 72, it's "any three", or technically, "more than two" (7.5.4.3.2 and 7.5.4.4.7).

 

[gadfly56]

Are you just adding a couple of smokes, pulls, or horn/strobes, or is the building getting a new wing, doubling in size?

Generally, if the panel is older than 10 years, you may have a very hard time making any expansions unless there are a lot of open zones (for a conventional panel) or a lot of available addresses (for an addressable panel). On Dec 31, 2008 UL 864 Ninth edition went into effect. This is the UL standard for fire alarm systems. Major changes to cabinet sizes, battery capacities and sundry other items were made. Manufacturers trimmed their product lines and obsoleted older panels. Even those lines that survived may not have components that are compatible between 8th and 9th edition models. Your AHJ may require that the upgrade meet 9th edition requirements. I don't know of anyone who has a "drop-in" kit for panel upgrades. You would, in practice, have to replace the panel.

As others have pointed out, old notification appliances may have to be gloabally replaced since no one makes an incandescent strobe anymore. During their lifetime, conventional fire alarm systems usually wind up having three or four different models of smoke detectors on them, depending on what the tech had on his truck at the time. You'll want to clean that up, which may mean replacing all of them if the majority is a model no longer in production (say, a System Sensor 2400). On the addressable side, much as I don't care for Simplex, their retro compatibility is impressive. Siemens has a major break between their MXL and XLS line, although now the have a bridge card to retro an MXL install into an XLS system.

The one thing you can't do too much of is investigation of the current system. You will probably spend as much or more time familiarizing yourself with the current install as you will engineering the replacement or upgrade.