Fire Alarm Panel and External Battery Distance/Location

[upinsmoke]

Different panel manufacturer's appear to have different requirements on distance external standby battery cabinets can be from the panel, and some specify same room.
- Does anyone know what's behind this from a technical and regulatory standpoint?
- Should distance matter as long as the voltage drop is kept below a certain threshold?
- Don't see any regulatory requirements - but maybe there's something?
- As far as location, should it matter if standby batteries are behind the wall or in an adjacent room?

 

[gadfly56]

Different panel manufacturer's appear to have different requirements on distance external standby battery cabinets can be from the panel, and some specify same room.
- Does anyone know what's behind this from a technical and regulatory standpoint?
- Should distance matter as long as the voltage drop is kept below a certain threshold?
- Don't see any regulatory requirements - but maybe there's something?
- As far as location, should it matter if standby batteries are behind the wall or in an adjacent room?

I'm not aware of any code requirements, but then, there are 50 states. I'm most familiar with Silent Knight and Siemens and don't recall that either addresses the issue directly. The closest Siemens comes is saying you should align the knockouts in the top of the battery cabinet with those in the bottom of the fire alarm control unit. I know at a power plant we did a wall-'o-batteries, mounting about 6 cabinets in 2 columns of 3.

 

[Fire Pro]

Different panel manufacturer's appear to have different requirements on distance external standby battery cabinets can be from the panel, and some specify same room.
- Does anyone know what's behind this from a technical and regulatory standpoint?
- Should distance matter as long as the voltage drop is kept below a certain threshold?
- Don't see any regulatory requirements - but maybe there's something?
- As far as location, should it matter if standby batteries are behind the wall or in an adjacent room?

No it doesn't matter code wise, the manufacturers have recommendations, that's why they vary. You can have them in the ceiling above the panel, in the room behind it, etc. As close as possible to the facp is advisable though.