Fire Alarm Panel Height

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gadfly56

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
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Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
This is a first for me. We're doing some work at a customer's site and my tech sent me the attached drawing. He's asking if there is a minimum height for panel mounting. My first thought was there must be, but I couldn't find anything in NFPA 72-2002 and NFPA 70-2005 Article 760 doesn't say anything either. The manufacturer's installation manual says only to "consider" access to the control panel and follow local requirements. Nothing in New Jersey's IBC either. Does anyone know of any applicable code sections? I realize there might be an issue with the electrical panels, but that's not the issue I'm curious about.

Too bad "common sense" isn't an enforceable standard :roll:.
 
There is no requirement for a minimum height for an electrical breaker panel. I don't think there would be for FACP either. That said, I see several problems in your photo.
  • The space above and below any breaker panel has to be kept clear of anything not related to the electrical installation. I would say a FACP is not related. It is electrical, but it is not related. That requirement, stated in 110.26(F), is intended to ensure there is room for future installations of new circuits. So I would say you have a violation of that code article.
  • It appears to me that the FACP sticks out from the wall farther than the panel above it. If it sticks out more than 6 inches beyond the panel, you have a violation of 110.26(A)(3).
  • And then there is the storage problem. :roll:
 
I was forced recently to make a FACP and remote alphanumeric annunicator handicap accessible per the AHJ. So get you min/max's from ADA. Other than that, there is no other national code reference I know of related to this.
 
Wow, that is a BS installation. But, I looked at a silent knight manual:

Section 4
Control Panel Installation
4.1 Mounting the Control Panel Cabinet
Read the environmental specifications in Section 3.2 before mounting the 5808 panel.
The 5808 cabinet dimensions are:
16" W x 26.4" H x 3.5" D (40.64 cm W x 67.06 cm H x 8.89 cm D).
The 5808 panel should be located within a secured area, where it is accessible to main drop
wiring runs and where it can be easily tested and serviced. End-users responsible for
maintaining the panel should be able to hear alarms and troubles. When selecting a location,
keep in mind that the panel itself is the main source of alarm and trouble annunciation.
When mounting on interior walls, use appropriate screw anchors in plaster. When mounting
on concrete, especially when moisture is expected, attach a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to the
concrete surface and then attach the 5808 to the plywood. Also mount any other desired
components to the plywood.
DO NOT flush-mount the 5808 cabinet in a wall designated as a fire break.


No height requirements but that picture is maddening. I cannot believe a fire dept would allow that.
 
nhfire77 said:
No height requirements but that picture is maddening. I cannot believe a fire dept would allow that.
Click to expand...

I know, I know. I can't believe either the AHJ or fire official knows about this because code or no code, neither one of them would let this slide. We'll see what happens. We're adding radio reporting to this and several other panels on campus. I see a change order in our future :grin:!
 
There is a red panel to the right of the FACP....

There is a red panel to the right of the FACP....

gadfly56 said:
This is a first for me. We're doing some work at a customer's site and my tech sent me the attached drawing. He's asking if there is a minimum height for panel mounting. My first thought was there must be, but I couldn't find anything in NFPA 72-2002 and NFPA 70-2005 Article 760 doesn't say anything either. The manufacturer's installation manual says only to "consider" access to the control panel and follow local requirements. Nothing in New Jersey's IBC either. Does anyone know of any applicable code sections? I realize there might be an issue with the electrical panels, but that's not the issue I'm curious about.

Too bad "common sense" isn't an enforceable standard :roll:.
Click to expand...

I'll guess that it is a panel used as a transmitter for the FACP; it appears that the transformer enclosure for this transmitter is located just to the left of the FACP. So, all this work was done at the same time. You can count the floor tiles and observe the door swing to get an idea of the (inadequate) working clearance provided for the alarm transmitter. Is free run wire allowed below 8' by local codes and/or your AHJ?
 
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