Interconnected Smoke Alarms

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satcom

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It was brought to my attention today, that interconnected battery back-up smokes, are not allowed in multi family units, it appears they are UL approved for single family households only.
 
Davis9 said:
I did a quick search of BRK's site and found this.

http://www.brkelectronics.com/downl...cification_sheets/smoke_alarms/spec_7010b.pdf


Tom
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BRK Photo Smokes do say they are approved for multi family

From their description " multiple station smoke alarms specifically designed for residential and
institutional applications including sleeping rooms of hospitals, hotels, motels,
dormitories and other multi-family dwellings as defined in standard NFPA 101."

Firex, says their innerconnects are not approved for multi family. Very intresting.
 
satcom said:
It was brought to my attention today, that interconnected battery back-up smokes, are not allowed in multi family units, it appears they are UL approved for single family households only.
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And just where did you hear this?
 
Cavie said:
And just where did you hear this?
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Local EC said he installed Firex smokes in mullti family, fire inspector informed him they were not approved for mullti family, when I got back to shop I read the installation manual for Firex and sure eniough, it states not approved for use in multi family.
 
satcom said:
Local EC said he installed Firex smokes in mullti family, fire inspector informed him they were not approved for mullti family, when I got back to shop I read the installation manual for Firex and sure eniough, it states not approved for use in multi family.
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I have a firex install paper in my truck, I'll check it out Tuesday. Do you suppose they are referring interconnect form unit to unit and not within the unit?
 
Cavie said:
I have a firex install paper in my truck, I'll check it out Tuesday. Do you suppose they are referring interconnect form unit to unit and not within the unit?
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I already started checking, and so did the EC that was rejected, It seems the fire inspectors are enforcing this, I will check with one of the inspectors, that is also a fire engineer, after the weekend, when he first told me this, I thought he was kidding.

Read the manual, and see how it reads to you, very intresting.
Davis9 posted the BRK site info, and BRK says their photo 120 B/B type smokes are approved for multi family and commercial.
 
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Smokes are not supposed to be interconnected between multifamily dwellings. The reference is in NFPA72. I'll see if I can find it.
 
infinity said:
Smokes are not supposed to be interconnected between multifamily dwellings. The reference is in NFPA72. I'll see if I can find it.
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Yes we already know that you can't interconnect between dwellings, the Firex installation manual says approved only for single family household, not to be used in multifamily.
 
I've never run into this before. Around here, we have interconnected smoke detectors within the individual units, and then a separate interconnected system (line voltage) for the stairwells and basement.

For more that 4 dwelling units, it requires a fire alarms system for the common areas, with audible notification in each bedroom. The requirement for interconnected line voltage smokes within the unit remains.
 
Davis9 said:
These ones are ok for multifamily...
http://www.firexsafety.com/NR/rdonl...B63D-D1534C11C0D5/0/4480480C484C_1501358F.pdf

Tom:confused:

Edited to add: Seems that some people like to read only what they want.

If yoy read the Instructions it mentions Single Families, but as you dig deeper in the Specifications, it specifically mentions individual units in a multi.
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Problem is the person reading what they want, happens to be a fire inspector. We use the BRK's and have had no problems, but we have not run into this inspector ourself, as yet!
 
satcom said:
Problem is the person reading what they want, happens to be a fire inspector. We use the BRK's and have had no problems, but we have not run into this inspector ourself, as yet!
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Yeah, good luck trying to reason with the FI!

They hold more clout than the Building Inspector here...

Tom
 
Davis9 said:
Yeah, good luck trying to reason with the FI!

They hold more clout than the Building Inspector here...

Tom
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Yup, the EC that told me he had the problem, said the fire inspector wanted him to install a monitored system, and it's a two family with a efficency, even if it was 4 family I can't see a need for a monitored system.
 
Crazy, I did a 9-unit row style townhouse recently and all of them were treated as independent dwellings. No monitoring, nothing. Basically 9 single families. Used Firex for sure.

They were sprinklered, so I think that helps as far as Smoke Detection is concerned.

Tom
 
this FI is the reason not to be a legitimate contractor...his incompetence is going to cost the EC how much money for no reason at all?
 
satcom said:
Firex, says their innerconnects are not approved for multi family. Very intresting.
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I did 90 condo units with Firex SDs....tied into monitoring at "concierge desk".

Common areas were on a LV system back to concierge desk...with a horn/strobe in each unit.
 
Davis9 said:
Yeah, good luck trying to reason with the FI!

They hold more clout than the Building Inspector here...
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There is no love lost between the two in my jurisdiction...

As a building inspector once wryly noted to me: "they want you to put in a system so that the fire puts itself out and they don't have to bother coming to your house."
 
tallguy said:
There is no love lost between the two in my jurisdiction...

"
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We have run into a problem that will soon come to a head in my area. The FM is demanding that the electrician REMOVE the bonding jumper the Metal fire sprinkler system before he will pass the job. This is only one missinformed FM in one district but I shure would like to know what he basis his info for doing this on.
 
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