Stand By Power for Fire Alarm

[Potenza4315]

I am in involved with a project where the fire alarm standby power is being provided by an automatic stand by generator. It is beingargued that the fuse cut out needs to be before the main breaker of thegenerator itself(Outside At the generator). I installed the cut out on the lineentering the building before any branch circuitry with its own transfer switchjust for the fire alarm system. I could not find any back up either way. Do youhave any info on the subject? Are you aware of any code that might specify?:?

 

[gadfly56]

I am in involved with a project where the fire alarm standby power is being provided by an automatic stand by generator. It is beingargued that the fuse cut out needs to be before the main breaker of thegenerator itself(Outside At the generator). I installed the cut out on the lineentering the building before any branch circuitry with its own transfer switchjust for the fire alarm system. I could not find any back up either way. Do youhave any info on the subject? Are you aware of any code that might specify?:?

If you are doing work in NYC this could be the case. It's late and I don't have the codes handy, but Google "NYC Buildings" and a little link hopping will get you to a PDF copy of the NYC Fire Code (free AND legal, mods); it may be in the Building Code instead, and you can jump to a viewable copy (you just can't print from it).

After a brief think, I don't see how that would work. I would suppose that the fused cutout would be in the line after the ATS, otherwise how does the panel use POCO power? And I don't think they'll allow more than one disconnect to the source(s) of power.

 

[Potenza4315]

The generator is feeding emergency systems in the building trough mutable transfer switches. I tapped the line side of a 400A switch(as I would a main service) put my FCO then fed my own 100A transfer switch just for the fire alarm.

 

[goldstar]

NYC becomes a strange place when it comes to FA systems and associated codes. The fused cutout dates back to the Acme FA Days and the NYC World's Fair. Back then there was no battery standby and all FA systems were manual coded pull stations with single stroke gongs. With the intoduction of battery backed up smoke detection systems and Local Law 5 high rise systems the City still had you install fuse cutouts and made you run # 10's to the FA panel for power. Strange place. Do they still not allow you to install conduits into the top of an FA cabinet or has that changed ? Bet you can't guess what the reason for that was.

Anyway, I believe you did the right thing. You tapped off before any branch circuits and the cutout box shouldn't be more than 10' (one length of conduit) away from the panel you tapped off.

 

[mgookin]

... Do they still not allow you to install conduits into the top of an FA cabinet or has that changed ? Bet you can't guess what the reason for that was.

...

I'm guessing condensate getting into the FACP.

Water goes down; no hole in top.

 

[goldstar]

I'm guessing condensate getting into the FACP.

Water goes down; no hole in top.

In the event of a fire where sprinklers went off the firemen would hook up to the Siamese connection and start spraying water into the building through the sprinkler system. They didn't want water getting into the conduits and running down into the panel and causing any short circuiting. They wanted that panel to work no matter what. In the earlier years, before they had reliable radio communications, there used to be what was called a "strap key" system. It was interfaced into the "single stroke" FA panel and it allowed firemen to insert a key into a key switch located in stairwells and signal down to the pumper (via raps on the FA gongs) to begin or stop pumping water.