Smoke Detector Troubleshooting

Component of a fire alarm system that people are more familiar with the detector. Although most consumers are aware of the devices in their homes called smoke detectors, many would be surprised that there are many different types of detectors on the market. These types of detectors vary in what they detect, how they detect it, how they are managed by the fire alarm system itself and how they are fed. In addition, there are dozens of manufacturers of sensors and they vary greatly in price, depending on their characteristics and functions. As such, those looking for a detector of their fire alarm system is facing a plethora of choices. (NOTE: Since all detectors to begin the process of placing a fire alarm system in alarm mode, they are one of what may be several devices on the system known as "priming devices ".)

The first decision when choosing a detector system is to determine what needs to be detected. Fire detectors or detection of smoke or heat. (You guessed it - the former are called "smoke detectors", these are called "heat detectors.") Smoke detectors goes into alarm when a sufficient amount of smoke entering the room the alarm smoke. Furthermore, heat detectors are equipped with sensors that detect heat and / or an increase in temperature of a certain amount. For example, a heat detector can be designed to go into alarm if either of the following conditions are met: 1) the ambient temperature at the detector is 130 degrees Fahrenheit or 2) temperature at the detector increases by 15 degrees Fahrenheit or more during a period of one minute. The first type is known as a detector of "fixed temperature" heat, while the second is known as a "rate increase" heat sensor. (There is also the temperature of the combination fixed / rate of rise detectors on the market.) Because there are several factors that could cause a fire, but not cause a rise in temperature at the location of the heat detector, including distance from the fire the heat detector and the normal variations temperature in the building, heat detectors are not as susceptible to fire, smoke detectors and are therefore not considered reliable enough to be considered "life safety" devices. As such, they are regarded as more suitable for applications property protection. They can also be used in places where there is normally a lot of dust or smoke into the air, causing false alarms to be triggered by smoke detectors .

Once the decision is made to detect this, the decision of how to detect it is the following. In the case of heat detectors, there is usually only one method used to detect heat. A heat detector will have two resistors which are sensitive to temperature (called "thermistors") on an electrical circuit in his room. When the temperature rises to a point high enough (or, if rates rise heat detectors, fast enough during a given period) to degrade one of the resistors, the circuit is broken and the detector heat goes into alarm. Smoke detectors sense smoke in their rooms in one of two ways. Photoelectric smoke detectors have both a light source and a light receiver in their rooms. In their normal state, the light from the light source is not in contact with the light receiver. When smoke enters the chamber, however, some rays of the diffusion of the light source, the contact with the light receiver and put the detector in alarm. Smoke Detectors air ionization accused in their rooms. Laden air is used as a guideline for the electric current from one part of the room to another. When smoke enters the chamber, it reduces the load in the air, breaking the circuit for the current, set the sensor in alarm.

The third differentiating factor when considering a fire detector for a fire alarm system is the method used by the control panel to manage the fire alarm d.