EET-228 Lab 8 Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring PDF

Preview

Summary

Lab report...

Description

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Lab 8: Fire Alarm Systems Installation and Wiring Objective: To wire and configure an alarm system using applicable rules and standards. To understand how fire alarm system works: monitoring of normal, fault and alarm conditions.

Introduction:

CANADIAN ELECTRICAL CODE REMARKS Rule 32-102 Wiring method:

Because a fire alarm system is part of a building’s life safety system, the conductors of the fire alarm system must have sufficient physical protection to effectively detect potential fires and warn people when necessary. Subrule (1) requires that the fire alarm conductors be • installed in a metal raceway of the totally enclosed type; • incorporated in a cable having a metal armor or sheath; • installed in rigid non-metallic conduit; or • installed in electrical non-metallic tubing. Subrule (2) allows an exception to these requirements for buildings of combustible construction, which, In accordance with the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC), are smaller buildings. In such buildings, non-metallic sheathed cable is allowed for use, provided that combustible jacket of this cable Is marked FT1 for flame spread rating. Subrule (3) requires that fire alarm conductors be kept independent of all other wiring and electrical equipment, except where connections are made to • the electrical supply for the system; • signal devices or systems; • ancillary devices that minimize the spread of fire and damage (e.g., magnetic door holders for fire doors, intake fan shutdowns) and facilitate safe evacuation (e.g., activation of emergency lighting, elevator recall),and contact the fire department or monitoring company; and Ahmad Ganji

-1-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

• communication circuits connected to a a central monitoring system conforming to ULC S561 - for transmission of alarm signals to the fire department. The separation of fire alarm system conductors minimizes the possibility of a fault involving other circuits and equipment adversely affecting the operation of the fire alarm system. Since different circuits in a fire alarm system can have different voltage characteristics, Subrule (5) requires that the conductors in a raceway or cable be insulated for the highest voltage present in the installation.

Rule 32-104 Equipment bonding: To eliminate shock hazards and circulating ground currents, and to ensure the intended operation of a fire alarm system by recognizing ground faults and providing necessary trouble signals, Subrule (1) requires that not all non-current-carrying metal parts be bonded to ground. If the conductors are installed in a metal raceway or a cable having a metal armour or sheath, it is simple to provide this bonding. However, if a non-metallic wiring system is used (e.g., a cable with a non-metallic sheath or conductors installed in rigid non-metallic conduit), Subrule (2) requires that a separate bonding conductor, sized in accordance with Rule 10-814(1), be provided in the cable or conduit. Rule 32-106 Electrical supervision The NBCC and CAN/ULC-S524 require that a fire alarm system have electrical supervision (i.e., the fire alarm system monitors itself for faults, such as open circuits and ground faults, and for supervisory conditions on a sprinkler system that can prevent proper operation of the system). An open circuit fault condition occurs when the total resistance of the circuit exceeds 10 000 ohms or as defined by the manufacturer. A ground fault condition occurs when the resistance to ground of any conductor in the circuit is less than 10 000 ohms or as defined by the manufacturer. An open tamper switch prevents sprinkler system from proper operation. All such trouble and supervisory conditions should be indicated on the fire alarm system annunciator. While many systems can be used to provide this supervision, the two most widely used are based on conventional field devices and active field devices. A conventional field device is usually connected to the control unit on a wiring circuit shared with other devices; thus, any information regarding a change

Ahmad Ganji

-2-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

in status (e.g., fire alarm detection or signaling) can come from any of the devices on the circuit. The control unit cannot identify the detection or signaling device that is directly affected (unless there is only one device on the circuit). Supervised circuits are closed-loop circuits through which a small supervisory current is made to flow at all times. The level of supervisory current is controlled by the end-of-line device, which is usually a resistor. The control panel monitors the supervisory current. Any change in its value indicates trouble, whether it is a ground fault or an open circuit (i.e., system failure), or the operation of an alarm-initiating device caused by a possible fire (i.e., proper system operation). A ground fault is detected by the control panel when the amount of current coming back to the panel is less than the amount of current flowing out on the circuit (e.g., a certain amount of current is going to ground). An open circuit is registered when no current is flowing out from the panel, due to a break in a conductor. In either case, the control panel responds with a trouble signal. A properly operating alarm-initiating device shorts out the end-of-line device, and the maximum current allowed for the circuit flows out, with the same amount returning to the panel. When activated, the polarity on the signal circuit is reversed, allowing the current to flow through the signal device and causing it to operate. The control panel responds appropriately by activating signaling devices. In the non-operational mode, the polarity allows a diode in the signal device to block the supervisory current from flowing through and activating it.

Ahmad Ganji

-3-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Typical supervised alarm-initiating and signal circuits using end-of-line resistors Rule 32-108 Power supply Fire alarm systems are required by the NBCC to have an emergency power supply. Subrule (1) requires that the power supply to a fire alarm system is to be a separate circuit that doesn't supply power to any other electrical equipment. Subrule (2) requires that where a fire alarm system includes more than one control unit or transponder that the circuit supplying power to each control unit or transponder is to be a separate branch circuit. Subrule (3) requires that the overcurrent devices and disconnecting means supplying power to the fire alarm system be clearly identified. The disconnecting means must also be colored red and must be lockable in the ON position to reduce the likelihood of inadvertently disconnecting the fire alarm system.

Ahmad Ganji

-4-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Procedure: 1.

Verify fire alarm panel (FACP) has no external initialization or indication circuits connected and all end of the line resistors EOLR (Class B) or jumpers (Class A) are properly connected to input and output circuits on terminals of the main board. Check for battery and battery connection leads, jumpers to be wired to supply 24V DC with proper polarity but leave positive “+” lead not connected to fire alarm board.

2.

With an approval from your professor and at his/her presence follow the proper procedure to power up FACP: to prevent sparking, do not connect batteries first. Connect the batteries after powering the system from the main AC power.

3.

Verify that fire alarm system goes into “Normal” – monitoring state without Trouble or Alarm signals after powering on and short initialization time 10-20 sec.

4.

Disconnect power in reverse order to avoid sparking: disconnect batteries first and AC power supply after.

5.

Verify fire alarm control panel (FACP) has no external initialization or indication circuits connected and all end of the line resistors (EOLR) are properly connected to input and output circuits on terminals of the main board. Check for battery and battery connection leads, jumpers to be wired to supply 24V DC with proper polarity but leave positive “+” lead not connected to fire alarm board.

6.

With approval from your professor and at his/her presence follow the proper procedure to power up FACP: to prevent sparking, do not connect batteries first. Connect the batteries after powering the system from the main AC supply.

7.

Verify that fire alarm system goes into “Normal” – monitoring state without Trouble or Alarm signals after powering on and short initialization time 10-20 sec.

Ahmad Ganji

-5-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

8.

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Disconnect power in reverse order to avoid sparking: disconnect batteries first and AC power supply after.

9.

Refer to the FA-1000 manual section 9. System Configuration (9.6.1 Class B Restore Defaults) and section 5. Module Settings to find how to re-configure fire alarm panel to Class B and follow instructions. (see Appendix of this lab for some highlights)

10. Wire fire alarm system with class B circuits following requirements of Canadian Electrical Code and ULC installation standards. Use manuals provided to find installation instructions, check device compabilities and end of the line resistor rating. Diagram below provides an example of layout for initialization circuits (INI) and output/ indication circuit (IND) for a class B system to be connect during this step:

INI #1

FACP

INI #2

IND #1

+

+

+

_

_

_

+

EOLR

EOLR

_

+

+

_

_

EOLR

11. Check that all modules are installed in the proper location with the proper connections. Check all field (external) wiring for opens, shorts, and ground. Check that all interconnection cables are secure, and that all connectors are plugged in properly. Check all jumpers and switches for proper setting.

12. With approval from your professor and at his/her presence follow the proper procedure to power up the fire alarm system: to prevent sparking, do not connect batteries first. Connect the batteries after powering the system from the main AC supply. Ahmad Ganji

-6-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

13. Check that fire alarm system goes into “Normal” – monitoring state without “Trouble” or “Alarm“ signals. Do necessary troubleshooting and fixes to bring fire alarm system into “Normal” monitoring state. Ask for your professor’s assistance if you have any difficulties.

14. Connect the negative voltmeter lead to the negative IND terminal then connect the positive voltmeter lead to the positive IND terminal as seen in the figure below (Mircom fire alarm panels) and record a reading: V =-18.9 V

15. Similarly, take a voltmeter readings from INI circuit and record it below: V = 20.8 V 16. Before the next step (activating the alarm) be prepared to hear a loud horn sound. Also identify the buttons on the FACP : “Acknowledge” and “Silence” and use them as necessary.

17. Activate fire alarm system by pulling pull station. With a volt meter take readings from circuits on FACP: Circuit (FACP in the alarm state) INI #1 INI #2 IND #1

Voltage 20.74 V 0.03 V -18.86 V

18. Reset the pull station, reset fire alarm panel to return FACP into “Normal” monitoring state. Ahmad Ganji

-7-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

19. Remove 1 or 2 wires from any output (IND) or input (INI) circuits and record what indications do you have on FACP: When one wire was removed from the output of INI circuit, the FACP indicated ‘’Common Trouble’’ in ‘’Zone 1’’. Similarly, when one wire was removed from the output of IND circuit, the FACP indicated ‘’Common Trouble’’ in ‘’Zone 2’’.

Use “Reset”, “Acknowledge” and “Silence” buttons and record observations, verify them with the FACP manual: When ‘’Reset’’ button was used, nothing happened as the system reset button only resets the FACP and all circuits; it does not solve the open circuit in the outputs. Similarly, when ‘’Acknowledge’’ button was pressed, nothing happened because this button will do nothing if the Panel is not configured for two stage operation. Lastly, when ‘’ Signal Silence’’ button was used, all of the silenceable indicating circuits was deactivated.

20. Restore wiring and confirm FACP goes to “Normal” monitoring state. 21. Connect ground to any of the output (IND) or input (INI) circuits and record what indications do you have on FACP: When one output of the INI circuit was connected to ground, the FACP indicated ‘’Common Trouble’’ and ‘’Ground Fault’’ in ‘’Zone 1’’. Consequently, when one output of the IND circuit was connected to the ground, the FACP indicated ‘’Common Trouble’’ and ‘’Ground Fault’’ in ‘’Zone 2’’.

Try to activate fire alarm by pull station or applying heat to a heat detector (using heat gun). Record your observations: (In this case, a smoke detector was used) When smoke was applied to the smoke detector, the smoke detector activated and the FACP indicated ‘’Common Alarm’’ in ‘’Zone 1’’.

22. Restore your fire alarm system to initial state (all external wiring is removed, EOLRs are installed on terminal connections of FACP (step 1) and verify with your professor it goes back to normal without trouble or alarm when power is turned ON (step 2).

Ahmad Ganji

-8-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Questions: 1. State the order of connecting and disconnecting power supplies to the fire alarm panel. Explain why. To prevent sparking when connecting power supply to the fire alarm panel, connect AC first then DC next. Conversely, when disconnecting the power supply of the fire alarm panel, disconnect the DC first and disconnect AC next.

2. Explain your results regarding the voltage observed on the output circuit (IND) when FACP on the monitoring and the alarm state? Supposedly, in the state of an alarm, a positive voltage reading must be measured indicating that the IND circuit is on alarm state. During non-alarm conditions, the polarity of the voltage is reversed, indicating that the IND circuit is on monitoring state. Unfortunately, in the lab, two the same measurements of -18.9 were obtain during the monitoring and the alarm state even though the measurements were repeatedly measured for checking.

3. Explain your results regarding the voltage observed on the input circuits (INI) when on monitoring and when activation is done? The voltage reading on the INI circuits during the monitoring is 20.8 V. However, when the pull station was activated, the voltage reading of INI #2 dropped significantly to 0.03 V while the voltage reading of INI #1 remained the same as it was during the monitoring state.

4. Explain your observation when you grounded input (INI) circuits. What rule from CEC ensures ground fault detection will work? In accordance with CEC Rule 32-104 Equipment Bonding, to eliminate shock hazards and circulating ground currents, and to ensure the intended operation of a fire alarm system by recognizing ground faults and providing necessary trouble signals, it requires that not all non-current-carrying metal parts be bonded to ground, and it also requires that a separate bonding conductor, sized according to Rule 10-814(1), be provided in the cable or conduit.

Ahmad Ganji

-9-

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Conclusion: (a) State briefly, but clearly, what you have gained from this assignment. Outline aspects that you have noted within the experiment outside of the questions asked. Make comments on the procedure of the lab - Is there anything that you could have done differently? How did you split the work between group members? Did you have a plan of action? What else would you suggest that should be added to this lab session? Upon the end of the lab, I learned to wire and configure a Class B connected alarm system with the use of rules and standards that are applicable. I also learned to monitor normal, fault, and alarm conditions in the fire alarm system. Firstly, I came to realize the importance of end-of-line resistors (ELR). In the lab, I forgot to put an ELR in the IND device and when I activated the FACP, it indicated a common trouble in the specific zone the IND circuit was in. Thus, its main purpose to allow a small supervision current to pass so that the FACP can recognize it. If the supervision current does not reach the system, a trouble will therefore be detected. Moreover, I learned more about the function of the common indicators in the FACP. One of them is the ‘’Common Trouble’’. When the panel detects any trouble condition, the common trouble LED flashes amber at the trouble flash rate. It will only turn off when all the troubles are cleared. Another is the ‘’Common Alarm’’. It turns on whenever an alarm on any initiating circuit is initiated or the manual pull station is activated. It will continue to indicate common alarm unless the system reset is used. The ‘’Ground Fault’’ indicator is also one of them. It activates when the Ground Fault Detector in the system detects a ground fault on any field wiring. It deactivates when the ground fault is cleared. Furthermore, I also came to understand the common controls in the FACP like the system reset button and the signal silence button. The ‘’system reset’’ button resets the FACP and all the other circuits. On the other hand, activating the ‘’signal silence’’ button after the panel recognized an alarm silences the buzzing sound of the system. At the end of the day, it is important to learn the basics of the FACP as the simple things can be very vital when moving into more complicated fire alarm circuits.

Ahmad Ganji

- 10 -

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

Materials and tools, equipment setup Marks

4

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Tools knowledge and handling

4

Following Procedure

4

Evaluation of Experiment, Conclusions

4

Safety

4

Total Mark

20

1 2 3

Ahmad Ganji

- 11 -

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

Appendix FA-10000 Series Installation Manual. LT-600 Rev.17 Sep 2012 p.25:

FA-10000 Series Installation Manual. LT-600 Rev.17 Sep 2012 p.62-63:

Ahmad Ganji

- 12 -

Deanne Aira P. Pimentel EET-228 Sec 012

Ahmad Ganji

LAB 8: Fire Alarm Installation and Wiring Session: WINTER

- 13 -...