Hi everyone,
I am currently wiring a standard 2 zone addressable fire alarm, using fp200.
The electrican i am working under is adiment that there is no regulation stating that fire alarm cables must be routed on dedicated containment, ie. that they can be run with other elv, data etc.
He says it is 'recomended' but not specified.
Is he correct or just talking rubbish?
Cheers,
J.
When issuing an EIC or PIR on the page schedule of items inspected under the heading. Prevention of mutual detrimental influence there is a box Segregation of safety circuits. What does he put in this box? The fire alrm circuit should be segregated from other circuits including ELV.
BS5839 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings – Part 1 Code of Practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance, in its 1988 edition stated that fire alarm cables should not be readily exposed to electromagnetic disturbance, possibly emanating from other cables. BS5839 still states in section 26.1 that ‘The circuits of fire alarm systems need to be segregated from the cables of other circuits to minimise any potential for other circuits to cause malfunction of the fire alarm system arising from:…electromagnetic interference to any fire alarm circuit as a result of the proximity of another circuit’.
Therefore, while it is recognised that this ideal situation is not always possible in practice, especially where alarm cables are retrofitted, none-the-less, fire alarm cables should, if possible, always be segregated from cables for other systems. Installation of cables should be in accordance with good practices recommended in the latest edition of the IEE wiring regulations.
BS5839 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings – Part 1 Code of Practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance, in its 1988 edition stated that fire alarm cables should not be readily exposed to electromagnetic disturbance, possibly emanating from other cables. BS5839 still states in section 26.1 that ‘The circuits of fire alarm systems need to be segregated from the cables of other circuits to minimise any potential for other circuits to cause malfunction of the fire alarm system arising from:…electromagnetic interference to any fire alarm circuit as a result of the proximity of another circuit’.
Therefore, while it is recognised that this ideal situation is not always possible in practice, especially where alarm cables are retrofitted, none-the-less, fire alarm cables should, if possible, always be segregated from cables for other systems. Installation of cables should be in accordance with good practices recommended in the latest edition of the IEE wiring regulations.
