Yes once again the so called" Fire Alarm experts In Pittsburgh "
show there technical brilliance to get around a problem of a older Silent Knight 5207 Fire Panel not communicating over Digital phone lines.
I found this out when a customer of mine who demolishes buildings called me the other day to make sure all the power and other energy was off in a restaurant which was to be torn down so it was safe for his workers to cut out piping etc.
While I was there he said there was a Fire panel in the back could I use it for parts I said sure I have plenty of SK panels out there always good to have a extra board as they no longer make the 5207 as it has been replaced with the 5208 .
Well I get ready to start removing it and look to take the 2 required phone lines off the panel except there not there Ok whats going in instead I find the fire panel has been wired into a Honeywell Vista 15 P Burglar Alarm panel which is not listed to be used as a Commercial fire communicator. Note the resistors across the relay terminals on the 5207 in the picture. So I am scratching my head why did they do this as I called the local Fire Marshal to let him know what was going on if the Fire experts did it here they have done it other places in town.
Well as I am waiting for him to arrive I notice they had Comcast Xfinity digital phone service
which was then switched to Verizon FIOS digital phone service and then I had my answer you see because the so called technicians the experts hire tell people they can not use FIOS on a fire alarm because it will not transmit which is total bull shit I never have a problem with it. We had the same Bull shit problem with them at my wife's church for over a month they could not get the panel to communicate correctly on a phone line with DSL service on it and all it took was a $20 special filter to correct it. Some thing the experts told me they did not know existed. Of course they still program panels to dial rotary dial which most phone lines no longer understand and keeps panels from communicating as well but the people who program for the experts never pay attention and just program in rotary and then wonder why a panel will not dial consistently
So this is why they wired the fire alarm to the burglar alarm because the Vista 15P has Contact ID which will work on FIOS so this is how they got around it when all they had to do is program the panel to either SIA or SK4/2 not BFSK 4/2 there usually programmed to and it normally goes over FIOS no problem when it is wired in correctly something the experts just can not seem to get working.
Once again these G-uys prove there worth.The other way they could have handled this was put a 5128 communicator board in the panel which does contact Id and problem would be solved. But since the experts will not properly train there people on Phone communications you instead get this mess and nothing but excuses. Once the Fire Marshal arrived I showed him the problem and needless to say he will be making phone calls and watching for this in the future any time he has a system installed by the Fire Alarm experts.
Now in theory you hook a fire alarm to a burg panel out put yes as long as it is done with permission of AHJ but this is not seen with newer installs it is with old local only fire alarms which did not have dialer built in before modern rules came into effect, and system is voluntary not mandated but this was not the case.This was a mandated reporting system so it must follow NFPA guidelines.
But hey as long as you go around telling everyone your the " fire alarm experts in Pittsburgh" and have a great line of bull shit to back it up everyone believes you that is till they realize they have been burned.
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