Cleaning up old wiring on Sprinkler system results in finding some very critical code issues which could lead to there failure.

I am currently working on a very large fire and security project in a  warehouse with a licensed master electrician who is a young 75 years old and still loves doing his job every day.
we finnaly the other day got around to cleaning up all the wiring mess in what was the old sprinkler room which they took the walls down  around it to allow it to be open and visible instead of hidden.
Upon closer inspection after we started to remove old un needed wiring I noticed 2 very critical problems with this system where major mistakes where made and could result in it not functioning properly.

First problem is the 1 1/2" pipe on left riser pipe which runs to maintenance room  it is below the flow valve if the heads on this pipe would activate there will be no alarm and building could easily flood because water is not going thru flow vavle but the most critical problem I found was that this was originally a dry system which was converted to a wet system when it kept leaking air and the main dry release valves where left in place instead of being converted to wet valves . The flapper in the valves could malfunction and prevent flow of water at needed rate. The individual who did this is no longer around but if he where there would be serious rep-ructions from the fire marshals office.
Luckily I have some sprinkler training and caught this problem  which there have been how many professionals in doing annual tests and they never caught it after almost 15 years or just chose to ignore it. Which tells me they where not doing there job and needless to say my customer is now using a  new company to do there work.

New Carbon Monoxide Signal Alert talk about confusing was that 3 for fire or 4 for Co

Yes once again the great folks at NFPA have come up with another fantastic screw up .
Co detectors  now have a 4 beat to them while fire systems have a 3 beat great so now you hear a sounder going off especially at 3 am while sleeping  and need to figure out is it Co OK need to get out to fresh air  or 3 beats my ass is on the line may have to jump out the window to escape.

System Sensor Co Detector 

Now manufacturers like System Sensor above must follow what UL and NFPA want in the code. and if its 4 beats its 4 beats. They have no choice.
 Now you would think NFPA and UL   would make the sound completely different to eliminate confusion  nope same beat 4 instead of 3 and who is going to take the time to count  thinking there is a fire instead of Co.

The confusion could in fact lead to further death and injury when individuals go looking thinking they have a fire instead of Co leak and go into a basement etc. and encounter a high level of Co and pass pout from it. now Co units are suppose to pick up a low enough level to warn and get out but if unit is on first floor and not in basement  by time the co gas gets to first floor dangerous levels are already building in the basement. But your suppose to install one on all levels they encounter great what if my installer did not and what if lower level unit malfunctions. Something those who wrote this new code requirement for 4 beats never thought thru. They think they can just cookie cuttter a rule and everyone and every situation follows it wrong.
Yes it is just a matter of time once again I get to say I told you so and once again hand to plaintiffs attorneys a copy of my articles warning of a problem and getting ignored by those in charge.
Once again the fire service and prevention  proves there own worse enemy.

Why did CPSC not demand a recall of these defective Heat Detectors

For many years Chemetron  not to be confused with a chemical company with a similar name where the chief provider of Rate of Rise and Fixed Temperature Heat Detectors used in Fire Alarm Systems all over the USA.
But something happened there for a while in early 2004-05 they where limited or  just not available on the shelf's of supply houses .
Then in 2006 I started to get some real problems with them where the wiring terminals would snap off the units rendering them non working

As you can see in the above picture. I immediately notified the CPSC Consumer Products safety Commission after notifying local  Penn Hills Fire Marshal now retired Jack mason of the problem  and he put me in touch with agent Hank Glowgowski who forwarded on to his superiors who conducted and investigation made sure manufacturing process where being done properly  by the manufacturer but a recall was never issued for bad products infield which i am still finding when I inspect the heats.
Now where not talking a lot of money the heats are less than $10.00 each and should be inspected annually and changed out after so many years but how many places do not do regular inspections especially in attics where I found this bad unit so lives are being put on the line when not inspected properly which is well over 50% of the systems out there not getting annual inspections.
Now there are those who argue they  are of limited value for fire protection in first place and they have never seen one tripped during a fire investigation because most fires are smokey and do not put off enough hat to trip units . I beg to differ with them . I have in fact had customers who had fires where the heat detectors did operate .These are one of the very few cost effective detection systems  you can use in many areas where conventional smokes can not be used like above ceilings , attics kitchens etc. despite what limited value naysayers say they have. So once again we have ticking time bombs out there and while good professional techs are looking for and replacing these bad units there are many who have no ideal such a problem even exists in the field and plenty more who could care less at this point I do not think there being made by Chemetron any more and they sold the product  to another manufacturer but in mean time System Sensor has come out with a fantastic heat detector which is of superior design and which I now install exclusively on my customers systems.  

Honeywell Tuxedo Keypads be careful before you buy the wrong one and get screwed not being able to do remote automation.

When the Honeywell Tuxedo Keypads came out early on 2012 everyone thought they where great until they found out you could set automation scenes but then did not have remote control and override of them. What a bummer.
Well they did some work and if you bought the WiFi version  of the keypad after downloading new firm ware you can in fact now remotely control locks and thermostats exactly as you wish.

as you can see in the above picture but if you bought the hardwired version your screwed.
They have failed to do anything about the hardwired tuxedos and have offered no programs to help replace them and considering they cost almost $400.00 a piece my customers feel ripped off and are very angry they are not getting answers about there hardwired tuxedo keypads being able to do remote automation..

But to make matters worse Honeywell has still failed to address a technical issue  with the tuxedo keypads going dark and not taking commands in particular its a problem with the WiFi version you put them in and 2-3 weeks out hey go dark and take no commands and I have had the same problem with hardwired ones as well. You have to power them down then back up to get them to work.
Honeywell has also failed to answer why they rolled out Total Connect 2  when they knew the  2G communicators would no longer work after 2015 yes Honeywell has a lot of explaining to do and they are no longer my partner of choice when it comes to burglar alarms and they better get there act in gear or there will be no more purchases of Honeywell and I am not the only dealer saying it. 

The fire alarm work this intergation company did in a fire station could actually cause a fire

Amazing how an integration  company that goes around telling everyone how expert they are at installing integrated systems can do some of the worst work I have seen in 35 +years of doing this kind of work.
Recently I was called to a Volunteer fire company in Butler County Pa. to tie in a new kitchen exhaust hood they had installed to the fire system  by an electrical contractor I work with. Normally its simple enough tie in wiring and program the point except when I opened up the fire panel it was horrifying what I found .

It was a Honeywell vista 128 FB panel which is a combo commercial fire burglar panel  which requires and comes with a separate power transformer enclosure which the 120 volts ac is hooked to and 16 volts ac is then conected to panel all by means of EMT conduit or metal flex wiring . But thats not what they did instead they tore the transformer out if its enclosure  and drilled 2 holes in the vista panel and mounted it as an open frame transformer with out a proper enclosure to prevent an electrical shock and as you can see just taped the Leeds allowing for an electrical shock or fire  . A total fire code and electrical code violation done in a fire station of all places. needless to say the chief was upset and this company was called back and told to correct the situation. Of course I should not have been shocked this is the same company one of my instituional customers booted off there property after they ran an orange exstension cord wire in a wall for a fire system in a youth group home.  This company needs put out of business but as usual they getaway with what they do becuse they never get there work inspected doing it after all the inspectors leave the job and this kind of dangerous work is what you get. A local university got so upset with there work they are forbidden to ever work on its buildings ever again.