Re: Ademco 50p: Water Flow Recommendations

[Nomen Nescio <nobody@xxxxxxxxx>]

don@xxxxxxxxxxxxx said:

>Has anyone a recommendation or warning about hard wired water flow
>sensors to an Ademco 50p panel?
>
>My insurer recently required me to have a licensed plumber install a
>central station monitored water flow sensor in my residential sprinkler
>system.
>
>The water main into the house looks to be 4", the sprinkler branch
>begins as 2.5" or 3" for my six-storey (including basement) town house.
> I have run wire from the panel room on the top floor to the basement
>water main.

Your question raises a bunch of interesting issues, starting with what you
mean by a residential sprinkler system.  That term usually refers to a
system that is connected to the domestic water supply system, rather than
directly to the water main.  It's nowhere near a full sprinkler system, and
is primarily intended to provide some extra protection  for the occupants,
and it is not intended to provide the degree of property protection a real
sprinkler system would provide.

Without knowing the details of your building, it's impossible to assess how
effective a residential sprinkler system would be.  However, I am concerned
that such a system is being used to protect a six story building.  I am no
sprinkler expert, but I recommend that you talk to one.  Not a plumber, but
a fire sprinkler contractor.  One question I would ask is whether there is
sufficient water supply and water pressure to protect the sixth floor.
Some taller buildings require pumps and/or tanks to provide an adequate
water supply.  At the very least, your conversation with the sprinkler
contractor will let you understand what you can -- and cannot  expect from
this sprinkler system.

I  understand that the NYFD is somewhat finicky about fire alarms installed
in their city.  To avoid costly mistakes, you should deal with an alarm
company that is familiar with their requirements.  For example, in an
ordinary six-story commercial building, you would like to have one
waterflow switch per floor, so that you and the fire department are not
running around trying to figure out which floor the fire is on.

Since your insurance company is asking for central station monitoring, the
design of your system may vary.  Unfortunately, most insurance people are
not literate in this area, and you run the risk of asking too many
questions.  If your insurance company is satisfied with a "household fire
alarm system," you can get off inexpensively.  Such a system is designed
for life safety, not property protection, and waterflow monitoring is
considered an add-on, an optional feature that just happens to transmit a
signal to a central station.  Your Vista-50 would meet this requirement, if
the NYFD agrees, and the technical requirements are pretty minimal.

On the other hand, your insurance company may view the risk from fire or
water damage as severe enough to require the sort of fire alarm system that
would be required in a commercial building.  Your Vista-50 panel would not
meet these requirements.  The Vista-128FBP, for example, would.  It would
require two phone lines, and it would transmit daily test signals to verify
its operability.  Your residential Vista-50 only uses one phone line, and
is only required to send a test signal once a month.  The cost is less, the
monitoring is cheaper, and the reliability is not as good.

I'm sorry, but I just do not think a Vista-50 is suitable for use as a fire
alarm panel in a six story building.  A six-story bulding in NYC costs a
giant pile of money, to say nothing of the value of the occupants' lives.
Don't chintz on the fire protection!  At six stories, you shouldn't have to
deal with the expensive high-rise fire alarm requirements, but you should
have a dedicated fire alarm panel that will identify the floor and the type
of alarm (waterflow, smoke, etc.).  Do it to commercial standards, with the
dual phone lines, a smoke detector protecting the alarm panel, and so on.
Whether or not this gives you an additional insurance discount, do it
anyway.  This is no place to try and save a few bucks.

- badenov