FEATURE FIRE & SECURITY I
Quality detection saves time and money Lee James, general manager – product marketing, Nittan Europe
n our current economic climate, we are expected to deliver more, but often
with less resources. Life safety systems, such as fire detection systems, are designed to specific regulations and should never be compromised, but it is still possible to reduce your costs. However, opting for cheaper products is a rooky mistake. A low-cost fire detection system has been built down to a price rather than to a high quality and does the bare minimum to comply to standards. If you instead insist on installing a quality fire detection system it could actually save time and money, and not just in the long run. There are three key reasons for this:
TIME IS MONEY A good quality fire detection system has seen considerable R&D and customer response, which feeds back into product design, making for a system that is quicker and easier to install. This clearly saves time and, as the saying goes, time is money. Good quality control panels incorporate installer friendly features, such as auto-learn, loop detection and on-board scope facilities and many can be accessed remotely for quick and convenient diagnostics. System expansion with quality fire detection systems is also hassle free. Different manufacturers have different approaches, but one of the most effective ways to expand a system with minimal work is by using a panel that allows a peer-to-peer network. Panels that a peer-to-peer network can easily expand the system to enable the panel to communicate with any other compatible fire panel, remote terminal or network peripheral. Quality fire detection systems also tend to feature innovative individual devices, which you would not find in ranges at the bottom end of the market. A smoke sensor with a built-in sounder, for example, saves the cost of buying two separate products i.e. the sensor and a separate sounder product (base or wall mount sounder), plus it is quicker to install and does not require any additional wiring, neither does it require a separate device address point. Nittan’s EV-PS sensor with built-in sounder, for example, could save at least 15/20 minutes per point to install when compared to fitting separate sounder products. When you are dealing with a large system, this becomes a significant saving. Of course, this solution also has the added bonus of being more aesthetically pleasing for the customer.
20 MAY 2018 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Good quality control panels incorporate features such as auto-learn, loop detection and on-board scope facilities
FIT AND FORGET All commercial analogue addressable fire detection systems are based on a transmission protocol to enable the devices and panels on the system to communicate with each other. There are a number of different protocols used by manufacturers and all are most definitely not equal. The traditional protocol type commonly used in the fire industry, is square wave pulse based, but this comes with a number of issues including susceptibility to noise and interference plus limited information capacity. Better quality protocols, such as the
sine wave, frequency shift key (FSK) protocol used in Nittan’s Evolution fire detection system, can overcome many of these issues. Quality protocols are flexible, highly resistant to external noise, have large capacity for information at very high speeds, are unaffected by the number of devices on the loop and allow for more inputs/outputs, more controllable features and more type codes for devices. A quality fire detection system will also use sophisticated detection algorithms, combining extremely reliable fire detection together with a very high degree of protection against false alarms - a serious pain point for customers and installers alike. Ultimately false alarms cost you time, money and reputation with repeat call backs eating into your profit margins and unhappy end users doubting the efficacy of your installation. There is no getting around it, cheap fire detection systems are far more likely to false alarm. Of course, there are cases when even a quality system has the potential to false alarm. One of the biggest problems sensors face is steam. Investing in a Dual Optical
detector will reduce the risk of false alarm from steam.
SUPPORTING CAST Lastly, it may not seem that significant - until it is too late, that is - but going down the quality route is far more likely to mean you are provided with a good level of technical support. You should expect dedicated technical support including problem resolution site visits, plus free product training. So, if you do encounter a problem, it should be quick and easy to address and not delay you. Cheap product generally comes with little or no support – in other words, you are on your own. If we consider the wider concept of system cost and factor in aspects such as installation time, long-term reliability and ongoing product support, the decision to choose product from a quality fire detection manufacturer is actually an easy one to justify. The Nittan Group has been at the forefront of the international fire protection industry providing premium Japanese designed product since 1954 and has sales, R&D and manufacturing bases in four countries, including the UK.
Nittan Europe
nittan.co.uk
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