@@SodiumInduction-hvit’s happened to us 3 times at hotels. 2 at the same one. First one was, not kidding, in the middle of the night, second was around noon and the third happened at about 7 in the morning
I just checked my manual for my MS 9200 UDLS it says maintenance. This is a LED that flashes to indicate a smoke detector requires cleaning or replacement due to an invalid chamber reading or excessive drift so it does have a clean detector function.
Lol I literally just finished watching your video on the Smoko lost fans at your school and I’m watching this one now. Hopefully you get it figured out and thanks for bringing me back into this hobby.
Your fire alarm system should have gone into trouble mode when the system is in trouble like dirty smoke detectors in the generator room and also go into supervisory mode in your fire alarm system and you also should check your water pressure in your sprinkler system and you should be getting industrial sized sprinkler system risers for your house and also foam fire suppression system that will release foam.
It will only go into trouble for dirty detector if it is a gradual change a rapid change will put it into alarm. A dirty smoke detector would put the system into trouble not supervisory. Pressure switches are used on dry systems not wet like in my case so fire alarm systems do not typically monitor water pressure. Foam fire suppression is only used in specialty applications and not for general low hazard spaces
@@nics-systems-electric Could your generator room be considered a 'specialty application'? Or is it mostly reserved for commercial kitchens, etc.? I know race cars have fancy suppression systems under the hood. Also, what do you think about fire balls? I have yet to find a supplier in Canada, but they are balls that "explode" with suppression chemicals if they are exposed to fire. I find them neat for things like equipment closets, etc. in non-sprinklered buildings.
Fun fact: If your fire alarm system goes off while your security system is armed in the garage, then 2 systems will go off at the same time and what will cause it to happen is because the strobe from the L-Series flashing will trigger the PIR motion sensor resulting in 2 alarm sounding craziness!
Nic, I was thinking insect (with the photoelectric detector) causing the false alarm. When you opened up the smoke head, I saw a bug fall out onto the stool you were working on. There were two other things I noticed. 2022 version of NFPA-72 10.3.5 states voltage swings, temperatures and humidity listing. The if humidity rises above 85% may be an issue. The second thing is listing of equipment. A Firelite system should have firelite listed heads. Honeywell makes both Notifier and Firelite, but the notifier head may not list for interchanging the equipment. I know it sometimes works, but it's not 100% correct. Good real time video.
You were correct about listing I have talked about this in many videos that on firelite MS series of panels you can run flashscam devices on litespeed though they aren't listed so if the system was getting a CAN/ULC-s536 it would be an issue. 93% humidity is acceptable for this detector though it is not that high here and definitely not that high in the heated building. The insect theory could be correct.
As a service tech, this is the story of my life. Drive 2 hours away for a faulty smoke detector. My personal opinion, if it’s given you problems more than once, I’d replace it. Could be a defective detector.
@@nics-systems-electric yeah for sure. Nothing wrong with that. I didn’t think these were so temperate when it came to temperature. I hope all goes well! If you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out bro!
@@a.r.aproductions1569 thanks I haven't found them to usually be that problematic with temperature I do believe there was something wrong with it as the temperature was not below the operation temperature yet when the temperature problems occurred
when you pulled apart the detector a small bug of some sort fell out onto the stool. if this was crawling around in the sensor area would it set it off?
Ironically at my job we had a false alarm on the fire alarm system literally yesterday at 5 minutes to end of 1st shift. Still not sure what set of it off, our alarm company's technician said paint thinner fumes can set off the detectors we have
Nick...You are a 100% Awesome Exceptional Genius! I watch and like every video you make! Very rarely comment on anyone's videos...But today I must! Photo electric smoke detector...Right above the gas cap of your generator. The cap is vented and gas vapor is venting and rising...I think your smoke detector can see the vapor (which is tiny particles just like smoke) You could test this theory by putting a few drops of gas on something safe beneath the smoke detector, close the door and see what happens...Just an idea.
Thanks. I wouldn't think it's from the gas as having the gas cap open and pouring gasoline in with a gas can right under it has never caused problems and that's been done many times the gas tank vents more during temperature rise which was not occurring at the time of the alarm making it seem unrelated to any gas vapour
All we have is dust in the wind, dust in the wind. In a generator building that is that small and not 100% sealed I would only have a mechanical heat detector.
I think you should put something that would let you know when those vents open up that way you’re aware that the vents have opened up and could cause a false alarm that way you’re ready
Having worked with fire alarms for 30+ years, I'm always surprised how insects seem to get into the smoke detection chambers, even with the protective gauze to keep them out ! Thanks again for a great video, always appreciate them. @@nics-systems-electric
Man I have to deal with false alarms nearly everyday where I work. We have the Honeywell S3 system. Usually b4 an alarm there is notifications of dirty and very dirty photo detectors. I just use dry nitrogen and a blow gun to clean. We have no less than a thousand photos spread across 26 panels.
@L.C-Sirens-and-Sounders on the front of the panel it reads S3 Series at the top. At the bottom it reads Gamewell Fci by Honeywell. It has fancy OLED touchscreen. The panels freeze up a lot requiring the log to be cleared before it will respond to button presses again- either the touch or the physical buttons located on the main PCB.
So, I have a question for you Nic. Is it normal for a college to have fire drills? Because that is apparently what happened today at NAIT. Until an actual fire condition was set off right after the drill apparently. One of the main panels had three troubles btw. Its a Simplex voice evacuation system that runs on Windows lol. Also not properly syncronized.
Not all detectors are created equal. Cheap ionisation detectors (the type with Americium) can be susceptible to Radio frequency Interferences (RFI), which can be caused by passing vehicles with radio transmitters or unspecified vehicles or airplanes using radars. If you replace the fire sensor and keep having false alarms at the same spot with different sensors, replace the ionisation detector with a simpler photoelectric fire detector, which aren't susceptible to interferences...
This is not a monitored system so fire department will not respond on a monitored system no matter how fast you silence it they will be dispatched either way
@@nics-systems-electric yeah, I'm just thinking in terms of outside air maybe being an issue? I believe ducts have some sort of filter, but outside there's a lot of particles. But you'd know more about fire systems than me.
@@omniverseunisec2496 it just depends if it's on the supply or return side of a duct. If it's the supply side then it will definitely have a filter, but often they are now required on return ducts which is often blended with make up air coming from the outside unfiltered. Not saying that's not what caused it as it could have it was just strange as it's been there for a while and only ever happened that one time. Who knows that could be what caused it.
Be a little more chill. I respond to alarms as an engineer. Never just fling open a door like you did with the bathroom. Check the annunciator, or be in radio contact with someone who is. Always check doors for heat; even if there's no smoke.
If I'm close enough for it to be worth it I'd go home because I don't really ever know if it's a false alarm or not, otherwise if it's impossible for me to get there or anyone else just let it go and it will auto silence after 30 minutes
@@thecomputergeek101old because the intrusion alarm is an instant delay on that door so no one should be entering that way and I can monitor access if everyone use the man door
Pre-alarm is fine if the building is occupied but otherwise it doesn't really make a difference as the alarm still goes off it just tells you a little bit before hand but it doesn't trip any relays to actually tell you if you're not there
Hey Nic, Nice video about you checking a firealarm situation. Just a small comment on opening the door of the generatorroom. When you don't know if there is a fire behind a door never just open it to check the room but use a 'safe door opening procedure' like the firebrigade does. If you open a door where a fire is going on you can get a flash that hits you right in the face and burns or even kills you. As always, your own safety comes first so carry a suitable fire extinguisher when you start looking for a fire. (Example opening a door: ua-cam.com/video/Qh6EOSG2XVs/v-deo.html) Just a question: In the generatorroom are two detectors installed. Are both detectors optical smoke detectors or is one optical and thermal detector? Or maybe a dual detector zone (both detectors have to be activated to cause an alarm situation? Best regards from Holland, Theo
google is creepy and suddenly suggest this video. we had a false alarm this 2am in the morning. I don't know how Google does this maybe our Android phones listen to the environment and picks up sounds, another possibility is my sister who was awake could have made a quick search. anyways, the false alarm is likely triggered by our diesel vehicle parking where the alarm is adjacent to it. This has not happened since 2018 since I installed the alarm but I think the high humidity due to rains here and diesel exhaust triggered it. speaking of bugs in the comments section, there is also a bug stuck to the grills of the speaker.
@9:57 Isn't that an ant falling out of the detector as you pop it open? (And then walking off!) Not sure if he could actualy fit into the smoke chamber though.
9:57 there's an ant that falls out when you pop the detector open. I wonder if that's the culprit? It could have interfered with the photoelectric sensor if it crawled in the right spot.
My guess was that it was a spider or something. Our smoke detectors got set off because a spider crawled across it. And hey, at least you know it works Edit: yeah at 9:56 an ant fell out of the detector so that might’ve been it
Hey. what happened to the video I only watched half of this morning. I was going to watch the other half after school but now it has been removed. Why's that Nic?
When I saw smoke (photo) generator building, I kind of grew worried that it could have been something wrong with the electrical. But apparently not?
If I use wago or backstabbing devices I would be worried but I trust my work
Wow! False alarms can be annoying sometimes
And scary
@@Mario_27742 not really
@@SodiumInduction-hvit’s happened to us 3 times at hotels. 2 at the same one. First one was, not kidding, in the middle of the night, second was around noon and the third happened at about 7 in the morning
@@thepokemonguy996 wow
I would actually like if I had a false alarm. Idk why
So cool how you know everything about the system
I just checked my manual for my MS 9200 UDLS it says maintenance. This is a LED that flashes to indicate a smoke detector requires cleaning or replacement due to an invalid chamber reading or excessive drift
so it does have a clean detector function.
But the maintnence LED wasnt on at 1:11
That got to be very frustrating and hopefully the fire department didn’t show up to a call from the fire alarm going off.
It isn't a monitored system so it does not call out to a monitoring company only self monitored
Lol I literally just finished watching your video on the Smoko lost fans at your school and I’m watching this one now. Hopefully you get it figured out and thanks for bringing me back into this hobby.
this reminds me of the one time the fire alarm at the one middle school with the crappy est quick start had that dirty smoke detector.
Yes the MS-9200UDLS does dirty detector troubles, had one one time
Your fire alarm system should have gone into trouble mode when the system is in trouble like dirty smoke detectors in the generator room and also go into supervisory mode in your fire alarm system and you also should check your water pressure in your sprinkler system and you should be getting industrial sized sprinkler system risers for your house and also foam fire suppression system that will release foam.
It will only go into trouble for dirty detector if it is a gradual change a rapid change will put it into alarm. A dirty smoke detector would put the system into trouble not supervisory. Pressure switches are used on dry systems not wet like in my case so fire alarm systems do not typically monitor water pressure. Foam fire suppression is only used in specialty applications and not for general low hazard spaces
@@nics-systems-electric Could your generator room be considered a 'specialty application'? Or is it mostly reserved for commercial kitchens, etc.? I know race cars have fancy suppression systems under the hood.
Also, what do you think about fire balls? I have yet to find a supplier in Canada, but they are balls that "explode" with suppression chemicals if they are exposed to fire. I find them neat for things like equipment closets, etc. in non-sprinklered buildings.
Hello @@nics-systems-electric
At 9:57 I saw the culprit leave the scene off the crime and sneak away like he wasn't even there :).
It is possible that's what it is if it could fit in the chamber
Fun fact: If your fire alarm system goes off while your security system is armed in the garage, then 2 systems will go off at the same time and what will cause it to happen is because the strobe from the L-Series flashing will trigger the PIR motion sensor resulting in 2 alarm sounding craziness!
I've never seen a xenon strobe set off the motion detector
I have had insects like spiders and the norm you find in a house cause problems, false alarms etc
Nic, I was thinking insect (with the photoelectric detector) causing the false alarm. When you opened up the smoke head, I saw a bug fall out onto the stool you were working on. There were two other things I noticed. 2022 version of NFPA-72 10.3.5 states voltage swings, temperatures and humidity listing. The if humidity rises above 85% may be an issue. The second thing is listing of equipment. A Firelite system should have firelite listed heads. Honeywell makes both Notifier and Firelite, but the notifier head may not list for interchanging the equipment. I know it sometimes works, but it's not 100% correct. Good real time video.
You were correct about listing I have talked about this in many videos that on firelite MS series of panels you can run flashscam devices on litespeed though they aren't listed so if the system was getting a CAN/ULC-s536 it would be an issue. 93% humidity is acceptable for this detector though it is not that high here and definitely not that high in the heated building. The insect theory could be correct.
Worked on a school system in which a fly entered a simplex photo smoke head and tripped the alarm. Yes, this actually does happen lol
@@alexandersalarms5380 back in my school days.. i would always wonder that exact thing. if dust and whatnot can block em up, why not a fly?
Yes
I now see why your workshop/garage system isn’t connected to your house system…
The only thing I could think of is a bit of dust drifted through it in just the right way that it set off detector. Very odd though.
That sucks, hope it doesn’t happen again
As a service tech, this is the story of my life. Drive 2 hours away for a faulty smoke detector. My personal opinion, if it’s given you problems more than once, I’d replace it. Could be a defective detector.
It's possible that's what I have to do I'm hoping it was just dirty if it happens again it's getting changed
@@nics-systems-electric yeah for sure. Nothing wrong with that. I didn’t think these were so temperate when it came to temperature. I hope all goes well! If you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out bro!
@@a.r.aproductions1569 thanks I haven't found them to usually be that problematic with temperature I do believe there was something wrong with it as the temperature was not below the operation temperature yet when the temperature problems occurred
My guy has the most secure cabin ever, even secure then my local police station 😆
when you pulled apart the detector a small bug of some sort fell out onto the stool. if this was crawling around in the sensor area would it set it off?
Yes it's possible if it was in the chamber though I'm not sure if it would be able to fit inside of the chamber itself
Ironically at my job we had a false alarm on the fire alarm system literally yesterday at 5 minutes to end of 1st shift. Still not sure what set of it off, our alarm company's technician said paint thinner fumes can set off the detectors we have
Nick...You are a 100% Awesome Exceptional Genius! I watch and like every video you make! Very rarely comment on anyone's videos...But today I must!
Photo electric smoke detector...Right above the gas cap of your generator.
The cap is vented and gas vapor is venting and rising...I think your smoke detector can see the vapor (which is tiny particles just like smoke)
You could test this theory by putting a few drops of gas on something safe beneath the smoke detector, close the door and see what happens...Just an idea.
Thanks. I wouldn't think it's from the gas as having the gas cap open and pouring gasoline in with a gas can right under it has never caused problems and that's been done many times the gas tank vents more during temperature rise which was not occurring at the time of the alarm making it seem unrelated to any gas vapour
I know this is a little off subject, but i have a large house and my glass break detectors go off on false alarm too.
All we have is dust in the wind, dust in the wind. In a generator building that is that small and not 100% sealed I would only have a mechanical heat detector.
Would be less prone to alarms but also slower at detecting a fire
Something happened at my house, but there was real smoke, and a loud horn on a simplex light plate, AT 3:00AM
I think you should put something that would let you know when those vents open up that way you’re aware that the vents have opened up and could cause a false alarm that way you’re ready
I don't want notifications possibly 10 times a day it's completely normal for the ventilation to turn on that's what it's intended for
HI Nick, around 09:58, when you opened the detector, a small bug was seen crawling away from the device, this maybe the cause of the false alarm ?
It's possible if it could fit in the chamber
Having worked with fire alarms for 30+ years, I'm always surprised how insects seem to get into the smoke detection chambers, even with the protective gauze to keep them out ! Thanks again for a great video, always appreciate them. @@nics-systems-electric
Smoke detectors will do that. Are the heads cleaned out regularly?
FireLite has changed it on the ES series panels to where they give you the alarm percentage like how Notifier does it instead of the chamber value
That is good
Man I have to deal with false alarms nearly everyday where I work. We have the Honeywell S3 system. Usually b4 an alarm there is notifications of dirty and very dirty photo detectors. I just use dry nitrogen and a blow gun to clean. We have no less than a thousand photos spread across 26 panels.
@L.C-Sirens-and-Soundersno gamewell s3
@L.C-Sirens-and-Sounders on the front of the panel it reads S3 Series at the top. At the bottom it reads Gamewell Fci by Honeywell. It has fancy OLED touchscreen. The panels freeze up a lot requiring the log to be cleared before it will respond to button presses again- either the touch or the physical buttons located on the main PCB.
So, I have a question for you Nic. Is it normal for a college to have fire drills? Because that is apparently what happened today at NAIT. Until an actual fire condition was set off right after the drill apparently. One of the main panels had three troubles btw. Its a Simplex voice evacuation system that runs on Windows lol. Also not properly syncronized.
I would think so but I don't know for sure.
Not all detectors are created equal. Cheap ionisation detectors (the type with Americium) can be susceptible to Radio frequency Interferences (RFI), which can be caused by passing vehicles with radio transmitters or unspecified vehicles or airplanes using radars.
If you replace the fire sensor and keep having false alarms at the same spot with different sensors, replace the ionisation detector with a simpler photoelectric fire detector, which aren't susceptible to interferences...
Notifier/firelite FSP-951 & SD 365 are photo electric smoke detectors
I’ve had a false alarm on my security system once, I armed the system and the motion sensor in the one room went of for no reason
One time my dad was home when my fire alarms went off. I was not there and it didnt end well lol. Mine was also caused by a smoke detector.
I’m planning on getting an addressable panel when I get my backpay
First sprinkler now the generator alarms -_-
0:03 did anyone else noticed that before the alarms sounded there was a strobe flash
Your definitely from Canada i love your channel
If a little dust gets into the detector it can trigger the alarm
The FireLite MS-9200UDLS absolutely can tell if the detector is dirty or not.
Couldn't remember
@@nics-systems-electric Maybe it just caught the EST virus 🤣🤣🤣
False fire alarms can a little annoying sometimes cause then you have to run to turn it off before the fire dept comes
This is not a monitored system so fire department will not respond on a monitored system no matter how fast you silence it they will be dispatched either way
oh ok@@nics-systems-electric
What was the issue?
smoke detector activated in generator room
@@IS250Official ok
There's a fan in the generator box for ventilation. That with a photoelectric smoke detector. Any dust or dirt that gets in there will set it off.
Not often a problem though so it's strange after all that's how duct smokes are constantly getting air moved around them
@@nics-systems-electric yeah, I'm just thinking in terms of outside air maybe being an issue? I believe ducts have some sort of filter, but outside there's a lot of particles. But you'd know more about fire systems than me.
@@omniverseunisec2496 it just depends if it's on the supply or return side of a duct. If it's the supply side then it will definitely have a filter, but often they are now required on return ducts which is often blended with make up air coming from the outside unfiltered. Not saying that's not what caused it as it could have it was just strange as it's been there for a while and only ever happened that one time. Who knows that could be what caused it.
Odd that the detector did that. What happened to your school electrical maintenance video?
It Was deleted I didn't like it
Be a little more chill. I respond to alarms as an engineer. Never just fling open a door like you did with the bathroom. Check the annunciator, or be in radio contact with someone who is. Always check doors for heat; even if there's no smoke.
This is my own house
What would you do if it went off while you weren't home? Like if you knew it was a false alarm could you shut off the alarm remotely?
If I'm close enough for it to be worth it I'd go home because I don't really ever know if it's a false alarm or not, otherwise if it's impossible for me to get there or anyone else just let it go and it will auto silence after 30 minutes
What set it off?
Did anyone else see a bug fall out of the detector after he opened it?
Maybe that electronic thing is old maybe it’s just broke
I love you so much nics
Good job bro
That smoke that went off was not the one having trouble with the temperature
Could been dust we had that set of our fire alarm we also a spider that also set off our fire alarm because does not much to set them off
Notifier detectors work with Firelite? Is this is CLIP or Litespeed?
It's Litespeed but the ES series panels have an updated firmware to patch that to make you use the listed detectors
Did the low frequency fire alarms inside your house to go off to?
No it's two separate systems
I saw a bug come out of the detector at 9:56. That’s probably why it activated
Possibly
You no need no fob, you have garage!
No keypad on the outside
why@@nics-systems-electric
@@thecomputergeek101old because the intrusion alarm is an instant delay on that door so no one should be entering that way and I can monitor access if everyone use the man door
A small bug falls out of the detector at 9:56. That should have caused it. 😂
Possibly
At least it wasn't a fire
Nic just saying you can just put the detectors on pre alarms because my office is always beep instead of alarming?
Pre-alarm is fine if the building is occupied but otherwise it doesn't really make a difference as the alarm still goes off it just tells you a little bit before hand but it doesn't trip any relays to actually tell you if you're not there
@@nics-systems-electric Ok
Hey so I want to get into fire alarms as a hobby. I don't know where to learn from or where to buy from or how to get started. Can you help?
eBay is a good place to find fire alarm equipment
Yeah but I've heard there are alot of sketchy sellers but I will try. What do you suggest for learning how to use these systems@@nics-systems-electric
Maybe to hot the heat detector activated
It was a smoke detector set off not a heat detector
Hey Nic, Nice video about you checking a firealarm situation. Just a small comment on opening the door of the generatorroom. When you don't know if there is a fire behind a door never just open it to check the room but use a 'safe door opening procedure' like the firebrigade does. If you open a door where a fire is going on you can get a flash that hits you right in the face and burns or even kills you. As always, your own safety comes first so carry a suitable fire extinguisher when you start looking for a fire.
(Example opening a door: ua-cam.com/video/Qh6EOSG2XVs/v-deo.html)
Just a question: In the generatorroom are two detectors installed. Are both detectors optical smoke detectors or is one optical and thermal detector? Or maybe a dual detector zone (both detectors have to be activated to cause an alarm situation?
Best regards from Holland, Theo
One is a heat tactor I would definitely be more concerned if heat detector had been activated
Even then, smoke would be visible if there was a fire in that building.
@@zeketr2814 Very true!
You installed a pull station in the basement! By the garage door!
I did
@@nics-systems-electric and u never showed it being installed? Or was that after part 5?
@@rodgodx345 there's a video on it but it wasn't installed until the rest of the system was complete as it wasn't a priority
What video was it?
@@rodgodx345 one that isn't out yet
Annoying! What happened to the school maintenance video?
That's so annoying it can be a simple fault in the system
google is creepy and suddenly suggest this video. we had a false alarm this 2am in the morning. I don't know how Google does this maybe our Android phones listen to the environment and picks up sounds, another possibility is my sister who was awake could have made a quick search. anyways, the false alarm is likely triggered by our diesel vehicle parking where the alarm is adjacent to it. This has not happened since 2018 since I installed the alarm but I think the high humidity due to rains here and diesel exhaust triggered it.
speaking of bugs in the comments section, there is also a bug stuck to the grills of the speaker.
@9:57 Isn't that an ant falling out of the detector as you pop it open? (And then walking off!) Not sure if he could actualy fit into the smoke chamber though.
I'm not sure if it would fit in there either you never know though
9:57 there's an ant that falls out when you pop the detector open. I wonder if that's the culprit? It could have interfered with the photoelectric sensor if it crawled in the right spot.
Yup that was my guess. I had a detector go off once because of a spider
Not sure if it can fit in the actual chamber or not if it could fit in there possibly
How do you get false alarms
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 lol
EARLY!!
At 6:32 is that a 6500?
Yes
My guess was that it was a spider or something. Our smoke detectors got set off because a spider crawled across it. And hey, at least you know it works
Edit: yeah at 9:56 an ant fell out of the detector so that might’ve been it
Not entirely sure if it can fit in the actual chamber but if so it's possible
A false alarms can be dust and humidity can set off the alarms
@@brandonkonicki2177well he said the detector looked clean on the inside
@@nics-systems-electricwell now at least you know it can still detect stuff
Hey. what happened to the video I only watched half of this morning. I was going to watch the other half after school but now it has been removed. Why's that Nic?
Deleted it because I didn't like it and I thought it give a bad representation of the maintenance work that is done
Ok I understand
was that mom? she has a card so she could go in just in case something happens to you?
Other family members have access it's not just me
@@nics-systems-electric oh cool it was nice talking to you
@@nics-systems-electric btw always stay strong and never lose sight btw that is a UA-camrs saying he said to tell others even UA-camrs it too
You had something on your lip
Just checked it's not there anymore
@@nics-systems-electric ok
@@nics-systems-electric what was it
Im your biggest fan 🪭
They are very loud yikes
How many volt dose the FSP-951 use, I thot it 12 to 30 vdc