Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum banner

fire suppression system micro switch

20K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  VinylHanger 
#1 ·
I need help explaining to an electrician how to connect my micro switch to the elect. I've already installed the micro switch in my controll head. I can't not find a schmatic for him and just telling him Red is common, Yellow N.O. & Black N.C. and that all the elect under the hood needs to shut down except the exhaust fans stay on ... is not enough. Any suggestions?? All I have is a pic of the microswitch and not a schmatic.
 
#2 ·
Any suggestions?? All I have is a pic of the microswitch and not a schmatic.
I would suggest that you find a real electrician, because that is an extremely elementary circuit that a 12 year old could understand.

Also, forgive my bluntness, but if you can't whip out a schematic for that on a paper napkin in about 5-10 seconds, maybe you shouldn't be fooling with the job in the first place.
 
#3 ·
Fire suppression systems many times need to do more than just shut down the MAU. They also must shut down any electrical under the hood (typically required with the new wet systems, no so much w/the old halon), and may even need to trigger the fire alarm system. Pretty tall order for a part with a wholesale cost of $1.37. There are some systems that have a sum total of two microswitches, but it still falls on the electrician to make the system function as required.

If the electrician on site is unable to figure out how to accomplish all this, perhaps the owner/GC should find someone qualified.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tinstaafl
#4 ·
I do not understand how you could design and install a suppression system with out the install manual. Every install manual I have shows how to have the electrician wire the switches. If the electrician is not on site when I am ready for him, I print the schematic pages and leave them in the panel. I also print in BIG letters, "Make NO electrical connections in this mechanical panel. This panel is not listed for electrical connections. Make all connections outside this box".

What brand system is this?
 
#6 · (Edited)
I've already installed the micro switch in the panel with the wires feed outside the panel with instructions to make the connection outside the mechanical panel ~ which is my job ... what is not my area is hooking it up to the elect. I've checked 4 of the manuals that I have and not one system manufactures has instructions for the elect hook up only on installing the microswitch in there mech control head.
 
#8 ·
Then you've most likely completed your end of the contract. Any competent electrician should be able to figure out HIS part whether you're there or not.

Unless the system isn't 'standard', I rarely interact with the hood installers, even when we're concurrently on-site. And a single microswitch is about as standard as it gets.


Sounds like a very incompetent electrician has been hired by an almost equally incompetent builder.

Sparky: (Looking at microswitch wondering what the 3 wires are for, and how to connect his 2-wire circuit to it, thinking "this looks like a switch, and I know enough not to hook a hot and a neutral to a switch because that will cause a short. I'd better ask for some details before I proceed otherwise I'll look like an idiot) "Hey, Mr. Builder, I need you to call the Hood Guys for a wiring diagram on this!"...........

Builder: "OK, I'll call 'em!", (reaching for his phone, not knowing what to ask for or who to talk to and not having the gumption to ask Sparky otherwise he'll look like an idiot.....)
 
#10 ·
The electrician will wire the controls for this system. When the ansel system is activated there are normally 2 micro switches that switch. They have N.O. and N.C. contacts on each one. The normally closed contact will be used to activate the breaker that feeds the sub panel that will shut down and kill the power under the hood. Wire 120 volts to the com terminal on a switch and from the N.O. contact wire to the shunt trip breaker. The other side of the breaker goes to the neutral buss in the panel. This will energize the shunt trip in the breaker when the ansel system is set off which will shut down everything under the hood. This will all be wired from the sub panel fed by this breaker. Make sure the exhaust is powered from the main panel so it does not shut down at this time. This must run to get rid of the smoke. Only the make up air shuts down from the sub panel along with anything else electrical under the hood. Does this make sense to you now? Let me know A-1tekniguard Tallahassee......kaboom we are here to show and teach others not show off on others.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top