OmniproII and Smoke Detector Wiring and setup

[DrizztSA]

Maybe someone can help me.

I had my HAI system professionally installed, however am not sure everything was done properly.
When I brought up the PC Access software, I noticed that some of the Smoke Detectors where set to Zone type Entry/Exit and some were set to fire.
I don't think this is correct so I picked one and I set it to Fire, that caused my sirens to go off as if I had a fire, what could be wrong?

 

[jlehnert]

Initially I was going to say something is screwed up, but now I'm not sure.

From your picture, it looks like there is a "Dirty" kitchen (as an entry/exit), and a "Clean" kitchen (as a fire). IS the pattern repeated anywhere else? I'm wondering if the installer is doing something funky to prevent false alarms from cooking. Take a look in the programming rules and see if he is doing anything with the "Clean"/"Dirty".

 

[DrizztSA]

I don't think he is doing something funky for false alarms. I actually have 9 Physical Smoke detectors and I do have 2 Kitchens one inside the house and one outside (For grilling frying to reduce the smell ).

The smoke detectors are Firewolf by Napco model FW4-H if that is of any help.
My system is a HAI OmniproII.

Initially I was going to say something is screwed up, but now I'm not sure.

From your picture, it looks like there is a "Dirty" kitchen (as an entry/exit), and a "Clean" kitchen (as a fire). IS the pattern repeated anywhere else? I'm wondering if the installer is doing something funky to prevent false alarms from cooking. Take a look in the programming rules and see if he is doing anything with the "Clean"/"Dirty".

 

[sic0048]

I'm taking a wild stab her since I have not set up smoke detectors before, but I bet the detectors that are set up as alarm rather than fire do not have the correct end-of-line resistors on them. So when you switched them to fire, it set the alarm off.

I guess you could question the installer as to why they decided to go that route, but I would guess it is to prevent false alarms. Smoke in the kitchen (from burning something) and smoke in the restroom (from someone smoking a cigarette) is probably pretty common, so they don't want the fire alarm going off in those circumstances.

Again, I'm not sure about code, but I think in a residential setting, you are not suppose to put a smoke detector in the kitchen. You have to have one on every floor, in every bedroom, and one outside of the bedrooms but I think the code specifically says no smoke detector in the kitchen. A more common used detector for the kitchen is a heat rise detector that senses a rapid rise in the tempature created from a fire rather than the smoke which may or may not be from a fire.

 

[DrizztSA]

Thanks.

I don't think the installer had in mind what you mentioned since as I mentioned I have a two kitchens.
One kitchen has the zone set to EXIT/ENTRY and the other has zone set to Fire.

Now I've been reading a bit and read somewhere that on the HAI OMNIPROII zones 1-4 have to have some Jumper setting set if are used as Smoke detectors.
I am looking also inside the HAI BOX and noticed that the installer has placed what i think are resistors bridging the two screws in each zone.
Does this make sense. I will post a picture later of the HAI Board.

 

[sic0048]

I am looking also inside the HAI BOX and noticed that the installer has placed what i think are resistors bridging the two screws in each zone.
Does this make sense. I will post a picture later of the HAI Board.

Are those resistors across all zones, not just the smoke detectors?

This is pretty common among so called "professional" installers, but is a total waste and should never be installed like that IMHO. Each zone can be set up to "supervise" the zone. If the wiring gets a short, it sets the alarm off. This can be helpful to know if you accidentally short the wire out while hanging a picture, or if a person tries to tamper with the wiring.

In order to monitor the line, you have to place a resistor at the end of each zone. By placing the resistor at the panel (the beginning of the zone) it effectively circumvents the entire monitoring system. If you short the wire out now, the alarm will not go off because the system is still sensing the resistor because it is at the panel, not the end of the wiring.

Most panels can be set up to monitor or not monitor each zone. If the installer didn't want to put the resistors at the end of each zone (which is the perferable method), then they should have just left them off completely and set the panel to not monitor the zone.

Fire detectors work the same way, but I think the EOL (end of line) resistors are required (ie not optional). Again, if something happens to you fire detector wiring, you should be made aware of it via the alarm. But if the installer placed those EOL resistors at the panel, that isn't acceptable at all.