AboutJohn E. Pecore Power Quality Engineer Expertise Power Quality and Lightning protection for Burgs, Fire, CCTV, and Gate access systems. I also want to hear about Back up Generator issues effecting your electronic equipment. I know all 24 manufactures of fire alarm panels. If you ask me I will tell you who I think is the best, and who is the worst. A lot has changed in 30 years, and many consumers have no idea what they are buying, and what they should expect for reliability for their systems. The question is, why are you paying for so many repairs? In the South, re-occurring revenue is extremely important. Do you fall in that category?
Experience 18 years trouble shooting every name brand in after market lightning issues.
Organizations Stormin Protection Products Inc.
Publications Wrote a book in 1992, The Conspiracy of Electronics and you pay for it. Copyright 1993, by Terra Publishing, Salamanca NY.
Education/Credentials BSEE, MSM
Awards and Honors Inventor of many surge suppression and Power Guards used here in the USA
Past/Present Clients All 23 manufactures of fire alarm panels, several gate access mfg, Hard Rock Casino,
Question I rent a loft unit on the top floor of a new building that was built in 2008. The building has what I assume is a hardwired fire protection system (the alarm is actually 20+ feet from the ground so I can't inspect it). I have a clear view of the eastern sky.
During thunderstorms, the system will occasionally emit a single ear piercing chirp in sync with a single intense lightning flash. This doesn't happen with lightening that is low intensity or that flashes multiple times in succession.
I haven't talked to any of my neighbors about this, so I don't know if it's just my unit or the entire building system going off. We do have occasional false alarms.
So, is there a light sensor somewhere that I can cover up with a piece of electrical tape? I'm guessing if there is, that that would be a bad idea.
You are getting a ground fault caused by a feed back loop up case ground based on a close proximity strike by lighting. Not by light, rather a single smart chip on the PC board senses momentarily that there is a potential on the ground side.
It is highly likely that your fire alarm panel does not have one stitch of surge suppression on the AC power and zone, loops, bells, horns or even the sprinkler dry contacts. If it does, not very good ones (I do not recommend Ditek,Edco,ITW,or Transdector) Also your system has no Spike Block-1 or ground filter to prevent a feed back loop up case ground. Also your panel is not a conventional panel but a new state of the art panel with no linear power supply or heavy components to have enough capacitance to ride these storms through.
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