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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Technical Advice => Topic started by: Davro on January 21, 2009, 10:14:43 PM

Title: c tec
Post by: Davro on January 21, 2009, 10:14:43 PM
I came across a 8 zone panel of these (new type) and i found a manual to put it into one man walk test and then disabled the sounders but the bells went off? Can you test this panel in omt without having to take out the sounder cables? I usually disable sounders and then do my tests and walk back to panel to reset. (small systems only).
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Graeme on January 21, 2009, 10:25:41 PM
do you mean the CFP type? plastic enclosure.
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Allen Higginson on January 21, 2009, 11:30:58 PM
do you mean the CFP type? plastic enclosure.
Yup!I found that out as well.
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: GregC on January 22, 2009, 10:19:18 AM
I think the one man test is zonal, ie you have to select what zone you are testing and if you stray into another zone it will sound alarms.

C Tec make good nurse call and disabled toilet alarm equipment - Im still dubious about the quality of the fire alarm panels
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: John Webb on January 22, 2009, 02:10:04 PM
I used a 2-zone CFP panel about 4 years ago to replace an 18 year old JSB panel in my local church's Parish Centre. Build quality seems good and we've had no problems with it. (Other than when water leaked into it from a faulty roof valley.)

Irksome thing is that with a plastic enclosure you have to fit earthing washers to all the MICC where it enters to link the sheaths together when the metal enclosure of the JSB did it for you.....

I used ctec as it was reasonably priced and their local distributor was on the industrial estate on the other side of our churchyard and had it in stock!
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Allen Higginson on January 22, 2009, 02:38:03 PM
I think the one man test is zonal, ie you have to select what zone you are testing and if you stray into another zone it will sound alarms.

C Tec make good nurse call and disabled toilet alarm equipment - Im still dubious about the quality of the fire alarm panels
But the bells still ring,regardless of whether you have put a disablement on.
As far as build quality goes,I had one of these delivered with the sounder terminals not installed on the PCB.Other than that they are one of the better over the counter contractor panels out there (but if you take into account the competition in this area......I'll leave it at that!!).
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: GregC on January 22, 2009, 04:37:14 PM
Oh I see, I misread earlier.
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Graeme on January 22, 2009, 05:23:33 PM
local distributor was on the industrial estate on the other side of our churchyard and had it in stock!

that would be the very reason i would not use one John.. ;)
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: bibbage on January 22, 2009, 05:27:23 PM
Well I'm going to stick up for this panel, very well made and reliable been using them for years.  All zones can be put on OMT at the same time and if you don't want the sounders the connection block can be unplugged from the PCB, no need to take the wires out.
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Davro on January 22, 2009, 09:45:07 PM
Yes it is the plastic type and so the answer is take bells out. The panels i fit are sms xenex panels of which i've found best to buy and fit/service. Any other good makes out there?
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Graeme on January 22, 2009, 10:59:34 PM
Haes
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Allen Higginson on January 22, 2009, 11:18:51 PM
Well I'm going to stick up for this panel, very well made and reliable been using them for years.  All zones can be put on OMT at the same time and if you don't want the sounders the connection block can be unplugged from the PCB, no need to take the wires out.
I always found the metal biscuit tin model pretty bomb proof.I think the issue is with them is that they are available to every Tom,Dick and Harry (but mostly Dick) and so leads to some very dodgy/shoddy installs by contractors who want a fire alarm in a box solution (as I said,not the worst in this field - another manufacturer wins that hands down).
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Allen Higginson on January 22, 2009, 11:19:58 PM
Haes
Agrred - very versatile and networkable via a pair (and I can't use them as we make our own!)
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Big_Fella on January 23, 2009, 08:54:52 AM
Haes
Agrred - very versatile and networkable via a pair (and I can't use them as we make our own!)

It is... and even basic form of programming on this conventional panel... very good indeed
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: GregC on January 23, 2009, 01:21:31 PM
Haes are good especially the Excel range.

Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Graeme on January 23, 2009, 04:48:09 PM
The Excel is a really good panel and i would not use anything else now.
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Benzerari on January 25, 2009, 09:25:39 PM
....  All zones can be put on OMT at the same time and if you don't want the sounders the connection block can be unplugged from the PCB, no need to take the wires out.

I think this is the closest answer to Davro's enquiry, also I may add some thing..., the OMT (One Man Test) through the jumper.., can only insure the ‘walk test’ and not ‘silent mode test’ since:

Walk test: is where alarm goes off for few seconds during test, then the system reset itself...

Silent mode test: (conventional sys.) is where no alarm going off during test, just fire condition displayed on panel, but not necessarily a resetable test...

For C-Tec; and as far as I remember the sounder circuit has to be disconnected in addition to OMT jumper setting, in order to get the resetable silent mode.

Probably the terminology may mean different things to different people…, but any way this is just my understanding :)
Title: Re: c tec
Post by: Graeme on January 26, 2009, 05:08:20 PM
Haes are good especially the Excel range.



look out for the new Fusion panel