Point detectors in industrial environments

[Mark Probert - Southam]

If the building is designed in accordance with the Approved Document B, AFD systems are not normally required for Industrial / storage buildings.  The only time AFD systems are required is to compensate for some departure in the guidance or local acts.  It seems that the building may have been over engineered.

[Owner]

As stated in the first post - the building is about 160m long by 100m wide. Premises size and layout makes travel distances well over 100m from some locations, because of plant layout and restriction in the number of places we can provide exit to open air.  The Fire Safety Strategy states that this necessitates smoke control - which requires detection.  Does your comment still apply?

[Chris Houston]

If the building is designed in accordance with the Approved Document B, AFD systems are not normally required for Industrial / storage buildings.  The only time AFD systems are required is to compensate for some departure in the guidance or local acts.  It seems that the building may have been over engineered.

AFD could be required by many other things such as a fire safety risk assessment, the desires of the building owners, or insurers requirements.

[Allen Higginson]

for a dusty warehouse!!!!

Aspirating systems are super sensitive.

It depends on the set up and detection design.If the enviroment is taken into account during design then an increase in replacing filters should be your only issue. Most VESDA (sorry) air sampling sytems are installed straight out of the box with no change to the preset conditions - learn room and go set up!Sensitivity can be adjusted as well as the response levels.
I still say beams would be a better idea to save climbing above the floors for maintenance but then what do I know!

[Allen Higginson]

Oh - and the zone limit still applies so you'll need 8 seperate "zones" of pipework.The coverage of each sampling hole is the same as that of a point detector so you're talking 20 odd holes per pipe.

[wee brian]

Aspirating systems are only super sensitive if you set them up that way. More and more of them are being used in locations where conventional detectors would have been used. My only concern would be how long it will take for the holes to clog up.

The alarms have a sensor that warns you when they are clogged up.