I've been working on fire detection systems for more than 35 years in the Netherlands. In every fire detection system that has an interaction with other systems such as ventilation or elevators, the weak link is the person or company that is responsible for correct commissioning and maintenance. The owner of the building is ultimately responsible but they try to push that responsibility to one of the contractors. Unfortunately neither of the contractors will take full responsibility and will start blaming the other contractor when things go wrong. We need more people like you who feel the urgency of doing it right. Thanks a lot. I will pass this link on to enjoy and learn.
I went out during a “bomb cyclone snow storm” in my personal vehicle to help out a large grocery store whose duct smoke tripped on a very large seasons4 unit. They had to pay a firefighter to stand in the store while loud siren going off... fire alarm company would not come out and could not silence the alarm( allowed me to fix). I had fire department help me write out a waiver of liability, had them and the manager sign it. I ran on roof with a multi tool and a wire nut and got the alarm silenced. Customer gave me a $500 gift card and asked me to bill them 8 hours for my time, was a win win. Alarm company showed up 3 weeks later lol.
Alarm Company needs to be smacked with a Breach of Contract Lawsuit... Preferably etched onto a Sledgehammer and applied Vigorously to the side of their heads... Repeat as needed until they clean up their act...
Wow chris...that's some shady work you found. That's the type of trash that gets people killed!!!! That company should be ashamed they let that pass as finished. And as for the start up...that's so common...these companies should be sued for letting a "half ass" so called technician start up a rtu or any system for that matter that has no business doing the job!!!. Thank you for showing what a "PROPERLY TRAINED" hvac contractor is capable of!!! Great video again
Jesse Lute You are absolutely right! However I do want to bring up that sometimes the techs are not given the correct amount of time for a proper start up and commission. A lot of sales guys that bid the jobs think its just flip the switch and walk off the roof. So I don’t always blame the techs when I see crap like that, more than likely their boss just told them do get it done in an unreasonable amount of time.
if I had to guess, the fire system is set to cut power to any and all fans and hvac anyway. so they didn't need both sets functional, although they probably should have bid linking to the new units. but probably the place didn't want to pay for it or deal with all the hoops and chose the cheaper route. hard to say these days.
I do agree...but I've had to make those decisions myself. If you dont know how....its your responsibility to ask! Thats what makes a tech. Just knowing your limitations and when its exceeded, to find the answer and do it right. Alot of them dont care if its in right...and they are why I bitch...it only takes a few min to do a 1nce over and make sure your companies reputable name is known!
I live in the UK so these units are rare,but having watched you work on these, i am absolutely amazed that they run at all, they appear to be so complex and in general very poorly maintained by the owners. None of these comments are directed at you.you are awsome.
Great Video! Shoving the wire through the unit is one thing. An improper startup on dampers and controls is another. Leaving the caps on the sample tubes was CRITICAL! Hats off to you!
I love what you do man. Listen everyday as I'm driving from job to job. Hell even sometimes while on the job site. You have helped me become a better tech and I truly appreciate it. Keep up the hard work!
Wow, I started watching this before work as soon as you uploaded it, but only got half way through, that was an interesting twist, considering the "redundant" duct detector. crazy
I'm an electrician on outdoor boxes I usually make a small hole in the bottom of the box depending on application so at least the box dosn't fill up with water.
Nice find on the duct detectors not put into service. Does the bld. or fire inspector check these during new or replacement installations? I was in my doctors office in January and looked up in the ceiling while waiting and the smoke detectors still had the dust covers on them. I told the secretary and she was going to tell the bld. maintenance person. The ceiling was open and black painted. I'll bet this happens all of the time. Thanks for the video.
I literally am just a random youtuber and after watching some videos on window units I found your channel and now if nothing else at least I know how to help whoever buys all the old kmart buildings get their ac blowing cold again, haha
The smell might be a sewage vent pipe close to one of the fresh air dampeners. I did maintenance at 2 restaurants that had that problem. One of my employers took a pipe coupling and wedged a screen for Windows in between and dumped carbon pellets down it. It filtered out the smell.
The installing contractor is to blame for all of this BS, they clearly did not know the unit they were working with. I'm a strong advocate for fire alarm technicians being used on multi-unit roof sweeps to avoid issues like this.
Consensuallycasual I’m a firm believer that alarm companies should stay away from my detectors. Code here has changed throughout the years. First they had to be in the supply. Then in both supply and return. Now just in the return. This is for units moving 2000cfm or more. The detector in the supply is the problem. If you want a smoke detector for your fire alarm then install one. The problem is the detectors installed down stream from the heat can and will go off on the initial heat start of every year. Dust on the elements or heat exchanger will set them off. This should only shut down the system it operates and not set off an alarm ; emptying the building and monitoring station dispatching the fire department. Always when firing up heat for the season call the alarm company and have the system put in test mode.
@@actechformallyyomama746 Depending on the jurisdiction, the duct detector's usually are set up to send a supervisory signal to indicate that the detector needs maintenance, which would fix a lot of the issues of them causing a mass evacuation. If they are set up for an alarm condition, a recommendation needs to be made to move them into a supervisory condition.
Experience has taught me with outside weather proof IP65 rated enclosures it's often prudent to drill 2 x 6mm holes on the bottom of the electrical boxs to let condensate and water out rather than sealing water inside as they can sweat from humidity.
Anytime wires (or even jacketed cables) laid across a bare metal edge; a grommet or bushing shall be installed. I have seen fire systems that where wired with un-jacketed doorbell wire into boxes without bushings in the ends of conduits. If you don't have a grommet you can make one by slitting a piece of small plastic or rubber line if you need to go through a punch hole -- cause where there is vibration (or even thermal expansion) the metal edge is going to eventually gnaw through the insulation. When a conduit is installed between locations of large temperature difference a compression gland or sealing compound should be use to prevent condensation. THWN conductors should be used around around wet conditions and MC rating for the jacket. Ideally the warm end of the cable would be sealed but in some situation both ends would need be. Water in the box can come from condensation pulled through a long conduit -- if part of the box is cooler than the other end of the conduit unsealed.
The installation company by not pulling the detector plugs opens up significant liability for them. You need independent eyes and a checklist to go through the work to double check everything. Not necessarily a different company, just someone who didn't work the installation.
another good video// as for the smell.... if it happens with low temp outside when economizer are open i would be looking at plumbing vent stacks.. on cooler/calm days the methane can pool on a roof structure with those high exterior walls. would need to piped to the outside edge. have had several restaurants that chased that problem for year keep safe
Chris: Being that you are the last person to work on this system, It is incumbent upon you to make sure that you notify the bld. or fire alarm inspector so that you don't take the blame if something goes wrong and the state fire marshal investigates who worked on the system. I have seen this in Mass in the past. Cover your butt. and don't take the blame for the last ass that left the system in that condition. Thanks for great video's.
@19:10. hello, you replied to my comment i sent you back in March asking about increased fresh air since this virus thing. I am curious if you guys or the restaurants got anything from the health department about increasing fresh air, or like you did here, changing to continuous fan.
That sucks. Unfortunately we are at the customers mercy. If your like me I know you’ll lose some sleep over it knowing that you left a job with other problems. I guess the one nice thing is you know customers like that will be calling you back so now it is a waiting game. Maybe by the time the units all warranty out they will finally get them all properly started up, lol.
System Sensor is the most common smoke detector in this area and it's what we also install on new systems that requires one. I believe since I am so used to that brand that it's very easy to wire it up. You are right, the fire alarm companies will not touch them in this area.
I'm a Building Enginner for commercial building on the east coast. It's surprising to me you set the duct detector to the alarm contact. The state and county I work in make it mandatory all duct detectors are only supervisory signals.
Usually these detectors are set up as a supervisory which is higher than a trouble. By the looks of it, that detector is long gone. That system also looks like it's getting old as well due to those key switches. I can tell it's an older conventional system by looking at the detector Oh I just saw the system omg Bosch systems are complete shit I can't believe they are using that
On the west coast we handle the ac side and the alarm company is responsible for the alarm side. However with modern slc fire alarm i could actually remove the alarm contacts and the fire alarm would show trouble. crossing those wires will trigger an actual alarm.
By me in Illinois it was once code that the detectors had to be x amount of feet from the unit. But that was 30 years ago before manufactures started including them in the unit. Also around here you don't see duct work exposed on the roof like that. It just wouldn't survive the weather.
Always check with your local fire marshal as to whether the duct smoke detectors are required to trigger a trouble or a full alarm condition. Building codes vary a lot, and sometimes the fire marshal will want to do something different than the building code, just because they can. Found that on my company's current office building after we moved in. Duct cleaners were working overnight and a duct detector set off a full alarm in the middle of the night. Neither our building code nor the current fire marshal require that, so we changed it to just go trouble and shut down the unit. The old fire marshal was requiring full alarm for duct detectors because he could, no other reason. Then they started getting automated nuisance calls so they stopped requiring that and now typically just follow the local code.
I like to take a picture before taking it apart also if the wires are long enough leave some insulation on the wire on the terminal so you know the color of wire that was on that terminal
your very smart fellow tech and really good info. i almost got into new industry cause board as hell, I took a whole less money to start refrigeration so make 101 vids
Low voltage circuits can be a pain sometimes, those other contractors have poor workmanship, not you Chris. You need a NEC code book to help you along with those type of circuits. Good job.
I removed the installation companies sticker to protect them...... I will discuss this on my livestream this evening , 4-20-20 @5:PM (pacific time) come check it out if you can and no worries if you cant make it to the live stream as it will post as a normal video on my channel afterwards. ruclips.net/video/62G5H5oAk8M/видео.html
@@PatrickLeeUS the only way to test a smoke detector is to put smoke into it. The "test and reset" station is just for box ticking. And it complicated the installation.....
Admittedly I was cringing a bit.. wondering if they even addressed the duct detectors they put in the new units. Evidently their fire alarm is an older bosch... so it was probably just a zone by zone and hopefully did not need new setup. I'm unsuprised the Duct smoke detectors were 'installed' but not set up, sadly. As a fire alarm inspector myself I see a lot of units installed poorly or badly by Hvac installers who are not properly instructed on the proper placement and operation. (let alone /sane/ placement...) That said, I would hazard a guess those duct detectors my have even been pre-installed by the supplier which.. happens. Much to one business's chagrin I've seen personally so far. (There is a tiny story there.) Ultimately I would hazard a guess that the new duct detectors were preinstalled. And the Hvac installers saw the existing units. Thus went with the easier route of just transferring the wire from the older DSDs to the new RTU, rather than connecting the old to the new device. The one thing I did not see was did you verify the internal unit was placed on the same 'side' of the airflow? I only saw one internal Duct smoke detector and while it should be on the end blowing into the store.. I have seen them on the side sucking air out of the store.. (i forget which is the supply and return at this moment.) It absolutely has to have one on the side 'returning' the air to the store. The reason being if the unit catches fire and its on the other side it may take much longer for the smoke to cycle back into the machine and shut it down. (See previously mentioned bit about a pre-installed duct detector.)
In Nyc if I had fire alarm issue, I have to verify that it's their equipment messed up and we call them and they fix it. Where not supposed to touch it. I'm union so idk if that's union rules or nyc rules.
it is good to correct bad work, but you should have used the red jacket cable for the alarm wire at least. red denotes fire retardant while the brown is not. some states dictate you have to use the fire retardant cable for all fire alarm cabling on newer installations.
nice fix man! hope you can use those smoke detector units that are preinstalled on the ac-units permanently as you said you hoped to do in the video :) that fix looked very sweet :)))
Oh the many times I’ve heard that warning beep on the alarm panel. Too many situations where a fire sprinkler pipe burst and tripped the alarm due to pressure loss. I blame the fire company solely due to the fact that they recently installed fire sprinklers right underneath each of the main area HVAC units and I bet they upped the pressure on the older pipes which are rated for lower pressures and are in poorer condition since they’ve been up there probably for the entire 16 years of the building’s use. (In case you are wondering this is in a Walmart)
Do you have local fire or building codes that requires a smoke detector in both supply and return? Or, were the red plugs left in place because the unit installer just wanted to use the existing smoke detector equipment? That may have kept the bid price of replacing the units down by just using the existing duct detectors. We run buildings in a very slight negative pressure, not positive. If you run positive pressure the doors will not close properly. It would be very difficult to balance that building by “winging it”. Bathroom exhaust to close to a/c units and make up air units can cause odor problems.
I miss those dry contact smoke/fire detectors and those smoke detectors are not nema 3 certified enclosure(outdoor) they are nema 2 which is for "indoor use only" or should be installed in a nema 3R enclosure.
We have smoke and duct detectors go into trouble caused by humidity all the time. Not water infiltration just moist air is enough in some cases. If we have a bad smoke detect we’re all approved for life safety work and they’re easy to change duct detectors are a different animal and plant personnel take care of them.
If a short is created due to faulty wiring, or in this case water the system is designed to show a trouble condition. The detector will only set off an alarm if the photo cell is triggered under smoky conditions in its photo cell cavity.
probably dried out traps and the negative pressure sucking stink in. it generally takes a week or so for them to dry out and with so much shutdown they likely have lots unused, including floor drains which were getting a little mop water and now nothing because unoccupied.
The duct detector is connected to the fire system control unless it has contacts that tips fan and damper shut down. It detects smoke in the return duct and had it operated it would indicate one of two things, trouble [dirty or defective device] or fire which the fire department would respond. . It has nothing to do with the AVAC operation.
3:00 At this point in diagnosis, I'd pull out my fox and hound tester. I'd hook it up at the test/reset station, and go around to each weird/old duct detector's wiring and check for the ring. Less than 5 minutes work with the correct tools. 😁
Here in australia, you would be in big trouble even touching a duct detector. Here they have to be repaired and tested annually by a fire contractor only.
I don’t own any industrial ac unit, I don’t have business, I don’t planing studying ac maintenance, I don’t speak or understand all the term using here but for some reason I watching this video after mowing some grass at work lol
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I've been working on fire detection systems for more than 35 years in the Netherlands. In every fire detection system that has an interaction with other systems such as ventilation or elevators, the weak link is the person or company that is responsible for correct commissioning and maintenance. The owner of the building is ultimately responsible but they try to push that responsibility to one of the contractors. Unfortunately neither of the contractors will take full responsibility and will start blaming the other contractor when things go wrong.
We need more people like you who feel the urgency of doing it right. Thanks a lot. I will pass this link on to enjoy and learn.
Thanks so much for watching !
I went out during a “bomb cyclone snow storm” in my personal vehicle to help out a large grocery store whose duct smoke tripped on a very large seasons4 unit. They had to pay a firefighter to stand in the store while loud siren going off... fire alarm company would not come out and could not silence the alarm( allowed me to fix). I had fire department help me write out a waiver of liability, had them and the manager sign it. I ran on roof with a multi tool and a wire nut and got the alarm silenced. Customer gave me a $500 gift card and asked me to bill them 8 hours for my time, was a win win. Alarm company showed up 3 weeks later lol.
I have seen similar issues, but was not lucky enough to get a bonus.
Alarm Company needs to be smacked with a Breach of Contract Lawsuit...
Preferably etched onto a Sledgehammer and applied Vigorously to the side of their heads...
Repeat as needed until they clean up their act...
@@HappilyHomicidalHooligan 😆 😅 😂 🤣😆 😅 😂 🤣
I'm just a truck driver but man this is some good stuff.
Just a truck driver? Man you guys are keeping the county going!
Jarrod El-Khouri respect
@@GlitchedPepsi You're right about that 👍
@@jonnymac31 meh, just doing our jobs
Fat Guy In a Truck thank you :)
DUCK DETECTOR TRIPPED! *intense quacking*
lol, I was thinking the same thing.
throttle bottle The sentiment was literally in the Closed Captioning 22:20
Wow chris...that's some shady work you found. That's the type of trash that gets people killed!!!!
That company should be ashamed they let that pass as finished. And as for the start up...that's so common...these companies should be sued for letting a "half ass" so called technician start up a rtu or any system for that matter that has no business doing the job!!!. Thank you for showing what a "PROPERLY TRAINED" hvac contractor is capable of!!!
Great video again
Jesse Lute You are absolutely right! However I do want to bring up that sometimes the techs are not given the correct amount of time for a proper start up and commission. A lot of sales guys that bid the jobs think its just flip the switch and walk off the roof. So I don’t always blame the techs when I see crap like that, more than likely their boss just told them do get it done in an unreasonable amount of time.
@@jonathanschulz5841 yes I do agree there...I've had a few that did exactly that!!! It's still a shame that there is no liability for that shit!!!
if I had to guess, the fire system is set to cut power to any and all fans and hvac anyway. so they didn't need both sets functional, although they probably should have bid linking to the new units. but probably the place didn't want to pay for it or deal with all the hoops and chose the cheaper route. hard to say these days.
I do agree...but I've had to make those decisions myself. If you dont know how....its your responsibility to ask! Thats what makes a tech.
Just knowing your limitations and when its exceeded, to find the answer and do it right.
Alot of them dont care if its in right...and they are why I bitch...it only takes a few min to do a 1nce over and make sure your companies reputable name is known!
I just love how thorough you are. Sure, it might be a little harder to do it right the first time but doing it right is the only way to do it.
I live in the UK so these units are rare,but having watched you work on these, i am absolutely amazed that they run at all, they appear to be so complex and in general very poorly maintained by the owners. None of these comments are directed at you.you are awsome.
Can I just say I’ve done hvac for 11 years now and found your video extremely helpful and very professional. You are definitely worth every penny.
Great Video! Shoving the wire through the unit is one thing. An improper startup on dampers and controls is another. Leaving the caps on the sample tubes was CRITICAL! Hats off to you!
I love what you do man. Listen everyday as I'm driving from job to job. Hell even sometimes while on the job site. You have helped me become a better tech and I truly appreciate it. Keep up the hard work!
These vids are amazing, I really enjoy them. Alot of information in one video! Stay safe!
Your attention to detail speaks for itself ~ a pleasure to watch you work.
Great video and description on this topic. I appreciate all your content. I hope all is well for you and yours.
This is so interesting and I never thought these actually had so many problems before I found you
Wow, I started watching this before work as soon as you uploaded it, but only got half way through, that was an interesting twist, considering the "redundant" duct detector. crazy
Those plastic enclosures just never seem to last when exposed. Smart to include them in the main boxes for weather protection!
Stumbled on to your not to long and what blessing for me. Just learning A/C work, enjoy your teaching videos thanks.
It's not water damage, it's the built in fire suppression system! :))
By the sound of your voice, i understand you are wearing a mask. Be safe out there. And all of us.
Nice work all around Chris. Thank You for the video.
I'm an electrician on outdoor boxes I usually make a small hole in the bottom of the box depending on application so at least the box dosn't fill up with water.
Nice find on the duct detectors not put into service. Does the bld. or fire inspector check these during new or replacement installations? I was in my doctors office in January and looked up in the ceiling while waiting and the smoke detectors still had the dust covers on them. I told the secretary and she was going to tell the bld. maintenance person. The ceiling was open and black painted. I'll bet this happens all of the time. Thanks for the video.
A person is a very good duct detector, "Hmm yes, I sense the presence of a duct in this building."
Looks like a duct, walks like a duct, talks like a duct. What is it?
I literally am just a random youtuber and after watching some videos on window units I found your channel and now if nothing else at least I know how to help whoever buys all the old kmart buildings get their ac blowing cold again, haha
Good troubleshooting Chris and nice find on the red caps ...
The smell might be a sewage vent pipe close to one of the fresh air dampeners. I did maintenance at 2 restaurants that had that problem. One of my employers took a pipe coupling and wedged a screen for Windows in between and dumped carbon pellets down it. It filtered out the smell.
The installing contractor is to blame for all of this BS, they clearly did not know the unit they were working with. I'm a strong advocate for fire alarm technicians being used on multi-unit roof sweeps to avoid issues like this.
Consensuallycasual I’m a firm believer that alarm companies should stay away from my detectors. Code here has changed throughout the years. First they had to be in the supply. Then in both supply and return. Now just in the return. This is for units moving 2000cfm or more. The detector in the supply is the problem. If you want a smoke detector for your fire alarm then install one. The problem is the detectors installed down stream from the heat can and will go off on the initial heat start of every year. Dust on the elements or heat exchanger will set them off. This should only shut down the system it operates and not set off an alarm ; emptying the building and monitoring station dispatching the fire department. Always when firing up heat for the season call the alarm company and have the system put in test mode.
@@actechformallyyomama746 Depending on the jurisdiction, the duct detector's usually are set up to send a supervisory signal to indicate that the detector needs maintenance, which would fix a lot of the issues of them causing a mass evacuation. If they are set up for an alarm condition, a recommendation needs to be made to move them into a supervisory condition.
Those wild Ducts, no wonder they need detectors. Great videos.
Experience has taught me with outside weather proof IP65 rated enclosures it's often prudent to drill 2 x 6mm holes on the bottom of the electrical boxs to let condensate and water out rather than sealing water inside as they can sweat from humidity.
When I saw the teaser at the beginning of the video, I was expecting a whole lot more water to end up pouring out of the detector.
@19:35 with your revisit for the unrelated door closure, will you bring sheet metal and remove those defunct detectors and close up the void?
Anytime wires (or even jacketed cables) laid across a bare metal edge; a grommet or bushing shall be installed. I have seen fire systems that where wired with un-jacketed doorbell wire into boxes without bushings in the ends of conduits. If you don't have a grommet you can make one by slitting a piece of small plastic or rubber line if you need to go through a punch hole -- cause where there is vibration (or even thermal expansion) the metal edge is going to eventually gnaw through the insulation.
When a conduit is installed between locations of large temperature difference a compression gland or sealing compound should be use to prevent condensation. THWN conductors should be used around around wet conditions and MC rating for the jacket. Ideally the warm end of the cable would be sealed but in some situation both ends would need be. Water in the box can come from condensation pulled through a long conduit -- if part of the box is cooler than the other end of the conduit unsealed.
Great job man . Thank you for your time and your knowledge 👍🏾
I started crying laughing when Fanta started pouring out of the duct detector.
The installation company by not pulling the detector plugs opens up significant liability for them. You need independent eyes and a checklist to go through the work to double check everything. Not necessarily a different company, just someone who didn't work the installation.
Great video 👍, I got alot out of this and the one you recommended at the beginning.
another good video// as for the smell.... if it happens with low temp outside when economizer are open i would be looking at plumbing vent stacks.. on cooler/calm days the methane can pool on a roof structure with those high exterior walls. would need to piped to the outside edge. have had several restaurants that chased that problem for year keep safe
Thank you for the upload. Very useful. Going to watch your other smoke detector video.
Great video. Learning a lot. Thank you.
wow, I have learned so much from you!, another great video! big picture diagnosis!
Ouch! that detector has seen better days! That water is disgusting and I can tell from your reaction that wasn't fun to deal with haha!
Best teacher thanks man!
Do they have Spector alert advance horn strobes ?
Chris: Being that you are the last person to work on this system, It is incumbent upon you to make sure that you notify the bld. or fire alarm inspector so that you don't take the blame if something goes wrong and the state fire marshal investigates who worked on the system. I have seen this in Mass in the past. Cover your butt. and don't take the blame for the last ass that left the system in that condition. Thanks for great video's.
The thermostat said unoccupied. is that an issue?
California electrical work. Scary stuff.
In my experience I found duct dedectar mess because of water ur work highly appritiatv u gonna fix instead of bypass big thumbs up
man that's good stuff man, this is the first time i hear about it, thanks mam
@19:10. hello, you replied to my comment i sent you back in March asking about increased fresh air since this virus thing. I am curious if you guys or the restaurants got anything from the health department about increasing fresh air, or like you did here, changing to continuous fan.
Too funny so the installers set the unit, turn it on and then two years later you do the actual start up.
I wanted to go thru all the other units that were installed at the same time but the customer wouldn't approve that........
That sucks. Unfortunately we are at the customers mercy. If your like me I know you’ll lose some sleep over it knowing that you left a job with other problems. I guess the one nice thing is you know customers like that will be calling you back so now it is a waiting game. Maybe by the time the units all warranty out they will finally get them all properly started up, lol.
@@HVACRVIDEOS The customer is pretty stupid! He could be killing people if all the units are that way. Maybe you should call the fire dept. inspector.
Nice Job Chris!
System Sensor is the most common smoke detector in this area and it's what we also install on new systems that requires one. I believe since I am so used to that brand that it's very easy to wire it up. You are right, the fire alarm companies will not touch them in this area.
O.K. who does fix them if the fire alarm company won't? Thanks
@@watermanone7567 We do. They will contact a hvac company.
I'm a Building Enginner for commercial building on the east coast. It's surprising to me you set the duct detector to the alarm contact. The state and county I work in make it mandatory all duct detectors are only supervisory signals.
Usually these detectors are set up as a supervisory which is higher than a trouble.
By the looks of it, that detector is long gone.
That system also looks like it's getting old as well due to those key switches. I can tell it's an older conventional system by looking at the detector
Oh I just saw the system omg Bosch systems are complete shit I can't believe they are using that
On the west coast we handle the ac side and the alarm company is responsible for the alarm side. However with modern slc fire alarm i could actually remove the alarm contacts and the fire alarm would show trouble. crossing those wires will trigger an actual alarm.
Very well done 👍👍👍
Wow bad idea to install a “waterproof” detector exposed outside like that.
By me in Illinois it was once code that the detectors had to be x amount of feet from the unit. But that was 30 years ago before manufactures started including them in the unit. Also around here you don't see duct work exposed on the roof like that. It just wouldn't survive the weather.
That detector's gasket wore off which explains the sealer outside the detector.
Nice video Chris I'm kinda curious if your going to talk to that contractor. Lol 😂 stay safe!
Always check with your local fire marshal as to whether the duct smoke detectors are required to trigger a trouble or a full alarm condition. Building codes vary a lot, and sometimes the fire marshal will want to do something different than the building code, just because they can. Found that on my company's current office building after we moved in. Duct cleaners were working overnight and a duct detector set off a full alarm in the middle of the night. Neither our building code nor the current fire marshal require that, so we changed it to just go trouble and shut down the unit. The old fire marshal was requiring full alarm for duct detectors because he could, no other reason. Then they started getting automated nuisance calls so they stopped requiring that and now typically just follow the local code.
I like to take a picture before taking it apart also if the wires are long enough leave some insulation on the wire on the terminal so you know the color of wire that was on that terminal
your very smart fellow tech and really good info. i almost got into new industry cause board as hell, I took a whole less money to start refrigeration so make 101 vids
Great content
Low voltage circuits can be a pain sometimes, those other contractors have poor workmanship, not you Chris. You need a NEC code book to help you along with those type of circuits. Good job.
14:13 I guess it is the installer company name on the door of the RTU?
Y Zhang maybe? 😱
Lol
It appears to be some type of marketing label.
Damon Abets I think it is, since Chris liked yours and my comment.
I removed the installation companies sticker to protect them...... I will discuss this on my livestream this evening , 4-20-20 @5:PM (pacific time) come check it out if you can and no worries if you cant make it to the live stream as it will post as a normal video on my channel afterwards. ruclips.net/video/62G5H5oAk8M/видео.html
Is the test and reset station just so someone doesn’t need to go up to the roof to reset the system if it tripped an alarm?
It is so that the fire marshal can test and simulate a fire condition from a central point during inspection.
@@PatrickLeeUS the only way to test a smoke detector is to put smoke into it. The "test and reset" station is just for box ticking. And it complicated the installation.....
can't click to card on mobile browser. please put the link in the description is future.
Another great video. Love your content.
Are they conventional system sensor or addressable system sensor duct detector
Conventional
Admittedly I was cringing a bit.. wondering if they even addressed the duct detectors they put in the new units. Evidently their fire alarm is an older bosch... so it was probably just a zone by zone and hopefully did not need new setup.
I'm unsuprised the Duct smoke detectors were 'installed' but not set up, sadly. As a fire alarm inspector myself I see a lot of units installed poorly or badly by Hvac installers who are not properly instructed on the proper placement and operation. (let alone /sane/ placement...) That said, I would hazard a guess those duct detectors my have even been pre-installed by the supplier which.. happens. Much to one business's chagrin I've seen personally so far. (There is a tiny story there.)
Ultimately I would hazard a guess that the new duct detectors were preinstalled. And the Hvac installers saw the existing units. Thus went with the easier route of just transferring the wire from the older DSDs to the new RTU, rather than connecting the old to the new device.
The one thing I did not see was did you verify the internal unit was placed on the same 'side' of the airflow? I only saw one internal Duct smoke detector and while it should be on the end blowing into the store.. I have seen them on the side sucking air out of the store.. (i forget which is the supply and return at this moment.) It absolutely has to have one on the side 'returning' the air to the store. The reason being if the unit catches fire and its on the other side it may take much longer for the smoke to cycle back into the machine and shut it down. (See previously mentioned bit about a pre-installed duct detector.)
Thank you this so helps on couple probs i have to go check
How does that work?
Smoke detectors in the unit
In Nyc if I had fire alarm issue, I have to verify that it's their equipment messed up and we call them and they fix it. Where not supposed to touch it. I'm union so idk if that's union rules or nyc rules.
Great video as usual
Not sure why I watch these videos , I do find them informative even though I'm not in this trade ..
it is good to correct bad work, but you should have used the red jacket cable for the alarm wire at least. red denotes fire retardant while the brown is not. some states dictate you have to use the fire retardant cable for all fire alarm cabling on newer installations.
And another thing, I wonder if that duct detector key switch shorted out when the water shorted out the duct detector and activated it.
nice fix man! hope you can use those smoke detector units that are preinstalled on the ac-units permanently as you said you hoped to do in the video :) that fix looked very sweet :)))
Oh the many times I’ve heard that warning beep on the alarm panel. Too many situations where a fire sprinkler pipe burst and tripped the alarm due to pressure loss. I blame the fire company solely due to the fact that they recently installed fire sprinklers right underneath each of the main area HVAC units and I bet they upped the pressure on the older pipes which are rated for lower pressures and are in poorer condition since they’ve been up there probably for the entire 16 years of the building’s use. (In case you are wondering this is in a Walmart)
Ah, so the problem is, somebody put a smoke detector into a sealed box, and poured ramen into it before closing the lid. Makes sense.
Do you have local fire or building codes that requires a smoke detector in both supply and return? Or, were the red plugs left in place because the unit installer just wanted to use the existing smoke detector equipment? That may have kept the bid price of replacing the units down by just using the existing duct detectors. We run buildings in a very slight negative pressure, not positive. If you run positive pressure the doors will not close properly. It would be very difficult to balance that building by “winging it”. Bathroom exhaust to close to a/c units and make up air units can cause odor problems.
Good job dude where to go!,👍. I know for my own self Some days you’re the hero some days are the zero
I am a retired HVAC contractor. If you are not making $150000 to $200000 a year for your amount of knowledge you are underpaid. Enjoy your videos
Say what you want about the installing contractor but those curb adapters are the work of a creative genius. Or a diabolical tin knocking madman. :-)
what happened to the duct detector
Fantastic video great video 👍👍👍
I miss those dry contact smoke/fire detectors and those smoke detectors are not nema 3 certified enclosure(outdoor) they are nema 2 which is for "indoor use only" or should be installed in a nema 3R enclosure.
We have smoke and duct detectors go into trouble caused by humidity all the time. Not water infiltration just moist air is enough in some cases. If we have a bad smoke detect we’re all approved for life safety work and they’re easy to change duct detectors are a different animal and plant personnel take care of them.
12:00 This seems like some kind of nightmare without a fox and hound test set.
Good job
Forgive me if I missed something, but if the duct detector that was full of water was sending a fire condition why was the fire alarm not triggered?
Sometimes, a duct detector will only trigger a supervisory condition.
If a short is created due to faulty wiring, or in this case water the system is designed to show a trouble condition. The detector will only set off an alarm if the photo cell is triggered under smoky conditions in its photo cell cavity.
@@miguelh.2954 I've actually played around with the insides of a detector if anything is caught by the laser beams in there it trips
@ 5:31.... every service techs either dream or nightmare.... all that nasty water inside electronics!
Could that nasty water inside the duct detector have been causing the smell they were complaining about?
Seeing as the air from the duct blows right THROUGH the water like a hookah...maybe.
@@quietone610 Could also be bathroom fans plugged or not working. Saw this many times. Thanks
probably dried out traps and the negative pressure sucking stink in. it generally takes a week or so for them to dry out and with so much shutdown they likely have lots unused, including floor drains which were getting a little mop water and now nothing because unoccupied.
The duct detector is connected to the fire system control unless it has contacts that tips fan and damper shut down. It detects smoke in the return duct and had it operated it would indicate one of two things, trouble [dirty or defective device] or fire which the fire department would respond. . It has nothing to do with the AVAC operation.
Can I ask how you made your emoji ? I've been looking on how to do it. Thanks. :)
my daughter made it for me with an app called BitMoji
@@HVACRVIDEOS She did one awesome job bud.
3:00 At this point in diagnosis, I'd pull out my fox and hound tester. I'd hook it up at the test/reset station, and go around to each weird/old duct detector's wiring and check for the ring. Less than 5 minutes work with the correct tools. 😁
Cracking open gear that has water inside, I personally call it "Cracking the egg", as there is a mix of clear and thick yellow fluids
Here in australia, you would be in big trouble even touching a duct detector. Here they have to be repaired and tested annually by a fire contractor only.
More rules than California? Now thats scary. Australia loves big government like California.
I don’t own any industrial ac unit, I don’t have business, I don’t planing studying ac maintenance, I don’t speak or understand all the term using here but for some reason I watching this video after mowing some grass at work lol
It's so hilarious that they never even properly started up the duct detectors in the RTU units. Come on, 2 whole fucking years. My god.
4.7K Ohm resistor?