What Makes a Good Fire Alarm Cable?

Fire alarm tech has stayed relatively the same throughout its time. There have obviously been improvements in the technology, but the simpler systems have stayed mainstream due to cheap pricing and simple design. With a fire alarm, the general system is composed of the control panel (motherboard), and the detectors. A Fire Alarm Cable is what connects the control panel to the detector. During installation, the installer will primarily focus on these three components; a durable and reliable cable is incredibly important.

So, if the cable has to be effective and reliable, what makes a good Fire Alarm Cable? Well, that can depend on the functionality of the cable. In most commercial buildings, a fire alarm is set to go off the moment the detector is set off. That means that a 3-conductor cable should connect to each device, allowing them to interact. However, you’ll want a 2-conductor cable for the control panel.

When quality comes into play, there are a few things to consider. If your system is long reaching, and has the possibility of electromagnetic interference that may derive from intricate or even bad wiring within your walls, you’ll probably want to look into shielded cables. These cables are stronger and more efficient against interference. If you have a simple system, a shielded wire is somewhat unnecessary, and you can rely on an unshielded wire. They work better with short distances and they are much less costly. You also have to take into consideration the amount of conductors your cables have. This will be relevant to the setup of your specific system and whatever devices are involved. Typically, fire cables have anywhere between 2 and 6 conductors.

One thing that you’ll also need to factor in is the AWG or American Wire Gauge. This is used to measure the diameter of a wire, and obviously, the smaller the diameter, the cheaper the wire. More often than not, it’s recommended that you choose between an 18 AWG and a 12 AWG. Now this isn’t necessarily going to give you an idea of what you’ll specifically need: every purchase will have entirely to do with whatever system you’re using and the American Wire Gauge is going to be based off of whatever those devices are. Since each device will need a current, you’ll want a cable that is sized to transfer this current to each component. For instance, if you have a smaller system, you’ll only need a smaller cable. A larger system is going to require heavier wire in order to handle the drop in voltage caused by the cables internal resistance.

The fact of the matter is if you have a Fire Alarm Cable that doesn’t work, you have a system that doesn’t work. And, with the life-threatening implications of a fire system that cannot work, it would be in your best interest to stay up to date and make sure that you have the best equipment and cables. You’ll be happy to know that EWCS has efficient and quality fire cables of all sorts. Our experts are here to help with any problems that you might run into, and can even lead you to the right cable for your system. Contact us today and see what our fantastic service can do for you.