My brother just bought a home (1850 Victorian) and has gutted it. I figured this is a great time for me to learn how todo an alarm system/fire since ive been looking at getting into them due to the recent deregulation.

I asked at ADI if they had any training's coming up and they said no, I think by the time hes ready to get his C/O they will have had a training, or worst case just bring in my alarm company to hook up the panel.

Wiring- He needs 6 Smokes (figured they can be combos)
3 motions
2door sensors
1 Heat Detector
1 GSM Communicator
1 Keypad

The smokes get homerun back to the panel and dont loop right? obviously the motions,sensors and communicator are home run.

Im looking at doing DSC because that is what im most familiar with for integration although im not against honeywell (since its locally available at ADI) Im also open to any other suggestions!

Which Combo smokes do you guys like? on my system it looks like there is a breakout box that the smokes go to first. Im going to start wiring his house tomorrow and next week so really just need to figure out the wiring portion.

Thanks!

What is the NEC/building code for smoke and CO detectors? There are specific rules with smoke, CO, and visualization notifications in Canada (Ontario) for the above that any 12V sensor will not meet without a lot of additional wiring.

Detectors that are compatible with alarm panels (from my searching) will not meet the building code rules in Ontario so we have the electrician install 120V detectors with a junction box by the security panel where we install a relay that connects to the security panel. You have to watch as some relays require 120V on the coil so if power goes out and a fire happens this will not report.

If you are strictly doing 12V smoke and heat detectors (I haven't seen a 12V C/O detector) they can be ran in series with an EOL. You will require at minimum 6 conductor for a 4 wire installation (4 conductors for sensing, 2 conductors for power).

For the doors, motions, keypads all you need is station wire (22/4). GSM will be an addition to the panel itself whether a card, board, or alternative but depending on the panel will depend on the wire required. We don't deal with DSC or Honeywell so I can't inform what they use for GSM.

Hire a pro ;)

Everything gets homerun.

Why 6 smokes? that sounds like a lot.

Is there a basement?

Local code requires one in the attic (finished) one in the upstairs hallway, the two bedrooms, main living area and finished part of the basement. The plan is to put a heat detector in the unfinished mechanical part of the basement

depends on the smokes and the panel. I use 2 wire smokes and they are looped. The concord panel has 1 zone that you program for 2 wire smokes. Homerun all of them would be an issue.

You have to watch as some areas 2 wire smokes are not considered an approved install. We install the system Sensor 2012JA which are 4 wire smokes.

+1

Depends on the building code and electrical code. We install 12 volt smokes beside the 120v smokes. It’s a bit of a grey area as to tying into the 120v smokes so we stay clear and install DSC smokes in addition.

You can go either way with the smokes. You can loop 2 wire smokes and program them to PGM2 or you can use 4wire smokes with dedicated zones for each.

...Toss a resettable heat in the kitchen too.

I use a 18/4 solid for smokes. some 4 wire smokes are for addressing. The panel and the smokes must support this. for a small resi, 2 wire. for this house, you may be required to have a smoke with a sounder. I usually let the electrician install his smokes, then I put 1 or 2 on each floor for monitoring purposes.


doors and windows, use a 22/2 solid. its cheaper. Also, I typically home run doors and loop windows in common areas, ie kitchen, living rooms, etc. over head doors, I use amseco floor mounted contacts with a 22/2 to a single door, 22/4 to a double door.

communication, I use Alarm.com. They work with several panels. You need to figure out which panel you want to use and that will determine how you proceed.

get your ESA Level 1 Certification. This class is basic, but it covers a lot about best practices for wiring sensors, placement, troubleshooting, etc. I took the class a few years ago. Some areas require that you have this and maintain it.

I've been looking at getting into them due to the recent deregulation.


Word.

Does the recent deregulation combine with your brother as the customer to mean that nobody will be suing you when the house burns down? I'm not saying it will be your fault. I'm saying you will be sued.

We define our range of work as everything but fire/life/safety for just this reason.

Here we need to have smokes with visual feedback in each bedroom and a hallway leading to a bedroom. C/O detectors must be on a floor that has a bedroom on it and they must all be interconnected. I don't know of any 12V system that will allow this without a lot of clutter on a ceiling. As Chris said, have the electrician install their detectors and you supply one/two per floor (these would most likely need to be a 4 wire solution). You could also provide a relay for to interconnect with the electricians detectors as a secondary fire zone (providing the panel will allow for a 2 wire and 4 wire fire zones).


What is the purpose of stocking two different wire sku's when 22/4 is so cheap?

We home run everything and if you want zones to be in series you can easily wire this within the security panel enclosure. This allows for options however we tend to zone everything rather than series windows and doors. It is easier to troubleshoot later if a zone is causing issues. When in series it takes a lot more time to troubleshoot.


We have never used Alarm.com. We have a monitoring station that handles all our systems, although I know Honeywell requires Alarm.com as it piggybacks on their server for the smartphone app and other features.

This is true, however I would prefer to loop the 4 wire smokes as well. For example if you are in the second floor and the basement detector starts going off, the 12V detectors we have used wouldn't have a loud enough siren to make it to the second floor. Yes your security siren will/should also be going off and depending on its location may be muffled from floors. If this happens at night and you are a heavy sleeper, it may be too late by the time the smoke gets to the second floor. Yes you should also receive a phone call from alarm company but I would rather be awake and outside or leaving receiving this call rather than in bed and not able to get out.

I also want the ability to reset my detectors should there be a false alarm and depending on the security system you may only be able to reset one fire zone thus requiring you to use interconnected 4 wire detectors.