Jack Duffy
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Posted: September 13, 2017
NFPA and ISO do not certify any equipment or software directly. They are simply a standards writing body who takes input from the industry. In the case of hold time calculation and peak pressure evaluation the input from the industry was primarily from Colin Genge the CEO of Retrotec who wrote the original NFPA Enclosure Integrity Procedure for NFPA in 1984 and has been the only force in making changes to the Standards ever since. As a result, Retrotec training certification is accepted across all equipment manufacturers, end users in over 60 countries.
Colin Genge is used as a resource by Siemens, Tyco, Kidde, Ansul, Chemetron, Janus, Fike and 3M. If there is a question about enclosure hold time or peak pressure, he is the one who answers it.
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There can be a number of things that can cause this issue to occur.
- Check that the DM32 gauge is working properly. Power it on and make sure everything functions manually.
- Check that you have set the Network to the correct setting for your wiring (Network Status :Wired, Network Status: WiFi Create if you are using the DM32 hotspot, Network Status: WiFi Join if you are joining a different hotspot, Network:Disabled for use with USB)
- If you are using WiFi Join, make sure that your computer's WiFi is also using the same network that the DM32 WiFi has joined.
- USB Hardware:
- USB Cable: The USB cable may not be working properly. Try using another USB to see if the DM32 is now detected.
- USB Port: The USB port may not be working properly or may not be providing enough power on your computer. This is especially true in laptops and tablets. Try to plug your DM32 into another USB port or into
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Posted: September 13, 2017
Modular Panels are designed to be placed into doors that are not well sealed. The panel leakage for the Modular Panel is about 14 square inches compared to about 3 square inches for the Aluminum Frame and Cloth and around 1 square inch of leakage for the upgraded Aluminum Frame with snap together corners. These three panels represent three typical doorways:
- Poorly weather-stripped which would have an approximate 1/16 inch gap which equals about 14 square inches leakage;
- A well weather-stripped and adjusted door would be around 3 square inches or leakage;
- A super tight door could be as tight as 1 square inch of leakage and can even have less.
One rule of thumb is that all standards require the blower door panel to be leakier and never tighter than the existing door. The Modular Panel qualifies here. It is likely that the Aluminum Frame and Cloth are tighter than the existing door. In either
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Posted: September 13, 2017
The L ranges on the fan are designed to be left open unless you are using L2 or L1.
Covering those four 1 inch holes in the center of the C8 plate will cause range C1 to read about 25% higher and C2 to read about 12% higher flow.
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When I am setting up for a multiple fan test, do I use a router or a switch and how do I configure the DM32 gauges and my control computer (settings and wiring)?.
Routers and switches are different kinds of networking equipment, and are not interchangeable.
A switch will for the most part just pass the traffic through. Switches can be used for multiplexing so you can get multiple inputs onto one output. They can also be used as signal boosters so you can extend the length of your data connection.
A router will dynamically generate IP addresses for devices connected to it. The router will also multiplex and boost signal.
When networking, it is important to understand what piece of equipment is in charge of generating the IP address for each device. If there is a router anywhere in the network to which you are connecting gauges, that router will provide the IP addresses.
Gauges
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Posted: September 13, 2017
This problem is often caused by anti-virus programs. In particular we have found that using Internet Explorer and a virus protection program from Microsoft called 'Windows Smartscreen'.
Disable your anti-virus program, uninstall the earlier version and download and install the new version from the website:
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Posted: September 13, 2017
The leakage rate IS important because there is a direct correlation between leakage area and peak pressure. If the leakage is small enough, every room will face destruction upon discharge. The reality is that most rooms are so leaky that the opposite is a problem. The agent typically leaks out so quickly that the enclosure doesn't pass the hold time requirements which means there is very little peak pressure. This is why many systems do not require venting. For most FM200 systems there is a leakage range where the enclosure is tight enough to maintain sufficient hold time but leaky enough not to require vents. You'll only know if you're in that zone by performing a door fan test according to Annex C of NFPA 2001. ISO has a near identical Annex E.
Both Standards require a peak pressure evaluation to determine whether or not the enclosure will be damaged upon discharge. Unfortunately neither standard provides the peak pressure formula. Traditionally, manufacturers of inert systems
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Posted: September 13, 2017
FanTestic Integrity software calculates hold time calculation for Enclosure Integrity for users in the fire suppression market.
Please detail the specific sequence of steps that led you to arrive at the problems, as we cannot offer you a solution or fix them if we cannot understand how to reproduce them.
Did you receive an error message? If so, what did it say? If you can reproduce the error message, please copy the error message details and reply with these details.
This PDF gives details on what information is needed for us to be able to diagnose your problem, and where to find the information on your computer.
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- Make sure you have the DM-2 USB driver for the operating system version that matches the one on your computer (32bit or 64bit) installed on your computer. You can see it listed in the Control Panel.
- Run the DM-2 Checker software that was installed with the USB driver. There will be a shortcut to it in your Start menu of programs:
The DM2 Checker will open a window on your desktop, and continuously show the connection information about the DM-2 connected to your computer. - Sometimes you will have to Right click on the DM2 Checker and “Run as Administrator” in order to get the DM2 Checker to run and find the gauges. If you have to do this to run the DM2Checker, then you will have to carry out the "Run as administrator" procedure for
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There are two cases when you will see red test data in FanTestic:
- Fan Pressure (flow pressure) is too low for the Range, which means you should change to a smaller, more restrictive, Range – During an Automatic test, the software would prompt you to change the Range in this case.
- During data collection, there was a data point collected as zero - This is caused by an instantaneous Fan pressure dropout, and the software displays this result in red to indicate data may have been skewed and should be retaken.
If you did not receive a prompt to change Range, most likely the problem is #2. In this case, you should just click the "Clear point" button to clear that specific data point and you can re-input data back into that specific point using Semi-Automatic mode via the "Begin Semi-Automatic" button.