Don’t Believe Everything You Read
Posted By Randy on March 11, 2017
Inspecting fire alarm systems isn’t the drudgery you’d think. Nay! As I wrote here back on 28 June 2010, the endeavour is fraught with perils and pitfalls, frustrations and farce!
Today, I’d like you to look at this heat detector documented in the course of a recent fire alarm inspection at a local inn. Every room in the place has one, but this one is special. Notice how much attention was paid to making sure the paint was perfectly applied to every one of the raised letters.
Illiteracy? Inattention? A poor work ethic? Civil disobedience? It doesn’t matter because whatever the cause, the outcome is the same for this poor heat detector — FAIL!
Paint is not a good idea because in case of fire, the paint will often bubble, causing the detector to lose resale value due to a poor appearance, It is much better to remove the housing and carefully wrap aluminum foil over it, smoothing it out so the letters can be read clearly. This protects the plastic from severe damage at higher temperatures, as well as adding that space-age look we all enjoy.
Enjoy indeed!