Safety Level

MonitoringPlus: Achieving Greater Transparency and Efficiency in Extinguishing Systems

 

MonitoringPlus refers to the implementation of continuous electrical monitoring within a fire extinguishing system to enhance transparency regarding its environmental and operational conditions. This approach automates the detection of any deviations, making the system significantly more reliable and reducing the need for extensive manual inspections.

Key Benefits and Components

 

1. Continuous Recording and Deviation Detection

 

Electrical monitoring systems utilize various sensors (e.g., pressure, temperature, level switches) that are integrated directly into the extinguishing system components (tanks, piping, control valves).

  • Environmental Conditions: Monitoring ambient temperature (to detect freezing risks) and humidity.

  • Operating Conditions: Continuously tracking key system parameters, such as gas pressure in cylinders, water level in tanks, and the position of control valves.

  • Transparency: All recorded data is often fed back to a central control unit or a Building Management System (BMS), providing operators with real-time transparency into the system’s status.

  • Automated Alarms: Any measured value that falls outside the defined target state is immediately flagged, automatically displacing the deviation to the operator. This crucial feature saves long inspection rounds as personnel only need to investigate when and where a problem is identified.

2. Electric Alarm

 

The Electric Alarm is the primary method by which the MonitoringPlus system communicates a detected fault or deviation.

  • Function: When a sensor registers a state outside the acceptable operational range (e.g., low gas pressure, high ambient temperature, valve closure), it triggers an electrical signal. This signal activates a local or remote alarm device.

  • Types:

    • Local Alarms: Audible signals (sirens, horns) and visual signals (strobe lights) near the control panel or the monitored equipment.

    • Remote Alarms: Signals transmitted to a permanently staffed control room, an internal security system, or even via SMS/email to maintenance personnel, ensuring immediate response.

3. Failure Relay (Fault Relay)

 

A Failure Relay, also known as a fault relay or trouble relay, is an electromechanical device central to the system’s integration with external monitoring systems.

  • Function: It provides a reliable, separate output signal to indicate that a non-fire-related fault (a “trouble” condition) exists within the extinguishing system.

  • Integration: The failure relay allows the extinguishing system to report its status to external systems like the Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) or the BMS. This is typically done using dry contacts (a simple open/closed electrical circuit).

  • Benefit: In the event of a power loss, low battery, a break in the monitoring wiring, or a deviation from the target pressure, the failure relay changes its state (e.g., from closed to open), immediately alerting facility management that the system’s state of readiness is compromised. This separation ensures that operational issues are clearly distinguished from actual fire activation.