Safelincs

Hi Julie I cannot answer the question who would have to pay for the repair. However, the big question is, whether the door is actually a fire door and whether is has to be one. You could possibly verify that by checking the original building plans. Alternatively, you could have a fire risk assessment carried out. The costs for that is a lot more than the replacement cost for the door closer, though. Hidden fire door closers with chains are quite low cost items. Harry

Hi, while this is a bit of a hypothetical question there is a second line of defence. The Jewel dry water mist extinguishers use de-ionised water which cannot conduct electricity, so there would be no risk of electrocution. The fire fighting capability would be affected, though. Harry

Hi Andy, my first thought here would be a maglock system, that keeps the door locked until the fire alarm system is triggered or until an authorised person presses a switch.

Hi Steve This sounds like you have a power supply problem – this needs to be looked at by an electrician. The sound and beep are not normal indicators so there is a potential issue here with either a loose connection or even a surge of power which is affecting the alarm and can cause damage. Harry

Hi Stevie No special qualification is needed to test the emergency lighting. Just make sure you understand the task at hand and record your findings. Harry

Hi Michael Good to hear from you again from faraway Denmark! Still no reseller in Denmark yet, I am afraid :) The low pressure water mist nozzle was developed by a Polish company and Jewel was the first company to manufacture and sell dry water mist extinguishers in the UK using the Polish nozzle. However, for a short period, Firebug also started manufacturing and selling water mist extinguishers here in the UK. By now, I believe, they have stopped trading in the UK. Harry

Hi Dipesh Your battery might be nearly exhausted. You should try a fresh battery. If this does not help, you might have to contact AICO. Here is also a help guide to find out what might be wrong with your Ei smoke alarm. Harry

Hi David You need a latch that can be opened in a single movement (not handle and know, for example). If this exit is aimed primarily at your staff and this is a small store, you can use emergency pads. Harry

Hi PB, are you sure it is a Ei141? These do not have a sounder in the base, sorry!

Hi, to my knowledge, there is no mains powered combined alarm for smoke and CO. The only alarms for both CO and smoke I am aware of are the Kidde combination alarms and these are battery operated. Harry

Hi Helen, you could use our free online fire safety logbook which reminds you of the tests and allows a full record of maintenance and tests. http://www.safelincs.co.uk/fire-safety-log-book/ Harry

Hi, I can only answer for Kidde and Ei alarms. There you only press one of the buttons which will set off all the other alarms so you can check if they sound.

Hi Liz The purpose of such a device is to very early detect potentially dangerous concentrations of flammable gas that could lead to explosions and to pin-point the source of the leak. The explosion limit for natural gas is around 4% (so if 4% of a room would be filled with natural gas, an explosion could occur). The EzSense will detect the presence of the gas already at 0.05%! So there is a 80-fold safety margin! The reason why you could smell gas while the sensor could not, is the fact that natural gas has an odorant added to help the detection of leaks. http://www.orbital-uk.com/natural-gas-odorant-injection Your nose will, in broad terms and looking at the overall room, be a better odorant detector than the EzSence is a gas-concentration detector, therefore you would have been alarmed by the smell prior to the sensor setting off. However, the sensor will be able to pinpoint the source of a leak where a human nose would just be overwhelmed by the smell without being able to find the location.

Hi Corrina Once the battery is removed and the unit has been taken down there should be no more alarm. I can only assume that you have another smoke or CO alarm in the room or nearby. Harry

Hi Janet, you probably have an ionisation smoke alarm near your kitchen and should replace that with an optical smoke alarm which is less sensitive to a bit of a waft of cooking smells. Harry

Hi, The red light is meant top flash as it indicates the alarm is doing a self test, plus the double beep indicates it is coming out of hush mode – 10 minutes after the test/hush button is pressed. There is no issue here, luckily. Harry

Hi Lauren You need to take any alarms seriously. Normally, the alarms will go off for longer periods when CO is detected, however, there might only be occasional CO gas spikes, eg when your boiler switches on etc. Here is a guide about what to do when your CO alarm goes off Harry

Hi Jackie, this sounds likely. Please change the battery and the beeping should stop Harry

Hi Alex I wonder if you have a carbon monoxide detector or similar in the room affected, maybe hidden away. It sounds a bit flippant but is quite a common cause of this problem! If not, please come back and I will try to help you to get to the bottom of this. Harry

Hi Mat, we installed a Saffold fire escape ladder in a similar situation in an old silk mill in Chipping Campden after the Cotswold District Council approved the ladder for this application in a Listed Building Consent. Definitely worth asking your council for approval of a similar solution with the Saffold ladder. The ladder at the time had to be painted in a special colour to fit in with the setting. Regards, Harry

Hi Dave For an access control system it is generally recommended to install both an emergency door release call point as well as a non-emergency exit button. When a door is secured by (for example) an electromagnetic lock, the access control exit button can be used to release the door to exit from the building. The exit switch acts as a momentary door release device, in that the door will “lock shut” again after use. The amount of time between releasing the door and it re-locking is dependent on the other devices installed as part of the access control system. Some electromagnetic locks reset as soon as the door closes, and other systems fitted with a keypad can be programmed to lock after a set period of time. To try and deter use on the emergency door release call point, it may be advisable to retrofit a call point cover over the emergency device. This is available with or without alarm. I hope this helps. Harry

Hi Lucy There are push key locks available for the outside of fire exits. Please note that most of these are only for light use, so should not be used on main entrances Harry

Hi Rob It depends what type of lock, panic bar or else you use. It sounds as if you have a simple lock with a latch installed (no panic bar or emergency latch). In that case you should probably replace the lock with an 'escape lock' that has a latch and a bolt inside. Both will be withdrawn if the handle is pressed down. Extra security could be achieved by using panic bars or emergency pads that operate shot bolts. The idea of covering the lock is acceptable as well, of course. Harry

Hi Miriam I would say you have a different battery operated alarm in your room, maybe a CO alarm in one of your drawers? Harry

Hi Andrew If a system detects a fire or some event (insects, for example) in one of its alarm, it usually can only be silenced as a complete system from the alarm that has detected the issue. This is a safety feature to ensure you investigate what is causing the issue in the room affected rather than just pressing the hush button in a different room and turning over to carry on sleeping. Harry