Electricitiy + Control February 2015

SENSORS, SWITCHES + TRANSDUCERS

HPA – Health Products Association ICRA – Infection-control Risk Assessment MGPHO– Medical Gas Professional Healthcare Organisation NFPA – National Fire Protection Association

Abbreviations/Acronyms

Remote locating of transducers

By J Lucas, Tri-Tech Medical, Inc

As a design engineer, hospital facilities engineer or hospital administrator, you should be concerned about the installation location of the transducers for area alarm panels.

W hy is this? The long range cost and safety risk aspects of testing will be increased drastically if alarm transducers are installed above the ceiling. Many project drawings have notations made by the design engineer for the area for alarm transducers to be installed remotely (not in the alarm back box) on the medical gas pipelines. It is then left up to the installing contractor to determine the exact location

This means that the certification and testing company will need to: o Find the correct ceiling tiles to remove for each alarm o Put a man on a ladder carrying test equipment, tools etc o In many facilities – erect a HPA or ICRA containment area tent and wear protective gowning and a breathing mask

‘Improving medical gas systems through innovation’.

on the pipeline. Unfortunately, in most cases the result is the transducers are installed above the ceiling. Initially this may be a seemingly cost effective way to install the transducers, as opposed to installing them in the alarm back box or in the zone valve box – but the long term testing costs and safety aspects involved with the test- ingwill provemuchmore costly to the facility.

If your facility has 20 area alarms, multiply the above additional costs by 20 and then by the number of years the system is installed. These are all additional long-term perpetual costs and safety risks that could have been avoided by simply installing the transducers in the alarm back box or in the zone valve box. Conclusion Recognising this need, the company that the author represents, in- vented the E Z Find retro-fit kit and new installation products to help facilities lower their costs and improve safety. In addition, it should be noted that the initial installation cost is minimised because the E Z products eliminate the need to braze fittings (risers and tees) onto the pipeline above the ceiling or in the alarm back box.

Left: E Z Backfeed.

NFPA 99 requires periodic testing of the area alarm panels which for most facilities is once a year. Proper testing requires that the transduc- ers be physically disconnected from the pipeline to allow the pressure to fall below the low pressure alarm set point and then connected to a pump which raises the pressure above the high pressure set point.

Reference [1] NFPA 99. 2015. Healthcare facilities code.

o NFPA 99 requires annual testing of the area alarm panels. o There is cause for concern regarding the installation and location of transducers for area alarm panels. o A retrofit kit and new products are available for safe and cost-effective installation of transducers.

Jim Lucas is vice-president for sales and marketing at Tri-TechMedical, Inc. He is a member of the NFPA 99 technical committee on piping systems and a member of MGPHO (Medical Gas Professional Healthcare Organisation). Enquiries: Email jimlucas@tri-techmedical.com

take note

Electricity+Control February ‘15

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