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How do you find smoke vent link temeratures?

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arion

Materials
Nov 22, 2010
42
Hi,

In my site visits to commercial buildings, it's been a great challenge to find link temperatures on smoke and heat vents. I have tried the following strategies with no results:

1. Binoculars: Even 50x binoculars cannot clearly read the link temp on a smoke vent 25' high.

2. Climbing on the roof: Almost every time, even if a label happens to be on a smoke vent, it is faded out by the sun and illegible or covered with paint. Even if it is legible, it only has the company information and never a model number, which still is not the link temperature, because I believe products can have different link temperatures.

3. Try to see the underside with a pallet jack: This option is only reasonable to try if one is already available. However, even though this is the closest I've ever gotten to the link itself, it is just out of reach and I still cannot read the temperature. Usually, the pallet jack will have to stop too low because it's about to hit the bottom of a truss, and I end up not getting the link temperature.

The only thing I have not tried is going onto the roof and opening up a smoke vent, because there are so many models, and I believe they require special knowledge to open them to avoid breaking the link. If this is the way, is there a resource on how to safely open a variety of smoke vents?

I was wondering if there are any useful strategies anyone has found to getting this information?

Thanks!

Arion
 
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I have not delt with any drop outs, but most i have delt with have a manual release cable.

But, after setting on the roof for awhile, not sure if I would want to open one, for fear not be able to close it.


Not sure on vents how often a link has to changed out? and not sure what you do for a living , but maybe have owner chage it out and document the temp???

to bad they do not color code them in some way???????

 
Hi cdafd, thanks for the link. I have seen that one before as well. Looks like there is a market for a good smoke vent manual. The project I am working on is for high piled storage.

CFC 2010 Section 910.3.2.2 states: "Sprinklered buildings. Where installed in buildings equipped with an approved automatic sprinkler system, smoke and heat vents shall be designed to operate automatically."

So it seems to me that, assuming a sprinklered building, what is required after all is simply that the smoke vents be automatic. This I can visually inspect by either the existence of the link itself (which is visual, just can't read the temperature text). Another type of automatic smoke vent might have the X-shaped rebars that spring up. Are those automatic, or only there to facilitate a manual release?

Alternatively, a building may be equipped with a gravity operated drop-out vent, which does have a 500 degree specification (which puts us back at square one where you have to know the temperature specification of the vent).

The link temperature would however still be required in it was a non-sprinklered building per Section 910.3.2.3: " Where installed in buildings not equipped with an approved automatic sprinkler system, smoke and heat vents shall operate automatically by actuation of a heat-responsive device rated between 100 deg.F and 220 deg. F above ambient."

The problem I have is that many fire departments ask for the link temperature in the high piled storage application form. Is it safe to assume that this information is only to cover all bases and is not necessary for sprinklered buildings given the code references above? I would like to not include it in my submittal if it's not necessary to address. It is not an easy thing to find.

Thanks,
Arion

 
Have mainly dept with bilco type with manual and austin release

Have not dept with the x shaped rebar type

Vents can be a problem in sprinkled buildings especially if esfr heads are installed
2. Where areas of buildings are equipped with early suppression fast-response (ESFR) sprinklers, automatic smoke and heat vents shall not be required within these areas.

Yes the temp does matter in a sprinkled building

Do not have the code book, but on existing installations the ahj should have documentation of what was initially installed
 
We haven't tried it on links, but we very often need nameplate data on stuff that is difficult to reach or see.

When it's unsafe to get close, we have a Canon PowerShot camera with 14 Mp resolution and a really fine 35x optical zoom lens. Once the pic is downloaded to a PC, we can almost always read it right away just using zoom controls. When it's obscure, we can usually make it readable by playing with the contrast, brightness, and mid-tone controls in the picture editing software (Windows Gallery is fine).

If you decide to try it, here are precautions:

Use a tripod or have some other solid support
Shoot from a couple of angles
Illuminate the nameplate with a good, powerful flashlight with a tight beam (big MagLite does well). This helps the camera to auto-focus.
Turn off the equipment if at all possible to keep it from vibrating
Have a laptop on site to verify you have captured what you need before leaving!

Good on ya,

Goober Dave

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DRWeig, that is a very useful and practical suggestion. Thanks! Where are these nameplates usually located? I have not seen them on the smoke vents. Do you have a sample image you might be willing to send?

Thank you!
 
The problem is the fusable link could have been changed since vent was installed plus more than likely the temp is not on the plate
 
cdafd is right, the link temp won't be on a nameplate that I've ever seen. You're still in search of those stamped numbers, which is tough.

I was just sharing our technique -- we deal with hi-bay situations that have lighting equipment, air handling units, and other stuff way up there. Almost always, we can get nameplate data with that good camera, even at the odd slanted angles that present themselves.

We can even get the model numbers off of fluorescent lamps while they're turned on and burning. That's a huge stride over the days of Kodachrome and Blue Dot flashbulbs.

Good on ya,

Goober Dave

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