I am challenged with the SKST 1.4v I have it on a Laptop but when I load all the parts and go to "Battery Calculations" the software won't respond. I need this version because this is for a SK5820XL Panel.
Since it is no longer made and or obsolete the newer version of SKST does not give the 5820XL as a choice to load parts.
So, my question is does anyone have the 1.4v of SKST or newer but not
2.0v since it only has the new stuff??
BTW I had this on my Office PC but it was wiped out when I upgraded to 2.0v a few years ago.
Didn't think I would have to put together a Submittal for a add on to a 5820XL that I installed 11 years ago.
Well I have working on this problem for at least 6 hours. With in 5 minutes of hitting the send button on the above post I actually found version 1.5 on my office PC. I loaded on my WIN10 Laptop and the "Battery Calculations" did the same thing and locked up the PC. I then loaded on my older WIN7 Laptop and it works just fine. ((^*%%**^#@^%*&^%^(*&!!!
Anyhow, I think that I am OK!!!! Sympathies will be accepted!!!
I was just thinking its been a very very long time since I did a fire alarm submittal, but I remember doing the calculations by hand from the individual MFG specs. I didn't even know there was a calculator.
I know the the Battery Calc's can be done manually but I never did it that way. The SKST allows you to choose the panel and all of its expanders, smoke models, heat models, pull stations, Horn Strobes, etc. etc. and THEN it will generate a beautiful spread sheet of the battery calc's. Yea!!!
My current challenge is that I have lost the original file for this project and now have to go back and find all the numbers and parts to put into SKST along with the new for this upgrade.
I am getting closer now that I got the program working!!!
I'm reminded of one of the first fire alarm submittals I did. I stopped by a local architectural and engineering company to get copies of the blue prints. They handed me a black line blank floor plan and told me I could use their big drafting table in the main floor. I drew in a fire alarm, drew a riser diagram, and pulled calculations from my notes. Then they ran blue print copies for me for a buck a sheet.
As opposed to another architect I worked with once. JUST ONCE. I called to ask for a copy of their floor plan. They said 3 bucks a sheet. When I arrived I asked for three blank floor plans and they proceed to charge me $20 bucks a sheet. I went from zero to furious in about a tenth of a second. The architect came out and seemed surprised. He tried to back pedal and say, "Well if we told you three then we'll do three."
I refused. "If 20 is your price I don't want to owe you anything," as I threw cash money on the counter, scooped up the prints, and walked out. A few week later he mailed me a check for the difference. I sent it back voided out. One of my buddies did a lot of work for that architect, and had nothing but good things to say about him so who know. I know whenever I bid a job drawn by that architect I made sure in my terms it said customer to provide prints to my office by mail or courier at their expense. I had two generals ask me why that term only appeared on some of my contracts. I may or may not have included profanity in my explanation.
I understand your frustration with that kind of process. However, here I have to provide the architectural drawings plans that are sighed, sealed and stamped by the architect to include with the submittal for a permit. Meaning that the Code Official will not accept a drawing with my pencil lines on it.
The Architect that I use does a walk thru with me I give him my layout plan, he draws up everything and prints out the copies I need. Which I need 3 copies for Code Official and I get one for me and one for the customer. He charges be for his services, the last time was $700. I bill the customer for that and for my time to put the submittal documents together in order to get the permit.
I have a walk thru meeting set with him for next Monday morning to get the plan design set up and started.
Oh, yeah. A licensed electrical engineer has to rubber stamp the plans for fire alarm here. I always provided them the complete drawings to review, markup, and approve. Never had one make any changes. They just took my plans and a few days later asked for my payment for the rubber stamped copy. $700 sounds about right. That rubber stamp used to cost me $500 on average back when I still did fire alarm.
sound like you guys have some, ar-e-tec-ks that know a little bit about FA submissions.. I got plans from one over here (Ky) from a guy in (IL).. (mid 80's) he did the whole buildings engineering, HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.. Even the FA.. Once I got my set of plans, I saw right away the guy didn't know "Jack" about FA systems... I did the plan according to his drawing and spec's.. and as expected it came back.. I contacted the State and reminded them he was the site engineer and they had approved his original plans... They back peddled, and asked me if I could correct the original, that they'd wave any fee for submissions.... That time I did a correction.. But clearly explained, that I wouldn't do it again... I did 3 other jobs with that engineer later, each time I got a blank floor plan, with no FA drawings any where listed... The longer your in this business, the screwier some stuff becomes...
on another time, I had one of those pencil pushers, inspecting after a fire, a theater.. (The local fire chief was praising the FA for informing them before the blaze got out of hand..) So the State inspector was trying to razz me about the way I ran wires in a closed "attic" walk way.. Tried to tell me it had to be in conduit because the "public" could get to it.. It just so happened, that was the spot where the fire had started.. (a blow back from a gas heater which had, had its safety covers removed..) (remember the old attic heat sensors, that used 2 bare copper wires twisted with "scotch tape" as the separator, once it got hot the tape melted and a short occurred) Well that's how the FA had been tripped, when the fire melted the insulation on one of the loop wires.. I pointed that little tid-bit out to the junior g-man, Nothing more was said about the way I ran wires... (I understand his report was kicked back 3 times before the main office accepted it for filing...) .. the ole saying still holds true, "If you don't know how to do anything, become a state employee, or even better an "Inspector".
My last fire inspection a 3 Story Building was a Upgrade to a system that was installed in the 60's. The Fire Inspector kept pointing out certain wires that were part of the original install and were not caulked at wall or ceiling penetrations. I had to tell him that is NOT my wire. All MY NEW wires runs were caulked everywhere I had to run them!!
He just grumbled and approved the install. He had also inspected the new sprinkler install. And they had the drop ceiling open so he saw the old fire wire and decided to beat me up for not caulking those old wires. I would have been there for an extra year or two to find them all. As far as I was concerned it was grandfathered in.
On Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 3:28:11 PM UTC-4, ABLE1 wrote:
HA! I just L O V E to hear all of these "fire alarm" stories. It makes me SOOOOOO00000000oooooooo! happy that after being blind sided a couple of times by the local AHJ I told him to shove his stupid rules and regulation up is ass. Never did another commercial fire system again. I decided that I no longer wanted to spend and waste my valuable time following their stupid "whims" when I could be doing installations and actually making money instead of doing paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. And although I was getting paid - - - - it didn't ever seem like it was enough and worth it.That was about 30 years ago and I've never looked back or regretted it. . The last straw: I don't know if you have them in your area but around here they have businesses called Tutor Time pre schools. I was doing them for commercial fire. I'd have an electrician run most of the wire. Typically they'd choose one story buildings to occupy. However, one time they chose an industrial building with twenty foot trussed ceiling. They built the classrooms with eight foot ceilings and put HVAC and other utilities above the drop ceiling. Normally fire detection would be on the trusses in an open building but with a drop ceiling throughout, there was no way component inspections could take place without taking down extensive sections of the drop ceiling every time. Prior to installation I asked the fire marshal how he wanted this problem addressed. He said put all the fire sensors in the classrooms, and since it wasn't a plenum HVAC just using duct smoke's was fine as long as all combustibles were removed from above the drop ceiling. The whole building was completed. The final FA inspection was delayed but I (fortunately ) asked for and received my final payment. When the (different) fire marshal finally got there weeks later he said
- - - - No. The sensors had to be put on the trusses above the drop ceiling and he didn't care if the drop ceiling had to come down for inspections and if someone told us different did we get it in writing? I looked at the owner and the GC who had been with me at the beginning and who had heard what the original fire marshal had said and shrugged my shoulders. When he wouldn't relent I said to the owner and GC " I'm gone. It's in your hands now" And to the fire marshal my famous last words The building finally opened for business so they either paid off someone of contested the ruling - - - - - I don't know - - - - - or care. The End.
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