Winter weather has arrived in the Midwest, and with it, the potential to damage electrical equipment like security cameras and fire and life safety systems.
While Tech Electronics’ experienced technicians are well-prepared for the impact of the season, there are some steps customers can take to mitigate issues.
Director of Service Operations Ken Ball and Inspector Operations Manager Lorenzo Smith said the first issue that arises with severe weather is getting on site to service the customer.
Smith continued saying, unless the weather is “absolutely terrible,” technicians should be able to work around those issues.
It may slow us down, just because we've got to be more cautious walking through ice and bringing stuff in, but once we're in the building and running, there's really no effect."
One of the simplest measures customers can take to mitigate the impact of winter weather comes in traditional preparation like clearing snow and salting walkways and lots to ensure easy and safe access to equipment.
Clearing snow and working through challenging road conditions are regular parts of winter, but there are some impacts that may go unnoticed.
Winter Weather and Fire Alarms
Like most electrical equipment, fire alarms are not rated for temperatures below freezing, said Ball. This means if there are any fire alarm components in areas that are not climate-controlled, they have the potential to trigger false alarms.
Smith said to mitigate these issues, Tech installs “dumb” devices in these non-climate-controlled areas, eliminating the electrical components with the potential to malfunction.
“If it’s a non-climate-controlled area, we use what we call a dumb device, or a non-addressable device,” said Smith. “It’s a device that doesn’t have the electronics in it so that it does not create those false alarms.”
He continued saying examples would be the pull stations or smoke detectors commonly seen in outdoor areas at sports venues. He said these devices don’t rely on electrical components to activate the alarm.
Ball said that sprinkler systems can also become a risk during the colder months, as just like in homes, they carry water that has the potential to expand if exposed to below-freezing conditions.
“They can rupture because the ice inside the pipe itself expands and breaks loose the fitting, and now you have a sprinkler system that is blowing out a ton of water,” said Ball.
Ball noted that without proper monitoring, these ruptures can even occur at the head level of a sprinkler, sending water into the interior of a building causing damage to electrical systems and significant delays to return the system to normal operating conditions.
"When a sprinkler head goes off, it's just as damaging as a fire. Let's say you have a smoke detector in that room, that smoke detector is going to be destroyed, plus you're going to have alarm conditions coming in that they're going to need help with."
Operators should keep a close eye on this equipment when it is exposed to colder temperatures to keep issues from arising.
Security Systems
Exterior security cameras have the same potential to malfunction under extreme cold although there are some measures taken by manufacturers to mitigate the potential risk.
Ball and Smith both said newer cameras’ housings and lenses are designed with weather in mind and should help mitigate some of the issues caused by winter weather, although malfunctions are still possible.
“90% of those dome cameras you see outside have heaters in them,” said Smith. “That way it clears snow and ice along with condensation.”
Ball added that those heaters are oftentimes effective at keeping lenses clear in well below zero-degree temperatures.
If winter weather is impacting your equipment or your site needs service, call to schedule a consultation to learn how our experienced technicians can keep you up and running.
