Safety is the single most important aspect of a building, whether it be an office, a school, or an apartment complex. The fact of the matter is, regardless of your building’s safety features, the lack of a fire alarm can be disastrous and put people’s lives at risk. Lacking a fire alarm is an obvious safety hazard (and in many cases a legal issue), but working with a faulty fire alarm can be even more detrimental to the safety of those within your building. If a fire starts, and your alarm fails to go off, lives could be lost. That’s why EWCS takes our products seriously, so when you buy Fire Alarm Cables from us, you know that we understand their importance.

What is a Fire Alarm Cable?

So, what exactly is a Fire Alarm Cable? Well, these cables are specifically used for fire monitoring/detection, power-limited fire alarm systems, signaling, audio circuits, smoke detectors, and other fire prevention and security related systems. That means that these cables are an absolute necessity to your building’s safety features and a functioning fire alarm. It’s important to note that these aren’t just one kind of cable, as there are different kinds of alarms and different kinds of cables that work with them based on the physical surroundings and even the model of the alarm.

What Different Kinds of These Cables Are There?

As far as Fire Alarm Cables go, there are five basic types. There’s FPL, which are power limited and used as general-purpose wires. There’s FPLR, which are also power limited but are suitable from floor to floor. FPLP are power limited as well, but are made for use in ducts, plenums, and similar spaces. NPLF are non-power limited, and also used for general purpose like FPL. NPLFP are also non-power limited, but useful for ducts and plenums just like FPLP.

To be more specific, all of these cables are basically set into three categories: riser, plenum, and non-plenum. Riser cables are specifically designed to go from floor to floor, and are known as FPLR cables. Plenum cables are the FPLP cables, and are meant for ducts or really any enclosed spaces. Non-plenum cables, or FPL, are used for simple applications, like surface wiring. Now these wires may all seem like a lot of confusion at first, but in reality, what you need is going to be an easy choice. It all depends on how you intend to apply the wire.

But what are the main differences between power limited and non-power limited cables? Are these significant and will they impact your decision? Absolutely. The main difference is entirely about which sections of NEC the cable complies with. Non-power limited cables work with a fire alarm circuit that’s powered by any source that complies with NEC sections 760-21 and 760-23. Power limited cables, however, work with a fire alarm circuit powered by any source that complies with section 760-41.

Basically, the moment that you understand where you’ll be placing the wire, you’ll understand which categories you need to look in. If you’re going to be going through ducts, you’ll need to work with FPLP or NPLFP, depending on whether or not you need power limited or non-power limited cables. If you’re going to be working with surface wiring, FPL or NPLF are perfect. It all depends on where these wires will be placed!

Why EWCS?

Here at EWCS, we take pride in the products we sell, and we know the importance of each and every one of them. So, when it comes to Fire Alarm Cables, we don’t mess around. We’re aware that these cables could one day be used to save lives, and that’s why we make sure we only sell cables of the highest quality. There’s simply no better place to buy cables.

We sell Fire Alarm Cables that are made in the USA and approved by either UL or ETL Laboratories. Our cables are 100% copper and are packaged in 1000-foot plywood spools. Since these cables provide critical data in fire alarm circuits, it’s always the best move to use a full size 100% copper cable certified by a National Testing Lab and Made in the USA, just like ours. EWCS ships thousands of orders every month: we know what we’re doing. That’s why we guarantee 100% customer satisfaction or your money back.

So, if you’re in need of Fire Alarm Cables, you should check out our products at EWCSWire.com. We aim to please, and although we hope these wires are never put to use, we know they’re the best for the job. There’s a lot more to choose from than just Fire Alarm Cables on our site, and everything you’ll find is fantastic quality. Browse through our selection today, and find out what products can help you!