Legacy Fire Product Prices Are Set to Explode
The fire alarm system industry is at the brink of a black swan event. The impact this will have on the availability and cost of legacy smoke alarm and detector products is something rarely seen twice in one’s career. Now is the time to prepare and stock up on your fire part needs.
The fire alarm system industry is at the brink of a black swan event. The impact this will have on the availability and cost of legacy smoke alarm and detector products is something rarely seen twice in one’s career. Now is the time to prepare and stock up on your fire part needs.
The driver for this change, are the new UL 217 and UL 268 smoke alarm and detector standards, which effectively make many current smoke detectors obsolete. While originally set to take effect in May of 2020, this UL code deadline has recently been extended to June 30, 2021 (read more). However, the impact of this is already being felt throughout the fire system industry. Siemens, Edwards/EST, and Honeywell have already discontinued and taken final orders for many of their legacy smoke detectors. This includes products such as MXL panel parts, the Siemens FP-11, and the EST Siga PS/IS/IPHS series. With these popular products not being produced were already seeing the market respond with significant price increases that are already 3 to 4 times their original price.
While many think they can just replace their old smoke detectors with new UL 2020 compliant parts, they are mistaken (read more, New Smokes, Old Panels: UL Says No!). To pass inspection, to get your fire alarm permit, and to not be liable if a system failure should occur, all parts in your system must be listed as UL compatible (aka: “Cross Listed”). However, given the high cost and time constraints, manufacturers are not expected to go through the process of cross listing their new UL 2020 compliant smoke detectors with their old fire alarm control panels. This means while manufactures may say their new smoke detectors are “backwards compatible” with their older panels, from a permit and liability perspective you are not covered if they are not UL cross listed.
In short, the new UL 217 and UL 268 codes are already having a significant impact on the fire system industry. Be prepared and make sure you stock up on your system needs now before pricing goes up even further or your parts are no longer available. Remember, the only other option is a complete system upgrade. To get the latest updates and what it may mean for you, your business, and your bottom line follow us on FaceBook to get the latest updates and what it can mean for you, your business, and your bottom line.
Save More on Fire Alarm Parts, Tiffany Groode, March 2020
[pld_post_list]
