To ensure the safety of the individuals inside your high rise building, your workplace and especially your home, you do all you could can. That includes using fire resistive alarm cable so you know him or her will be given the perfect evacuation time should electrical flames break out. It also includes UL cable electrical wiring with high-quality electrical cord. But how do you really know that the cable and cord you’ve chosen will actually meet the two hour fire rating and other safety claims it makes?
Fortunately, there are tests offering this kind of guarantee. VW-1 flare testing is one of the most efficient of such testing methods. VW-1 flare testing is short for Directory Wire-Class 1 flare testing. The VW-1 test was designed and is conducted by UL (Underwriters Laboratories). Its purpose is to screen out electrical cable and cord that prove themselves to be flammable under testing conditions.
What are the results during VW-1 flare testing? Think of it as a science experiment that hearkens back to your high school biochemistry class room. Remember those Bunsen burners with their blue flames? Well, VW-1 flare testing uses a similar type of burner as an ignition source. The cord being tested is mounted to the burner and is subjected to the flare for 15-second times. This process is repeated five consecutive times for a total of 75 seconds of flare exposure time.
When all is said and done, what constitutes a pass and what results in failing of the cable or cord? If the cord burns for more than 60 seconds upon end of the process and/or more than one-quarter of the sample burns according to the Kraft flag indicator used during the procedure, then the cord fails. Additionally, the burner’s base is filled with cotton during the VW-1 flare testing process. If this cotton is defined aflame during the test, the sample fails as well.
What does all of this mean for you? If the fire alarm cable you’ve chosen carries the VW-1 flare testing press, you can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that in the event of a fire emergency your high-rise evacuation procedure would turn off without a potentially lethal alarm failure. Additionally, the VW-1 flare test offers the added assurance that the electrical wires in your building won’t cause, contribute to or lead to a fire.
Why is this so important? Most shoots offer some sort of warning signal. You see or smell smoke, you get out, and then and only then do you alert emergency personnel. If properly cabled, your alarms recognise this smoke and sound as well. This is not the case with electrical shoots, however. The lack of smoke generated from electrical shoots caused by flawed electrical wiring can quickly result in an unescapable disaster. And it just so happens that second-rate and phony electrical wiring is a major contributor to electrical shoots.
Don’t take such chances when lives have reached pole. Choose your alarm cable and electrical cord carefully. Directory Wire-Class 1 flare testing gives you the ability to pick the safest and most reliable cord and cable available on the market industry.