Advice for installation and maintenance

Mounting maintenance regulations hold-open systemsTesting and maintenance directives

When installing hold-open systems in Germany, it is obligatory to observe the directives from the respective approval. They prescribe in detail the positioning and layout of hold-open systems.

Furthermore contains the approval exact specifications of how to perform the approval test of a hold-open system after having been mounted and the future periodically necessary control tests. It is absolutely necessary to meet these!

Advice for Mounting DICTATOR Hold-Open Systems

For the requirements of mounting fire detectors you have to consult the respective approval of the building authorities. The following diagrams will help you in choosing the correct number/type of detectors.

When in the following “ceiling detectors” are required, they have to be mounted directly below the lower surface of the ceiling above the opening in the wall. The horizontal distance of the detectors to the wall with the opening to be protected, must be at least 0.5 m and at most 2.5 m.

When in the following a “lintel detector” is required, it has to be mounted with its bracket on the wall above the wall opening, at the most 0.1 m above the lower edge of the lintel.

For calculating the required number of detectors it is generally assumed that one detector can cover a range the boundaries of which are at a distance of 2 m from the detector. If the opening width exceeds 4 m, additional detectors or detector pairs are required to cover the complete width.

If the distance between the upper edge of the wall opening and the ceiling is more than 5 m, the corresponding ceiling detectors can be replaced by detectors being mounted on the wall on cantilevers at least 3.5 m above the wall opening. The horizontal distance between wall and the centre of the detector has to be 0.5 m.

In the counting you may not include pendular detectors and those fixed to cantilevers on differing places.

Hold open system fire detector

Diagram 1: Decisive height of the lower surface of the ceiling

Hold open system sections

Diagram 2: Installation areas

LineHeight of ceiling above lower edge of lintelInstallation aeras (b = b1 or b2)Min. number of detectors required *)
1h1 and/or h2 > 1,0 ma1 + a2 + b2 ceiling and 1 lintel detectors
2h1 and h2 ≤ 1,0 ma1 + a22 ceiling detectors
3as line 2, but swing door with door width up to 3.0 mb1 lintel detector or 2 ceiling detectors
*) Depending on the door width more detectors may be necessary in the case of lines 1 and 2.
hold-open-system-diagram

Diagram 3: Decision diagramm

Electrical Installation of the Hold-Open System – Exerpt from the General Approval of the Building Authorities (from December 2016)

To prevent any disturbances by short circuit (unintended conductive connection) of the release contacts, a separate wiring to the following devices (system components) is required:
– fire detectors
– hand release switches
– supervising devices which can prevent the release.

In case the fault recognition or the release of these devices (system components) is realized by lines (e.g. current change, data telegrams) or the devices (system components) are combined or contained in a casing or the wiring of these devices is completely conducted in a cable protection tube or a cable canal, a separate wiring is not required.

All customary cables can be used. In areas where high electromagnetic interferences occur, we recommend to shield the cables.

Recommended cross section of the cables: 0.6 – 0.8 mm² (depending on the length of the line)

Other Directives

For more directives on installation, use, maintenance and functional tests, please see the approval of the building authorities taken as a basis and the testing and maintenance instructions for DICTATOR hold-open systems.

The documents can be found under www.dictator.de. The approvals of the building authorities also contain all admissible device combinations.

Periodic Inspection

The operator has to make sure the hold-open system is permanently in working order and its proper functioning must be tested on a monthly basis – provided no other period is given in the approval document. Every instructed person can perform this functional test according to the inspection specifications.

The operator is bound to carry out or to have carried out a check whether all devices cooperate properly and failure-free and a maintenance service at least once a year. This annual check/maintenance may only be performed by a professional or a person trained for this purpose.

Operational Life

To ensure the correct functioning of the hold-open system, the DICTATOR smoke and heat detectors have to be replaced after a maximum of 8 years of operational life. In Germany the DIN 14677 regulates the replacement obligation of fire detectors in hold-open systems.

File NameTypeDate of modification
Approval for Smoke Detectorspdf2015/02/11