Faulty fire alarms are bad news for everyone in a building. Not only do the fire alarms frequently go off at the wrong times, but people also begin to think that the alarms are a "cry wolf" situation, so they start ignoring them. This puts a lot of lives on the line in your tenement building, which could result in major lawsuits. Here is how you can find the failures in the fire alarm system and set things right again.
Start with the Electrical System
Something as simple as a few wires crossing electrical streams can short out the electrical system. If you are not handy with electrical services, hire an electrical contractor to find any electrical problems that exist. Better yet, hire the security company that installed the system to find the problems. Most security companies, like Coastal Burglar Alarm Co Inc, provide fire alarm services to customers whose systems they installed.
Peek Inside the Walls and Check the Roof
Speaking of shorting out, some fire systems will short out during rainstorms when the wires get wet. If there is extra moisture in the walls, ceilings, or attic/roof of your building, that may be the source of the problem as well. Ask your tenants when the alarms are going off. If the fire alarms are going off every time it rains, this is your first clue that wires somewhere are getting soaked. Wet electrical wires short out and cause surges in power, turning the alarm on with little effort and no smoke. A construction contractor may have to drill a few holes here and there or look for water damage before you are able to find some spots that might be causing this.
Check the Security System
If the fire alarms are attached to the security system, there might be a problem inside the security system's main box. Again, the security company that installed the system can check the main box to see what is going on inside the box. It could be all of the above: wet interior walls with crossed and exposed bare wires producing power and shorting out when wet.
The repair technician will find the problem and fix it. (Let your tenants know that there may be a few more alarms going off during the repair time so that they do not feel as though they have to evacuate every ten minutes.) Once everything is fixed, your tenants will be able to rely on the alarm system again.