Which Alarm is Right?

It can be daunting to choose the correct alarm or annunciator for your monitoring and control systems. There are seemingly endless options, which can get overwhelming. Below, we’ve listed five tips to organize your needs and simplify your selection process.

• What Will the Alarm Be Measuring?  Options include temperature, voltage, and current. Select whichever input is critical to the application.
• How Will the Signal Be Measured?  Alarms can be set to trip when a signal reaches a certain percentage of the setting, say 75%, or when it reaches a set amount in engineering units, like 120V, for example.
• What Type of Display Do You Need?  Some alarms feature LED status indicators, which show whether or not the signal has exceeded the set point. Some alarms feature full LED displays for active, real-time monitoring of reading levels. Determine whether you need constant level displays or simply “on” or “off” readings.
• What Type of Housing Do You Need?  The environment where the alarm will be installed is the most important feature in determining this. We generally feature NEMA housings, with an option for NEMA explosion proof housings, if the nature of the facility dictates that requirement.
• How Will the Alarm Be Mounted?  All facilities are configured differently, and alarms have options to reflect that. Locate the safest and most convenient place to mount the alarm, and choose from options including Wall/Surface Mount, Rail Mount, and Pipe Mount.

At Devar, we’re always ready to help with product selection, and we hope that this list provides a good primer to get you started on the process. Use our Contact Us link for any further questions.