C-TEC CAST Addressable Manual Call Point, IP67, Red, Resettable CA47067

Overview

A manual call point lets anyone raise the fire alarm by hand, and it is often the first device to operate when someone sees a fire. Damp and dusty positions are hard on an ordinary call point.

This C-TEC call point is the sealed version for those places. It belongs to C-TEC's CAST addressable system, so each unit reports to the panel with its own address.

How it works

• Resettable element: pressing the front pushes in a flexible element that feels like breaking glass. After the alarm, the key resets it, with nothing to replace.
• Alarm ring: the red LED ring lights steadily when the call point operates and flashes while the panel polls it.
• Isolator: an isolator cuts off a short-circuited section of loop so the rest keeps working. In the CAST system every field device has one as standard.

Where to use it

The IP67 rating and the -10ºC to +55ºC range suit damp or dusty positions where an ordinary call point would struggle. In most installations call points sit on escape routes and beside final exits.

Where call points are at risk of accidental or malicious operation, a hinged call point cover is the usual answer.

What the figures mean in practice

• 370µA quiescent: the call point's draw at rest. Every device's figure adds up in the loop calculation, so a low figure leaves more room for sounders.
• 5mA in alarm: the typical draw once activated.
• 255 devices per loop: the CAST protocol's limit for a loop. The real number is usually lower once loop current and cable length are worked out.

Installing it

• Surface fixing: it fixes to the wall on its own back box, with no flush option.
• Wiring: connect the loop to the Loop IN and Loop OUT terminals. Fire-resistant cable is the usual choice for fire alarm loops.
• Keeping the seal: use glands rated for the job so the cable entry does not undo the IP67 rating.
• Not yet live?: fit the ‘Not in Use’ label until the system is commissioned.

Planning your system

A CAST loop also carries detectors, sounders and beacons from the same family. Compare other C-TEC fire equipment and other manual call points to keep a site consistent.

Call point positions come from the fire risk assessment and the system design. The commercial fire alarm guide covers categories, zones and why protocol matters.