December 2007. Fenwal’s Detect-a-fire fire detection devices from Hawco are the only heat-actuated devices that are approved to actuate fire safety systems: competitors’ products are only approved for alarm signalling. Approved to UL, ULC and FM, each heat detector is individually calibrated and tested to meet or exceed these requirements.

The accuracy in sensing surrounding air temperatures, regardless of the fire growth rate, provides a unique advantage over both fixed temperature and rate-of-rise types of detectors. This function, known as Rate Compensation, is suited to applications such as the protection of petrol stations, hazardous or explosive environments, schools, factories, offices, libraries, off-shore oil platforms, cooking ranges, paint spray booths and vehicle fire suppression systems. Detect-a-fire units also feature a very wide operating temperature range of 60-385degC.

Devices feature an outer shell made of rapidly expanding alloy which closely follows changes in the surrounding air temperature with inner struts of a lower expanding alloy. The secret of the unit sensitivity is in the design, with the inner struts – sealed inside the shell - following temperature changes more slowly by resisting thermal energy absorption and making the Detect-a-fire less susceptible to false alarms.

About Hawco Controls

H A Wainwright (Group) Ltd, "Hawco" is a leading UK distributor of temperature and pressure sensors, control instruments and refrigeration related component products. The new Hawco division is a combination of the previous Hawco Controls and Microtherm divisions.  Its product range includes industrial instrumentation, automation and controls products together with electronic components for thermal management and circuit protection.