16/2 Solid Copper Fire Alarm Cable - FPLR Riser Rated, Red, 1000ft

This is the standard-grade riser-rated fire alarm cable: two 16 AWG solid bare copper conductors, insulated black and red in PVC, under a red PVC jacket listed FPLR under NEC Article 760 for power-limited fire alarm circuits. Standard grade means it's built for notification and initiating circuits, where the electrical tolerances of a data-grade cable aren't needed, and priced accordingly. FPLR covers the vertical runs between floors of a multi-story building and every ordinary in-wall and in-ceiling run that isn't a return-air plenum, which makes it the everyday cable for notification appliance circuits, initiating device circuits, and the panel-to-device wiring of a fire alarm system. The red jacket is the fire alarm identification that inspectors and future technicians expect to see, and the black and red conductors carry the polarity marking that a supervised notification circuit depends on.

16 AWG is the heavier of the two common fire alarm gauges. With about half the resistance of 18 AWG, it's the one to use for a long notification appliance circuit with a lot of horns and strobes on it, where the voltage drop from the panel to the last device has to stay inside the panel maker's limit. The cable is RoHS compliant and made in the USA, and it comes in a 1000 ft pull box.

Features

• FPLR riser rated. Listed under NEC Article 760 for power-limited fire alarm circuits in riser shafts, vertical runs between floors, and general in-wall and in-ceiling use.
• 16 AWG solid bare copper conductors. About half the loop resistance of 18 AWG, for long notification circuits and device counts that would push an 18 AWG run past its voltage-drop limit.
• PVC insulation, black and red. Color-coded conductors for polarity on notification and initiating circuits.
• Red PVC jacket. The standard fire alarm identification, so the cable is recognizable in a tray, a riser, or a junction box years after it's installed.
• Standard grade, unshielded. The everyday construction for notification appliance and initiating device circuits; for an addressable signaling line circuit, use the data-grade version.
• 300 V, 75 °C. The ratings a power-limited fire alarm circuit calls for.
• 4.42 mm outer diameter. Slim enough to bundle and pull easily, with a 0.381 mm jacket wall.
• RoHS compliant, made in the USA.
• 1000 ft pull box. Pays out from the box without a spool stand, and the box stacks in a van.

Where It Fits

It suits notification appliance circuits feeding horns, strobes, and speakers, initiating device circuits to smoke detectors, heat detectors, pull stations, and waterflow switches, panel-to-annunciator and panel-to-relay wiring, riser runs between the fire alarm control panel and floor terminal cabinets in apartment buildings, hotels, schools, and offices, and any power-limited fire alarm run in a building where the ceiling space isn't a return-air plenum.

Good to Know

Run the voltage-drop calculation before you pick a gauge. A 16 AWG pair is about 8 ohms per 1000 ft round trip, so a notification circuit drawing 1.5 A at the far end of a 300 ft run loses about 3.6 V, which is close to the limit most 24 V panels allow; 18 AWG on the same run would lose nearly 6 V. FPLR covers risers and general use but not return-air plenums; a run through a plenum ceiling needs FPLP. The cable is listed for fire alarm circuits under Article 760, and the AHJ has the final say on using it for anything else, so if it's going on a security, intercom, or control circuit, check first. Keep fire alarm cable separate from power conductors in raceways and boxes, as the code requires for power-limited circuits, and use the red jacket to keep it separate from the rest of the low-voltage wiring in a tray. This is a standard-grade cable, so for an addressable panel's signaling line circuit use the data-grade 16/2, which is built to the tolerances those loops specify; for a noisy route, the shielded 16/2 adds a foil shield and drain wire. The PVC jacket isn't UV stabilized or rated for wet locations or burial, so an outdoor device should be fed through conduit or from a cable rated for it.

Specifications

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