A Class B pathway is a redundant circuit. True or False?

A Class B pathway is a redundant circuit. True or False?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not defined
• D. Depends on installation

Answer: (B)

In fire alarm circuit design, Class A and Class B describe how the wiring paths are arranged. A Class A circuit is looped, providing two independent paths back to the power source, so if one section is damaged or a device is removed, the signaling can still travel along the other path. A Class B circuit, on the other hand, is a radial path from the panel to each device with no alternate loop back to the source. Because there isn’t a second path to carry the signal if part of the circuit is opened or a device fails, Class B is not redundant. So the statement that a Class B pathway is a redundant circuit is false; redundancy is a feature of Class A circuits, not Class B.

In fire alarm circuit design, Class A and Class B describe how the wiring paths are arranged. A Class A circuit is looped, providing two independent paths back to the power source, so if one section is damaged or a device is removed, the signaling can still travel along the other path. A Class B circuit, on the other hand, is a radial path from the panel to each device with no alternate loop back to the source. Because there isn’t a second path to carry the signal if part of the circuit is opened or a device fails, Class B is not redundant. So the statement that a Class B pathway is a redundant circuit is false; redundancy is a feature of Class A circuits, not Class B.