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Question
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Ken,
    Manufacturers seem to be discontinuing the production of parts more frequently and without due notice. The Destiny panels we used were suddenly discontinued and there were very few parts left in inventory to stock up on. Intelligent smoke detectors used in fire alarms are no longer available and there is no substitute. The factory's answer is to sell them a new system. It’s hard to convince somebody with a 9 year old fire system that they have to replace all the control equipment and 50 smoke detectors because we can no longer find a replacement for one. Please speak to the use of used parts in the maintenance of these systems and the risk it presents to the contracted security provider. I would assume there is also a difference between a used part that has been taken from a system that is being upgraded and has passed a functional test verses a part that has been serviced by the factory as a repair. I would also expect there to be different levels of risk based on the type of system and the specific parts. Would installing a used keypad on a residential system present less risk than installing a used smoke detector on a fire alarm?  This is my first correspondence and wish to remain anonymous. I believe your forum is a valuable tool for this industry and thank you for the service you provide.
Anon
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Answer
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    Good question, and I'm going to hedge a bit.  First, you have to know if UL, ETL, NFPA or any other industry regulatory authority addresses this issue.  If used panels or parts can't be used in a particular system you need to know that.
    The Standard Form Contracts all permit the use of used or reconditioned replacement parts to service a system.  But the contracts also provide that the alarm company will comply with AHJ requirements and alarm companies are expected to know and comply with industry standards, manufacturer's specifications and private recognized regulatory authorities, some of whose regulation have been adopted in building codes and alarm laws.  
    I have had a few articles on obsolete equipment and end of life components.  One such article is at https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/article/service-contracts-are-end-of-life-or-obsolete-parts-included
    You can find others by going to the alarm articles page https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/alarm-articles and using your search and find feature on your computer tool bar.

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