TL;DR
A tamper switch is a supervisory device clamped to a fire sprinkler control valve that signals the alarm panel the moment anyone starts closing the valve. It exists because a closed valve silently disables the entire sprinkler zone, a leading factor in large fire losses.
What it means
A tamper switch is a supervisory device clamped to a fire sprinkler control valve that signals the alarm panel the moment anyone starts closing the valve. It exists because a closed valve silently disables the entire sprinkler zone, a leading factor in large fire losses. NFPA 72 requires the supervisory signal to be distinct from both alarm and trouble signals, and inspectors trip each switch during annual testing to prove the panel receives it.
Where it sits in the glossary
Tamper switch is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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