Grifco

Grifco
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Names	Charles H. Griffith & Co. Grifco
Headquarters	West Gosford, N.S.W., Australia
Founder	Charles H. Griffith
Key people	Charles H. Griffith
Founded	1914
Products	Garage doors Outdoor warning sirens (formerly)

Charles H. Griffith & Co, or simply Grifco, is a manufacturer of commercial garage doors and other similar products that was founded in 1914 and is based in West Gosford, Australia. Grifco is well known within the siren community for producing outdoor warning sirens and was one of the largest Australian air raid siren companies to have existed.

Grifco began to manufacture air raid sirens in World War 2 and went on to produce them for decades until 2006, when the company was bought by The Chamberlain Group. Despite Grifco's success in the outdoor warning siren market, only around 50 Grifco sirens are known to exist today. Grifco's siren models were as follows:

Vehicular/traffic sirens

Model F

The Model F is assumedly Grifco's smallest vehicular siren. It is 6 port and is driven by a 1/8 hp motor which is covered by a bullet-shaped, Q2B-esque motor cover, which is mounted upon a rhombus-shaped stand. There is also a finger guard on the front of the rotor, as the siren is small enough to be handheld. These were discontinued sometime before or during the 1990's and little is known about them. Interestingly, a brochure from Grifco mentions there being multiple Model F sirens that come in 12, 24, and 240 V, but no information can be found on these.

Model 72 "Duplo"

The Model 72, or "Duplo", is Grifco's second smallest vehicular siren, being relatively similar to the Model F. It is 12 port and runs on 240 V. It is held up by a small rectangular mounting platform. There is also a finger guard on the front of the rotor, as the siren is small enough to be handheld. Other than the information provided by a Grifco brochure, nothing else is known about these sirens, and they were discontinued sometime before or during the 1990's.

Model 555

The Model 555 is the 3rd of the known vehicular sirens produced by Grifco, and presumably the most popular judging by how many units still exist. It is a simple siren in terms of design, having a 5 port rotor being driven by a (presumably) 1 hp motor, which is covered by a conical motor cover with Grifco's logo on it. The siren is held up by a small rectangular mount. It is described by Grifco as a general-purpose siren used on ambulances, fire trucks, armored vehicles, and police cars. The siren runs on either 12 or 24 V DC and has a sound output of 105 decibels at 1 meter. The Model 555 was discontinued sometime before or during 1990 but was all in all a large success for Grifco, and today several units exist, with most in private possession.

Model 444

The Model 444 is similar to the Model 555, with the addition of a "forced intake flare" for increased performance. Aside from this, the Model 444 is identical to the Model 555. It as discontinued sometime before or during 1990 and little to none are known to exist.

Model 333

WIP

Medium range sirens

Model 666

The Model 666 is Grifco's smallest siren in their medium range siren lineup. Providing adequate coverage and not being too large, the Model 666 was relatively popular and ended up being their 2nd bestselling siren, behind the Model 888.

The Model 666 is a simple siren in terms of design, with a 5 port rotor being driven by a small 1 hp motor above it. The siren also has 3 stubby "legs" to mount it. There is a finger guard over the rotors to prevent injury from misuse of the siren, as it is small enough to be handheld. Originally, the Model 666's motor cover was more conical, and the finger guards were horizontal, but this was changed sometime during the 90's to a simpler, cylindrical shape. These earlier units are referred to as "MK1"s by the community, which the later models are MK2s. The siren runs on 240 volts AC, produces 118 decibels at 1 meter (though earlier brochures say 105), is single phase, and its rotor spins at 13,500 RPM. The Model 666's compact design makes it suitable for various applications, such as industrial use. According to Grifco, it is able to be heard from 1.5 km (1 mi) away. It is unknown how many exist today.

Model 663

The Model 663 is essentially a larger version of the Model 666 and is described by Grifco as an "extension of the Model 666". It has a wider, 8 port rotor, and slightly longer mounting legs. The siren runs on 240 volts AC, produces 120 decibels at 1 meter, is single phase, and its rotor spins at 6,700 RPM, producing a lower tone compared to the Model 666, despite the Model 663's higher port ratio. Model 663 MK1 motor covers were also conical, but were changed to a simpler, cylindrical shape. According to Grifco, the siren is able to be heard from 2 km (1.2 mi) away. The Model 663, unlike the Model 666, is made of cast aluminum. Interestingly, despite the siren's small size, it lacks the finger guards featured on the Model 666.

Due to only being marginally better than the Model 666, it's likely the Model 663 wasn't as successful, and little to none are known to exist.

Model 777

The Model 777 is the 3rd siren in the lineup, and is essentially a larger Model 666, similar to the Model 663, but with several differences, most notably the rounded motor cover and slightly taller legs. The Model 777 seems to have been discontinued early on sometime before or during the 90's, likely due to being redundant as the Model 663 was nearly identical in performance. According to Grifco, the Model 777 produces 116 decibels at 1 meter and can be heard from 3.5 (2 mi) away.

Model 773

The Model 773 essentially a larger Model 663 with a slightly taller rotor and stator and a more rounded motor cover. The Model 773 and Klaxon's SO4 siren have a very large resemblance, being nearly identical to each other. The reason for this is because at the time of this siren's release, Klaxon had just recently opened to the Australian market. As a result, both companies had to compete for buyers.

Model 993

WIP

Model K

The Model K is a small dual rotor horizontal electric siren, featuring two 6-port rotors and stators driven by a 1 hp electric motor at 5,000 RPM. It runs on 240 V AC as standard, and is rated for a range of up to 3 km in still air. The Model K lacks any intake horns or sounders, or any form of projector. It simply has a motor cover and stand along with the siren core itself. Its appearance is quite similar to the Sterling Little Giant, which also saw use in Australia and was likely an inspiration.

Heavy-duty long-range sirens

Model 888

The Model 888 is Grifco's best-selling model. It heavily resembles a Darley Model 5 and a GCS Siren. It is unknown when it was first introduced. There are currently around 35 Model 888s that exist.

WIP

Model 999

The Model 999 is Grifco's largest siren produced is essentially an Australian clone of the British Carter siren, being a near duplicate of a standard Carter and runs on 50 Hz which results in a similar pitch with the Carter sirens. These ran on 5 hp dual-sided AC motors, with one 10-port rotor and stator and one 12-port rotor and stator on each side, resulting in a 10/12-port siren.

WIP