Smoke Detectors.


 
Arun L.

Arun L.

TVWBB All-Star
It seems like smoke detectors either come:

* With a sealed battery, and the entire unit has to be replaced after 10 years.

OR

* With a replaceable battery that has to be changed every 6 months - 1 year.

Maybe I'm not searching for the right things.

Are there smoke detectors that are:

* Require no hardwiring. They can just stick.

* Have a replaceable battery that can be replaced after 10 years?

I need 4 smoke detectors, and 1 combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector.
 
Arun L. said:
Are there smoke detectors that are:

* Require no hardwiring. They can just stick.

* Have a replaceable battery that can be replaced after 10 years?

I need 4 smoke detectors, and 1 combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector.
Click to expand...

I got some with built in batteries that need to get tossed after ten years. They say that smoke detectors should be replaced after ten years because the sensor could fail. See this.
www.brkelectronics.com

BRK Electronics | Resideo Pro

BRK are now part of the First Alert and Resideo family.
www.brkelectronics.com
 
I'm pretty sure that current detectors all need to be replaced after 10 years. I suspect that it's due to internal degradation of the radiation source, as as a result, the smoke particles may no longer get detected appropriately.

@Arun L, do you want 5 stand alone detectors? You do want to be careful, some jurisdictions require that the detectors be linked together so that if one goes off, they all go off. I don't know off the top of my head about the 10 year battery feature, but First Alert does have wireless linking capabilities in some. Slight editorial side note: I will *NEVER* have anything labelled Kidde in my house after the very unpleasant call to customer service a couple of years ago. In short, I called in with what I thought was a simple question, in return, the returm treated me like a mis-behaving 8 year old. The entire set of Kidde detectors was removed shortly thereafter.
 
If you actually get 10 years out of smoke detectors your are doing well. They are supposed to be cleaned and tested frequently per the manufacturer's instructions. Very few people do. I'd be more concerned going into fall/winter about CO detectors which seem more sensitive. You usually can see or smell smoke, but CO you can't and is just as deadly as getting trapped in a fire.
 
Thanks for the informational responses everyone. I guess I'll get the kind with the sealed in batteries then. And try to get then linked together. I don't think it's required, but I'll consider it.
 
Unless you have the ability to run new wiring (no offense, I rather suspect that you've have to hire this out,) you are going to be limited to battery powered units. First Alert models do have a pairing procedure that you'll have to follow. It's not difficult, but a lot easier to do before you mount them.
 
JKalchik said:
Unless you have the ability to run new wiring (no offense, I rather suspect that you've have to hire this out,) you are going to be limited to battery powered units. First Alert models do have a pairing procedure that you'll have to follow. It's not difficult, but a lot easier to do before you mount them.
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Wired ones should still be replaced after 10 years then, right? Since that seems to be the case, might as well get the kind that don't require wiring.
 
Yes take it from me. I know first hand how an old detector will not work (even wired ones). My family nearly died from this issue thanks to a hillbilly rigged fireplace when we bought our home. Also there are many new sealed units that are already set up to communicate wirelessly with each other
 
I don't like those combo units and most of the Alarm guys I worked with agree.
Get a dedicated CO detector and mount it in the right location.
  • Mount detectors on the wall at least a couple feet below your ceiling or even lower. Carbon monoxide often won’t rise all the way up to the ceiling (like smoke does) until the concentration of the gas is at a critically dangerous level. Additionally, some carbon monoxide detectors have digital readouts – mount those kinds of detectors at eye level so you can read them. If you have pets or curious children, you’ll need to find somewhere the detector won’t be bothered.
 
Mine goes off anytime I do ANY sort of flambéed stove work or even if my bacon gets a little more “Crispy” than limp. I just reach the thing down from over the door and set it on the steps and replace it when I go up to bed. For that matter, it even goes off when I boil a really big pot of pasta water!
 
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Smoke detectors are almost like cooking on grills. Placed in the wrong location they are totally ineffective in notifying occupants to get out. Down side on battery detectors are people mounting them in dead space corners between walls and ceilings, removing batteries due to false alarms (I was in command for a fatal due to batteries removed by occupants) There even has been a change in ionization vs. photoelectric. I like a blend. Different jurisdictions require different numbers in various locations whether interconnected or not. Similar with CO detectors. Locations should be near living or sleeping areas away from kitchens and fireplaces. We used to get CO alarms from people running their gas stove ovens for long periods of time without an exterior vented range hood fan, especially in newer tight houses. Looking back at my 30+ years in the fire service, smoke detectors made our job alot easier with smaller fires which more than offset the false calls. Who knows how many lives they have saved,. Next best thing to residential sprinkler systems which I don't have, but would add if building a house from scratch.
 
timothy said:
I don't like those combo units and most of the Alarm guys I worked with agree.
Get a dedicated CO detector and mount it in the right location.
  • Mount detectors on the wall at least a couple feet below your ceiling or even lower. Carbon monoxide often won’t rise all the way up to the ceiling (like smoke does) until the concentration of the gas is at a critically dangerous level. Additionally, some carbon monoxide detectors have digital readouts – mount those kinds of detectors at eye level so you can read them. If you have pets or curious children, you’ll need to find somewhere the detector won’t be bothered.
Click to expand...

Great advice.
 
I've had my Nest Protects for about 7 years now. I just replaced my first two as they were approaching expiration.

Funny story, when I was growing up, we had a house fire. I was sleeping in the front room (fell asleep in front of the TV) and my Dad was back in the bedroom. I woke up confused and met my Dad in the hallway who took me outside..... later the fire inspector tested the smoke detector, and it beeped. However, it didn't alert us that our house was on fire.

Fire code was different back then... but I don't think the test button has changed much on the basic smoke detector. It's just testing the battery AFAIK.

And since my house burned down when I was a kid, my wife doesn't sweat me that I spend too much money on smoke detectors.

I'd put a replacement appointment on your calendar if you just get the basic "stick on" types.
 
My 10 year, sealed battery units started failing after 3-4 years. First Alert.

I went back to hard wired units with battery backup . You should vacuum the detectors when you swap batteries as was stated earlier .
 
I ended up buying the sealed battery kind last night. They are on their way. Does anyone have any decent experiences with them?

I also got a carbon monoxide detector with a digital level indicator.
 
Code on new construction dictates where smoke and carbon monoxide detectors go.
On a remod I would contact your local building department and the fire department.
They'll tell you where the best location is and they might even stop out and guide you, as a courtesy call.

When I was a superintendent, I always called the Fire Marshall ( as a courtesy) to ask him where he wanted the detectors located.
Much easier to deal with pre drywall.
 
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