hardwired smoke detectors - disabling
ranchreno
17 years ago
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christophersprks
17 years agoechandler
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Too many smoke dectectors - can some be disabled?
Comments (14)Greg, The detectors with ten-year batteries are new technology and are either federally mandated or state mandated here in Maryland - not sure which. All must be in use by 2018, IIRC. As a retired Navy Submariner I have lived all over the USA - for likely a decade or more every locale I have lived in has run PSA's or at least the local TV News has advocated replacing batteries at those two easy to remember dates/events. Don't confuse the new batteries - the lithium batteries are warranted for 10 years. I get it that you don't want to change your alarm batteries as frequently as many suggest, but at least some of us feel comfortable doing so. I should add, my batteries are not "backups" - they are the sole source of power. BTW, I take the "old" batteries and replace the batteries in my water leak detectors with them. The leak detectors draw ZERO current until moisture completes the battery's circuit. Here is a link that might be useful: Kidde Summary of MD State Law This post was edited by saltidawg on Sat, Aug 30, 14 at 12:21...See MoreTemporarily disabling a hard-wired smoke detector
Comments (3)Yep - many are designed for easy swapout. They have a small wire harness that just clips in and out. If yours don't have that, just cap all the wires - black to black, white to white etc. Definitely remove them completely while the drywall is going up. Even if they don't go off, the dust is going to get in everything....See MoreMonitored Smoke Detectors -- Hard-wired or wireless?
Comments (11)OK, the plot thickens. We found an electrician who will provide us with an interface device (for ~ $100) to connect our line-voltage smoke detectors to a low-voltage alarm panel (and thus include it in our 24 hour monitoring service). But he doesn't want to come to our house for what he says is a '5 minute job'. They're all exceptionally busy right now, and can be very picky about what they do. I don't blame him -- nobody is offering to supplement his income when times are slow, so he's making hay while the sun shines. We have three smoke detectors installed, interfaced. There are 3 wires to each one -- a black, white and yellow. The yellow is the wire through which the three detectors communicate with each other when smoke is detected by any one of them. It looks to me as though all I have to do is wire the interface device to the yellow wire in one of the smoke detectors. See page 5 of the Firex Smoke Detector manual at the link below. If that is the correct procedure, I am sure I can do that myself. I'd simply shut off the breaker to that circuit, check to be sure it is shut off, cut the yellow wire, and splice both ends plus an extension wire with a wire nut. The extension wire can then go to the alarm panel, where the alarm company will connect it to the panel. Does that make sense? The alternative to installing the line voltage interface myself is to have the alarm company install 3 wireless smoke detectors at an estimated price of $775. Java Here is a link that might be useful: Firex Smoke Detector Manual...See MoreHow to remove one detector from networked smoke detectors
Comments (17)For the kitchen smoke detector that false alarms repeatedly, as a former Fire Chief may I state that my advice would be to either 1. Relocate the smoke detector (to outside the kitchen preferably - but it seems you are legally constrained from doing so). 2, Replace it, if it is an ionization type with a photoelectric type or vice versa, each is more sensitive to different conditions which MIGHT help. 3. Adjust the sensitivity if possible to increase the alarm threshold, whether this is possible depends on the model you have, search with that online to find whether it is possible and how to do it. For the record, if you are using ionization type detectors you should replace them with photoelectric or combination photoelectric/ionization type. In any event if they are older than 10 years replace them. Yes even if they still work and test okay... they have an expiration date and it's not just to make you buy a new one, it's because they no longer function reliably. Brand-spanking new Ionization detectors fail in actual fire conditions 30% of the time to alarm. They are more sensitive to some fire conditions than photoelectric, but overall are less likely to sound particularly in smoldering fires which tend to kill folks in their beds. you should be able to find the date of manufacture as well as a coding with either "P"=photoelectric or "I"=Ionization on it....See MoreRon Natalie
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