Generally, a smoke detector is powered by a black (hot) wire and a white (neutral) wire. Usually there's also a ground wire. An additional wire connects the detectors together and triggers all the detectors to alarm when any detector senses smoke. If you disconnect this wire (only) from the kitchen detector it will continue to operate but the other detectors will not alarm when the kitchen detector senses smoke and the kitchen detector will not alarm when the bedroom detector senses smoke. In other words, the detectors will now operate independently.

Your kitchen detector may have a ionization sensor which I understand can be triggered more easily by cooking smoke than one with a photoelectric sensor. I'd try switching the kitchen detector to one with a photoelectric sensor (example: Firex 21029883) before anything else. If that worked, I'd consider a ionization sensor model for the bedroom...and keep the detectors networked.

-- amateur

IMO get a better exhaust hood for the cooking appliance and keep the smake detector. If I think my cooking might trigger the alarm i just cover the alarm while I am usually toasting spices or cleaning my ovens.

I just got smoke detectors with the "snooze alarm" feature and poke at it with the broom handle when I inadvertently trip it cooking.

I love that what brand are they / Mine are all hardwired and call the fire dept. So that is why i cover the one near the kitchen

It doesn't bother any of you that you may be violating existing code and/or creating an unsafe condition in the event of a fire? The fact that your policy may not cover any fire damage or injury/loss of life?

Wow.

How is un-networking detectors (there must be millions of standalone detectors in US homes), temporarily covering one while cooking, snoozing one, or replacing an ionization model with a photocell model "creating an unsafe condition in the event of a fire"?

It might well matter a lot more what you do or do not do if you rent rather than own your home.

Consider asking your local fire department if they have a free home inspection program and, if they do, explain the problem and see what they advise to solve it.

@suezbell "It might well matter a lot more what you do or do not do if you rent rather than own your home."

She wrote it's her house.

The Code re Fire Detectors varies in differing parts of the Country.

The very fact that you ask these questions is totally moronic!

As but one example, here in the entire state of Maryland:

"Any new home in Maryland constructed after January 1, 1989 required at least one hardwired electric smoke alarm on every level of the home, including the basement and required the units to be interconnected in order that activation of any one of the required smoke alarms resulted in the sounding all of the required ..."

Re "snooze" : "The new Maryland law requires all homeowners to install 10-year lithium battery tamper resistant smoke alarms with the silence/hush feature in their homes. What is the silence/hush feature? The silence/hush feature will allow you to silence an accidental alarm for up to 10 minutes before turning itself back on."

Smoke detectors shall not be disabled.

shower cap over the offender.

wdccruise I have a house to live in, too, but I don't own it -- it belongs to my son. Was thinking that any alterations could create a dispute over or even void the owners' insurance in the event of a fire -- owned by her or not. Would read the policy or, better yet, see if the FD will do an inspection in accord with updated regs AND take into account false alarms are more than annoying they have a "cried wolf" potential.

We built a house with a two story open kitchen/living room. When the fire inspector came he insisted putting an alarm over the gas fireplace was a must...without staging, there was no way to get to it. "Code, he said, and no occupancy permit if you don't comply." Our electrician complied, of course. Now, we had a fire detector and no way to get to it.

One evening, off it went...(the reason wasn't fire, it was a spider). I had to call the fire department and they brought in one of those huge ladders. Removed the spider and replaced the battery. When I asked if I could have it dismantled the answer was a resound NO. Code demands certain distances between alarms and if I shut one off, we had a fire, and the fire inspection found one alarm had been dismantled...guess what?

We would be up Schitt's Creek with our insurance company.

Molehill, meet mountain.

I'd second suezbell's recommendation of consulting the fire department as well as the building department, who can clarify what is required by code and what is recommended. Requirements will likely depend on both where you are and when the house was built/remodeled. You mentioned where alarms are required, but does code mention the networking? Does it call out what type or features the detectors should be/have? Do you know what type is there now? Can the detector be moved to a different spot in the kitchen with better air flow, so it isn't as affected by cooking?

If you don't have any change options, then do you have an extra person who can wave a towel at the smoke detector when you cook smoky foods? I wouldn't advise covering the detector with something you could potentially forget to remove.

Also, I don't think this is a stupid question, at all ... you're missing some information for getting code based answers, but asking if a smoke detector can be decoupled from the rest of the house is a reasonable question.

FYI, here is pic of what I'm talking about. Kitchen alarm on right, first floor bedroom on the left. I would feel safe taking one down, but I see the point about insurance. Like the idea of ionization alarm, ill look into it. Thanks.

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.