Yes but (a) as I've said the future situations you are contemplating may well never happen and, even if they do, would represent minimal inconvenience, particularly since (b) there are some potential downsides of having alarms on a dedicated circuit and/or having a means of isolating them from a circuit which is feeding them
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Mains supply to alarms
- Thread starter JohnW2
- Start date
There are zero disadvantages, unless it involves a long, or especially awkward cable run to get to the consumer unit, or an inadequate number of ways, or perhaps you had in mind the alarms being added at a later stage, to a finished system? Your only reason for connecting to the lighting circuit, was that you would notice the lights not working, whereas when alarms loose their mains supply, they bleep anyway to warn you, so a none reason really.
Lighting circuits, do occasionally need to be isolated, likely more often than any other circuit in the house, changing lamps, switches, light fittings etc., are all good reasons to isolate the lighting circuit, and the number of posts in this forum, supports this idea. Under such circumstances, the supply to the alarms can be left in full operation.
I wasn't talking about disadvantages of installing (or extending) the wiring but, rathwer, ending up with a situation in which there was a greater probability of the alarms one daytending up without mains power.
As I have said, it seems that the behaviour of alarms varies. Andy has said that his don't beep on mains failure provided that the alarms are being satisfactorily powered by the back-up battery (and I have a feel that mine are the same (which I'll check when I get back home). If that is the case, then there would be no 'warning' until the battery's charge nearly ran out. Furthermore, if the battery happened to be near the end of its life (not holding much charge, even when it started beeping (because of 'lost mains') that beeping might possibly not last all that long (before battery becomes flat, the the alarms totally non-operational.
As I've also said, that's surely pretty irrelevant - who cares about alarms being without mains power for the brief period whilst work is being done on a lighting circuit (even if there is periodic beeping whilst one works)?
Despite the fact that I am being accused of being 'incompetent' because I asked the question, there is clearly a dichotomy of views about this issue (here and elsewhere) - and, for what it's worth, in this thread you are the only person who has expressed a preference for a system which gives the householder a means of disabling mins supply to the alarms (without disabling something else they need - like lighting)
In which case, I would want some sort of positive reminder or telltale, that the mains supply to the alarms had been lost.
I did suggest a separate circuit, rather than a separate means of isolation, but for the reasons stated. The separate means was nothing to do without being able to necessarily isolate the alarm circuit, but rather to keep the alarm circuit to remain powered, whilst other circuits were isolated. I find alarms constantly bleeping, as I am working, intensely annoying - but that is by deliberate design.
I rarely had much involvement with domestic electrics, a little more on commercial, industrial - the norm there, was almost always a separate dedicated, and well-marked supply for alarms systems. Often, even a separate isolator, painted red.
Here, the stair-lift, and fire alarm system was a later addition, involving the addition of a separate two-way consumer unit. When, last year, I fitted a new, larger CU, I included those two circuits, but made a point of identify them with red labels, as essential supplies. Turn either off, and the annoying bleeping begins.
Proving competence will mostly be by your actions and reasoning not any piece of paper or works done elsewhere? Insurance will not prevent death or injury bit might give easier ability to pay some out in the event of a claim. It would not lower your holiday duration period of time at the King`s/Queen`s pleasure if you appear in front of a bloke in a wig whilst you grip the rail would it?
Exactly the same could be said of most things one does in life, liability is not limited to being a professional, qualified, or even a complete amateur.
Very wise - but if Andy is right about his (and maybe my) alarms you might have to somehow engineer that "some sort of positive reminder" for yourself, if the alarms themselves don't provide it.
You did - but a 'separate circuit' obviously has to have its own 'separate isolation' - which would be availabe for, say, a house owner to operate.
I understood what you were saying but (a) if Andy is right, at least some alarms will not bleep (and therefore would not annoy you) in the event of losing power if adequate battery back-up were present and (b) even if they did bleep, we seem to have different views about whether that is a problem, given how rarely it is that anyone will want to 'work on a lighting circuit' for a significant period of time
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