Help removing wired smoke alarms please.

[mrjsterry]

Firstly, i'm not an electrician, please bear that in mind if you are kind enough to reply.

I had an extension built a few years back, we were told at the time that building regs required wired smoke alarms and heat detectors to be fitted throughout the house. So, we agreed and the electrician doing the rest of the work did this as well.

We have had subsequent problems with the lighting circuit, couldnt find the original electrician at all, so called someone to investigate and resolve the problem, who stated that it had been done badly and figures had been missed of the certification which would have showed the problem.

We now have a problem with the circuit the smoke alarms are on, one of them keeps alarming and I removed the main part of it, leaving the base plate and connections on the ceiling. I contacted the manufacturer who said they were not aware of the model number I gave them and couldnt help. Rather than call an electrician for possible costly investigation and remedy I decided to buy wireless alarms recommended by the local fire service.
So, finally to my question, I want to place the wireless ones in the same places, what do I do with the wires for the old ones? I dont want to go through the house and remove the whole circuit and I assume i cant just take out the old alarms, tape up the wires and push them back through the ceiling. They are on a separate circuit and this has been turned off.
Any advice appreciated.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Surely your new wireless alarms will still require a 230v mains supply to each? How do you plan to do that?

The only thing they will not need is the linterlink connection (that is what is carried wirelessly).

 

[PBC_1966]

Maybe the recommended wireless alarms are battery powered? Personally, I would never go with a wireless system for something safety critical such as this. Sorting out whatever problem exists with the wiring is a much better way to go.

 

[bernardgreen]

I would never go with a wireless system for something safety critical such as this.

Very good advice.

 

[mrjsterry]

Maybe the recommended wireless alarms are battery powered? Personally, I would never go with a wireless system for something safety critical such as this. Sorting out whatever problem exists with the wiring is a much better way to go.

They are battery powered, two separate sealed 10 year batteries. They were recommended by the fire service who I asked to do an inspection. Seeing as up until a few years ago I just had individual 10v battery ones I am comfortable with the choice I made. No wires at all are needed.
I wanted to know the safest way to deal with the old wiring.
Any suggestions?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Insulate the conductors properly using insulated terminal block (aka choc block) in a suitable enclosure (eg "chocbox).

I know the circuit is "turned off" but it could be turned back on again.

Also if you mean switched off at the MCB in the consumer unit, then that does not mean "turned off" as MCBs only switch the line conductor.

 

[PBC_1966]

If it really is a completely separate circuit, you can disconnect completely at source and just abandon the wiring in place.

 

[mrjsterry]

Thanks for your replies. I believe it to be a separate circuit in that it has its own breaker in the consumer unit. From the above replies what seems to be the best advice is either insulate wires in a box and block or remove the breaker and initial wiring from the consumer unit and leave the rest in place.
Thanks again.

 

[sparkwright]

No. It isn't.

The best advive is to fit mains powered interlinked smoke detectors again.

You were required to have them, and you still need them.

You need to determine if the fault was a faulty detector, or a wiring fault.

If this is beyond you, get a professional to do it for you.

Though it would be advisable to fit ordinary battery only detectors as a temporary measure, it is no excuse for not having the proper mains detectors.

So stop trying to take the easy way out, and get your wiring sorted out correctly.

 

[sparkwright]

I mean, it's ridiculous.

The alarms should be in some way interlinked - so that when one alarm is set off, all the others will be activated as well.

I don't imagine you're going to get that from basic battery only alarms.

 

[mrjsterry]

Actually you can get interlinked wireless battery only alarms, I never said they were basic either. I cant tell from building regs if they are required to be mains linked or just linked in some way, hence looking at options.

 

[eveares]

then that does not mean "turned off" as MCBs only switch the line conductor.

"turned off" - A state where a appliance or item is not drawing any current/power and is powered down. e.g. I turned off the outside light of via the wall switch.

 

[Taylortwocities]

That definition of "turned off" is a functional one.
Bear in mind that a neutral wire should be considered as a live conductor. A neutral wire left stuffed into a ceiling void, for instance, is a fine candidate to cause an RCD to trip should it come into contact with something else.

It should be insulated and terminated if it is still connected to the supply.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I would never go with a wireless system for something safety critical such as this.

 

[bernardgreen]

They were recommended by the fire service who I asked to do an inspection.

Were they recommended as "better than wired fire alarms" or recommended as "better than no alarms"