Smoke Alarms

[chriselevate]

Just wondered what the suggested fitting is on these?

I guess I should have a heat/smoke activated on in the kitchen and then a smoke activated one both in the downstairs and upstairs hall way?

I've heard that there are now mains connected ones that have batteries too and can communicate wirelessly with each other?

What is the norm to do now? Wire one from a light ceiling rose and the other ones with batteries?

Which ones do you guys tend to fit? Kidde ones?

Thanks for any help you can give

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

The way they are fitted really depends how you want to do it.
You can take from lighting circuit, or you can also have an independent circuit.
I would interlink with three core between them all.
also have battery back up.
If I can I try to have on independent circuit but light circuit is fine.
The wireless ones are all mains connected but there is no interlink cable between them as that is done by the RF, they are not cheap though.

Heat: kitchen and garage
Optical: Living room, hallway, landing
Ionisation: bedrooms
Multi-sensors: hallway, landing,living room, bedrooms.

I prefer the "Ei/aico" ones

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Only put a smoke detector in the kitchen if you want it to be going off all the time, until you can stand it no more and you either cover it with a plastic bag, or remove it and replace it with a rate-of-rise heat detector which you should have fitted in the first place.

Yes, use mains powered interlinked ones, but as with all wireless technology, if you can use wires then do so.

Powering from a lighting circuit is good because you tend to notice quite quickly if it stops working.

 

[jabuzzard]

Powering from a lighting circuit is good because you tend to notice quite quickly if it stops working.

Quite a few of the interlinked type are not suitable to be powered from a lighting circuit if it has florescent lights on the circuit. Given that all the energy efficient ones are are basically florescent lights that is separate circuit. Suggestion is to use a door bell circuit.

Building regulations cover where you should have them. Basically on every floor of a circulatory space (aka hall/landing), in the principle living room and now in the principle bedroom (so parents are woken in good time to rescue children). You should also have CO alarm if you have a gas fire linked in. If you live in a particularly large building you need more.

In a kitchen a heat alarm rather than a smoke alarm, though strangely I don't believe this is a requirement even though a large number of fires start in kitchens.

Scary fact of the day in the USA 98% of fire deaths occur in buildings without mains powered fire alarms.