testtest

smoke/carbon monoxide detectors...BS

Old_Me

Old_Me

SAINT
earlier this morning, i left the house to do my errands like, buy the newspaper, fill up the gas cans for my snow blowers, stop and get paint remover, then home.

my tenant told me the smoke detectors were going off since 6 AM..

2 times a year, i vacuum ALL the detectors, in the entire house, so that's about 40 of them....

spring time, and fall..........(i just vacuumed them all this past October)

ALL 40 of them are hardwired in as per building codes....i used to have battery operated ones, and NEVER this issue.

when i call the electrical company that installed them, oh they will come over, but charge me at least $200 to do so..........

only to tell me..."these will do that at times".........

needless to say, i don;t call them......

when the units were first installed, they put in Kidde detectors...

after way too much BS, they replaced ALL of them with BRK detectors, a top line brand.

anyone got any issues with your detectors, whether you be a home owner or apartment renter..???

if i cut off the power to them, they run on thier internal batteries..

if i cut the power to them, and the batteries die, and there is a fire.......i'd be a cooked goose.

is it true..?? that at times, these insipid detectors "just do this"????

by the way, the tenant told me, and the wife backed them up...there was no power outage or blip in power to the house that anyone noticed.
 
We have hardwired with battery backup in the house. They started going off randomly (usually at night of course) and I was going crazy trying to figure out why. Researching the manufacturer online I found out that they have a life expectancy of 10 years max. Sure enough mine had exceeded that. I went to Lowe's and they had contractor packs of different quantities so I replaced the lot of them.
 
Cedric said:
We have hardwired with battery backup in the house. They started going off randomly (usually at night of course) and I was going crazy trying to figure out why. Researching the manufacturer online I found out that they have a life expectancy of 10 years max. Sure enough mine had exceeded that. I went to Lowe's and they had contractor packs of different quantities so I replaced the lot of them.
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yeah, mine are maybe all of 3-4 years old now..........yes, "up tp" 10 year life on batteries for mine as well...

electrician said batteries "should last 10 years"...however the detectors themselves have a 10 year warranty, and they refuse that, saying..."nope battery only"..

on the owners manual/instructions/warranty paperwork, it clearly states, DETECTORS 10 year warranty, and batteries last up to 10 years as well....

this nonsense happens once in a blue moon, not daily.

no smoke of any type, in the area, in fact, my tenant was asleep at the time.

the battery warning, makes a chirping sound, when time to replace.

i was told that "sometimes" a bug or spider gets into one, and crosses the photocell, and this can cause the issue.

that's an understandable thing that can happen.

seems "odd" given the old age of the house, if it is a bug, or spider, that this does not happen more often.

i was told too, that power surges, or "blips" of electricity in the lines outside, can also cause this issue.

i just don't wanna call the electrician to come out, charge me $200, and say...."i can't find nuffin wrong"
 
I still replace batteries; maybe not on schedule as I should however. The 10 year deal is static electrical sensors and chemical reagents degrade over time and so replacement at 10 years is necessary. I'd also say that's dependent on air quality in the house.
 
Cedric said:
The 10 year deal is static electrical sensors and chemical reagents degrade over time and so replacement at 10 years is necessary.
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THIS^^^
Most now when the 10 year battery dies they are toast. You can replace the battery with another 10 battery or any other battery, in a few weeks or sooner they will continue to act up until you replace the unit. That is the design.
 
Supposedly (a fire alarm person I trust mentioned this) the run of the mill
Smoke detectors like you see at Walmart only have about a 50% accuracy rate so if that’s the one you use he recommended 3 of them

The commercial grade ones are far better but usually those come with a monthly or yearly plan
 
I hate the damn things. 2 years ago I bought 4 Kidde, installed them. Hard-wired with battery back-up. One started beeping after 2 weeks. Cleaned, reset, started beeping after a few hours...into the trash. Second started beeping after 3 months, same routine...into the trash. Went out and bought 4 from a different make (can't remember but a popular one)...2 months in, same routine, all in the trash. Second set NOT hardwired and no battery (internal battery from factory I guess). No smoke detectors now...probably not a good idea, but if I have to replace them every 2-3 months that will get annoying. Never had this issue with detectors from 20 years ago (and earlier)...?
 
Jfal said:
I hate the damn things. 2 years ago I bought 4 Kidde, installed them. Hard-wired with battery back-up. One started beeping after 2 weeks. Cleaned, reset, started beeping after a few hours...into the trash. Second started beeping after 3 months, same routine...into the trash. Went out and bought 4 from a different make (can't remember but a popular one)...2 months in, same routine, all in the trash. Second set NOT hardwired and no battery (internal battery from factory I guess). No smoke detectors now...probably not a good idea, but if I have to replace them every 2-3 months that will get annoying. Never had this issue with detectors from 20 years ago (and earlier)...?
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i was perfectly happy with the Kiddie brand, run on 100% battery, that i replaced 2 times a year....never any issues.

but, i had to have some electrical work done, which required a city permit.

along comes the city inspector, and BAM...under code when you have electrical work done, you MUST install hard wired detectors, and for me, at a cost of $7,000...ON TOP of the over $16,000 originally paid for the 1st job...!!!

needless to say, i was more than a little "miffed", since he could plainly see all the battery ones were in working order.

yes, they can save lives, the hard wired ones, but like WTF, i had working ones already

be damned on building codes, but i would have had to go to court, pay fines..DAILY...then get them installed.

at least too, my homeowners insurance gives me a "little discount", and i am with-in code, should the wife and i sell....

to what..only go into a condo, with whackado detectors there too..????
 
i find when one of my 5 start loosing its brain and chirp or making noise
its right after a swing in temps and humidity

i keep the house between 65 and 68 in winter, and 70 -73 in summer ( air intake temps)
i like to be cool when i sleep
but if humidity jumps from my norm of 50-55% , it tends to drive them nuts for a few days
then they settle out.

if i open the rv garage, which has 2 smokes up high and one co2 down low
they never chirp when the engine is running filling the place with exhaust as i roll out
is your rental heated with oil or gas? how was the wind ? do they freak with wind changes blowing hard in a not normal direction?

they wait until we park it back inside and then WHOOOOAAAAA momma they get weird for a a bit until the fans exchange enough air
then the ac or heat is turned back on and all is good

the phrase "they do that" irkkkkks me.. i have taken a few back over that comment
i also have the ones with 10 year battery
 
well, that escalated rapidly from my last post here..

the alarms sound off again, i went downstairs to reset them, as my tenant was doing too.

i looked a constant flashing red light indicating a bad unit, or at least the trouble maker.

when i found a suspected unit, i reset that one, then shined a light into the photocell.....

that was a trick the electrician showed me, to "activate" a suspected unit...

in about as little as 5 minutes, THAT unit had a rapid red light, then sounded off.....BINGO...???

any way, i pulled the damned thing off the ceiling, and so far, silence....

i went and "messaged" the company that did all the work, and told them i will call monday morning, to see what gets done next.

either way, if they come over,,,,,$200 fee to do so........

if it is the bad unit, they have a 10 year warranty..i have to press that issue, as the last tech was trying to tell me, the batteries are 10 years....i know that, but the units themselves, have a 10 year warranty......

at the prices we pay for hard wired detectors, it ought to be a lifetime warranty, for as long as you own the house.
 
well this is funny.....

my tenant told me several times during the night, that detector i pulled from the ceiling..??

was sounding off..........

guess it was a good move, to remove it, as to not set off thier entire apartment...

i told them, to put it in the oven, cover it with pillows.......JUST DO NOT TURN ON THAT OVEN...!!!!.....lol
 
Old_Me said:
well this is funny.....

my tenant told me several times during the night, that detector i pulled from the ceiling..??

was sounding off..........

guess it was a good move, to remove it, as to not set off thier entire apartment...

i told them, to put it in the oven, cover it with pillows.......JUST DO NOT TURN ON THAT OVEN...!!!!.....lol
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pillow over it, followed by a 1911 round to the sensor....all quiet
this reminds me of one i tossed in the trash years ago....someone left the battery in it??? went out sunday evening to put can out to street and i kept hearing the CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP

:love:
 
i just went and located (good old google) a company owned by firemen, that sell this very same brand....they had the exact model/catalog number

so i ordered up a new one.

here's the way i see it...

1) cost of electrician to come to my house.....$160-$200 for him to say..."these things do that from time to time", which i have heard a few times since they were installed.

2) even if replaced under the warranty, which they balk at before, i still pay "up to" the $200 service charge..

3) cost of exact detector..with free 2-4 day shipping..??

$45.00

"SmokeAlert"

somewhere in NC and GA.....

Shop Home Fire Safety Equipment | Smoke Alert

Here at Smoke Alert we provide a variety of safety equipment & alert systems to reliably protect your home. Call us today at 919-428-4284
smokealert.net smokealert.net

i think i'll come out ahead on this
 
I don't understand why 40 detectors are connected together.
I have installed many fire alarm systems and I get they now have to be hardwired, but connecting multiple rental units together makes no sense, a false alarm in one dwelling signals all the detectors would be an unwanted nuisance.
My states fire alarm law only states that each dwelling shall have smoke detectors wired together and says nothing about the whole complex to be connected together, except in hallways or public gathering areas.
 
Wirenut said:
I don't understand why 40 detectors are connected together.
I have installed many fire alarm systems and I get they now have to be hardwired, but connecting multiple rental units together makes no sense, a false alarm in one dwelling signals all the detectors would be an unwanted nuisance.
My states fire alarm law only states that each dwelling shall have smoke detectors wired together and says nothing about the whole complex to be connected together, except in hallways or public gathering areas.
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3 family house....

front and rear hallway

basement.

all 3 apartments, wired as separate units, from one another

front and rear hallways wired as separate units, from each other

basement wired as a separate unit

co detectors in apartments along with smoke

co/smoke detectors in basement

smoke only in hallways.
 
Old_Me said:
3 family house....

front and rear hallway

basement.

all 3 apartments, wired as separate units, from one another

front and rear hallways wired as separate units, from each other

basement wired as a separate unit

co detectors in apartments along with smoke

co/smoke detectors in basement

smoke only in hallways.
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That is really weird!!!
My only thought is somewhere these are connected together that would be my only thoughts on why one apt. trips and they all sound off.
Since all units are electrically wired independently and I'm guessing each unit has it's own panel, first thing I would check is if there is a separate circuit in each unit for smoke alarms, hopefully your installer labeled the panels as per electrical code.
If only one circuit is found between the three units then they are all connected together.
Again not seeing the units this is what I would look for first.
I will make a few calls tomorrow to some of my old working partners since I'm retired my mind is out of ideas.
 
Wirenut said:
That is really weird!!!
My only thought is somewhere these are connected together that would be my only thoughts on why one apt. trips and they all sound off.
Since all units are electrically wired independently and I'm guessing each unit has it's own panel, first thing I would check is if there is a separate circuit in each unit for smoke alarms, hopefully your installer labeled the panels as per electrical code.
If only one circuit is found between the three units then they are all connected together.
Again not seeing the units this is what I would look for first.
I will make a few calls tomorrow to some of my old working partners since I'm retired my mind is out of ideas.
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no, they all sound off in the 1 apartment.....if there is smoke (or a bad detector) in that 1 apartment.


same for the others.

same for the hallways and basement.
 
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