Smoke alarms

[Tefal]

3 bedroom house. it's really frustrating that the guy installing it (works for the builder) can't quote me an act/regulations number. Thanks for the info.

think hes trying to have you off tbh.

smoke alarm in every room could get very irritating

 

[rexehuk]

I'm pretty sure it's only on rented properties where it is mandatory.

My electrician was adamant that I definitely needed fire alarms everywhere... And you know you need fire rated cable to do it AND it has to be a dedicated circuit AND they all have to be interlinked... Yeah great I'm sure that adds a nice bit to a quote, making me pay for fire rated cable at god knows what per meter.

No thanks. How about i buy two nests, and spur them off lighting circuit... And do away with all your crap given they have a lithium backup and notifications to my phone?

If he can't quote regs, ask building control.

 

[2004typer]

I am an ex local authority Building Control Surveyor. Minimum standard is mains wired interlinked smoke alarms within the circulation space on each storey (i.e. Hallway, Landings). The situation gets more onerous as the number of storeys increase. A two storey house can be open plan at ground floor as long as first floor and inner rooms have escape windows. A three storey house requires a protected escape route leading to a final exit with fire doors installed to all rooms accessed off the escape route. With regard to smoke detectors on every room, I have heard of this being accepted in lieu of fire doors......however the acceptability of this is at the discretion of the Building Control Surveyor because it generally goes against the advice in Approved Document B. Hope this helps.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

We possibly went overboard (but disabled parent in the house so we need all the warning we can get).

We've got an thermal wireless linked smoke alarm in the kitchen, linked to one in the upstairs hall, then a normal one (non linked) in every room apart the bathroom and WC, those are a mix of optical and ionising.
It is fun as you may imagine finding which one has the low battery at 3am in the morning.

As I say probably overkill, but when you've got an older person with Alzheimer in the house, who can't get down the stairs unassisted every second counts.

you may as well go hardwired. changing batteries on that many must be a pain

 

[Werewolf]

It's only about every 2-3 years the batteries need changing, it's just that they all tend to go within a week or two (I should really just replace them all in one go once a year or something).
I'd go hardwired but haven't got the time/energy to do it properly, it took me over a week to get one a couple of network cable runs done and they were easy as it was mainly on a route where I'd already ran cabling.

 

[Rroff]

circulation space

Aaaah was trying to think of that nomenclature earlier and couldn't for the life of me put my finger on it.

 

[carlosvr6]

We're having our loft converted at the moment. Private building inspector advised interlinked smoke alarms in every room of the house if we decided not to have fire doors.

 

[FTM]

I have a Nest Protect as well..I love the nightlight feature

 

[Kemik]

I have a Nest Protect as well..I love the nightlight feature

V1 was dire. Five times I had the thing go off randomly at night during the summer. Gives you a heart attack when you wake up being told your house is on fire, run for your life, and the whole place is flashing red.

 

[Valo]

well i've got a nest thermostat so i decided to buy into the nest ecosystem. nest protects aren't cheap though. they are £80 a pop iirc whereas a generic detector is only £10-£20. however they look great and I've even had compliments from people that have been round. one of them even thought they were bluetooth/wireless speakers. they also have a lifespan of around 10 years so it's only £8 a year per smoke detector so it's not that expensive and tbh I don't think I would go back to dumb ones.

you tell them where they are located so i have them named as Kitchen (it's not in the kitchen but in the dining area joined onto the kitchen, there used to be a wall between the 2 but there no longer is), Entrance and Upstairs Hallway. If smoke is detected in the kitchen the smoke alarm warns you it is about to go off. so you have 10-15 seconds to open a window or silence it. it also sends a message to your mobile. it also sends a warning throughout your home to the other nest protects. "warning there is smoke detected in the kitchen". so i could be upstairs and i hear the warning and then go downstairs to see what is going on before it goes off for real.

when they go off they don't half deafen you. there is no way you would sleep through these so i think 1 in the upstairs hallway will cover all the bedrooms. only if i was in the en suite in the shower would i not be able to hear it.

"
We also strongly recommend installing a Nest Protect:

• Inside and outside every sleeping area
  
  If you close your bedroom door before you go to sleep, make sure you install a smoke alarm inside your bedroom and in the hallway. Closed or metal doors can also block smoke from reaching a smoke alarm. "

https://nest.com/uk/support/article/Which-rooms-in-my-home-need-a-Nest-Protect

"Rooms where installing a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is not recommended

Some rooms in your home have conditions that are more likely to damage a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm or set off nuisance alarms.

It is recommended that you do not install combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms in these rooms:

• Kitchens
  
  However, Nest Protect can be installed at least 3 m (10 feet), from cooktops or cooking appliances.
  
• Unfinished attics
  
  Smoke alarms are not designed to work in extreme heat or cold, or in areas where smoke and dust are common as it could damage the sensors of the alarm.
  
• Garages
  
  As they are usually not heated or cooled, the temperatures in a garage may go above or below the temperature range that the alarm has been designed for. The smoke from engine exhaust fumes can also cause nuisance alarms and damage the sensors of the smoke alarm.
  
• Furnace rooms, or any room that contains a water heater or a furnace.
  
  To avoid nuisance alarms, the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm should be at a horizontal distance of more than 1 meters from the potential fuel-burning source of carbon monoxide."

I'm another very happy Nest Protect owner. I have two one in my Kitchen and another in my Hall, I live in a bungalow so it suits my needs.

Yes they are expensive but couple it to a Nest Thermostat and they work great together, for instance if there is a Carbon Monoxide detected by the Protect it will tell the Thermostat to shut off the boiler.