Smoke detectors?

[quicksandfarmer]

I'm thinking of replacing my smoke detectors and I'm looking for some first-hand experience and recommendations.

I have hard-wired smoke detectors that were installed by the electrician when we had the house remodeled a few years ago. They have 9-volt battery backup. At the time RI had its own regulations which were a bit overboard, so we have 9 of them (RI has since gone to the national code). The things are a pain in the ***. The batteries go out all the time, and when they do _- usually in the middle of the night -- they chirp intermittently. There's no visual indicator of which one is out, and there's a number of spots in the house where there are two within a few feet of each other so the sound isn't much help in locating which one is chirping. I've taken to buying batteries in bulk from Amazon, and replacing them all at once, but that's a pain.

We are close to the ocean and often get fog. When that happens sometimes it sets off the smoke detectors. Usually that's around 3 in the morning.

The original ones were the ionizing type. The one on the first floor would often get set off by cooking in the kitchen. I replaced it with a photoelectric type, the First Alert 7010B four years ago. That solved the false alarm problem. Unfortunately, last week it just started going off for no reason. Reading the reviews on Amazon, this seems to be a common problem for this model.

The latest thing seems to be detectors with sealed lithium batteries with a 10 year life. Since that's the lifetime of the smoke detector anyway, the idea is that you never change the battery, when the battery runs out you just replace the whole unit -- or even all the units in the house. That appeals to me.

Finally, Rhode Island requires that one detector on each floor also be a carbon monoxide detector.

So, does anyone have recommendations for a model of smoke detector that:
* Is hard wired
* Has a 10-year sealed battery
* Is resistant to false alarms
* Is durable
* Has a visual indicator in addition to an audible indicator when the battery is low
* Is available in a combo carbon monoxide detector model

Oh, and is reasonably priced.

Thanks.

 

[RNeumann]

I’ve had both the First Alert smoke and smoke/co detectors in the last few places I’ve built. I’ve had zero issues. Home Depot was about as cheap as I found them- cheaper than my wholesaler.
They make “10 year” 9v batteries you can buy if you don’t want ones that are hardwired in- I haven’t seen many issues with them. I do energizer Lithium batts and change those every other year- maybe every third year.
The original battery change message we gave the public was change your batteries when you change your clocks- so twice a year. But with Lithium and hard wiring you can extend that.
Smoke detectors are wear items- it has to be given the concept/design. Thinking that some brand or model has figured a way to beat that isn’t the case. With that, I wouldn’t over spend.

 

[HillStreet]

I agree with RNeumann. Built my house three years ago and have not replaced a battery since but will do it this fall. Detectors are hard wired and combo smoke and carbon monoxide. We have a whole house generator so the batteries in the detectors hardly are used. We do have an occasional false alarm due to cooking but hey, they work.

 

[tjkubota93]

I have 2 or 3 combo fire/c0 alarms that work well. They are alot better on batteries than the other types we have had. They work well. They also talk when they go off. I will have to check the brand when I get home. And the batteries!

 

[tjkubota93]

They are kidde brand. One is a nighthawk, the other just says combination.

We had a first alert. It started needing batteries once a month. So I called them, the lady was very argumentative and did not want to warranty it or believe what I said. So I told her based on this I will throw this POS in the trash and NEVER buy anything from your company again. So that's why they are both kidde now.

 

[GLyford]

I have had no problems with brands, but have with location.

The one at the base of my stairs goes off 2 or 3 times a year. Since all the units are wired together, that causes other problems. When we moved in, that unit wasn't signal compatible with the others, I eventually figured out why. Current detector for that location has nuisance tripped until it was unplugged from the ceiling, resting on a shelf nearby it hasn't peeped except to ask for batteries. Every detector (3? 4?) we have had at that spot has nuisance tripped.

I am thinking it is a dust and airflow issue. When we have the windows open spring and fall, we get fine dust all through the house, not just pollen, our house lot is sandy and we get a very fine layer of sand colored dust. I also know that I smell cooking odors upstairs before I even smell them in other rooms downstairs, so there is good airflow coming up the stairs. The detector at the top of the stairs never trips.

So I am wondering how far from the stairs I can move the detector and still meet code...

 

[CobyRupert]

When trying to locate chirping detector:

Hint: Detectors usually chirp at a constant interval (60 seconds, 120 seconds, etc..). If you use a watch or "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi...." to count down it makes locating the chirping detector a lot easier/methodical.

 

[oosik]

I've had a smoke detector for about 15 years now. The only time it goes off - low battery-2AM OR sometimes when I use one of the remotes for the TV. My house has a vaulted ceiling and I'm either going to move the detector to a lower location or get one of those lithium batteries. About the time I fall off the ladder - servicing that @#$% detector - it goes in the burn barrel.

Besides there is no law out here in the pucker weeds regarding any type detector.

 

[bruceha2000]

We have a whole house generator so the batteries in the detectors hardly are used.

The batteries in hardwired units should NEVER get used except during power outages. Yet the batteries fail well before their "date". Thus something in the hardwired units is draining the batteries. There SHOULD be no battery changes/costs in hardwired units. Replacing them every 6 months "in case" is a waste of money and batteries in the dump that shouldn't be there. I have the same problem with a propane detector that is plugged into an outlet :mur:

To the OP.
Half the house was rebuilt 5 years ago. The electricians put in hardwired units as required by code. And 1' down from the ceiling as required. Not a great plan upstairs where there is no attic and the wall the units are on is 11'. I can JUST barely reach them if I'm on my toes on a chair. MAYBE I can get the drawer and batteries out. MAYBE I can get new batteries in. Plus, the only way to kill them while attempting this is to trip the breaker they are on ... which happens to be the same one as EVERY light in the kitchen. Which means dealing with the one near the kitchen also requires a flashlight (shorter ceiling so no ladder). And of course the batteries do go in the middle of the night. I don't keep a 6' ladder in the house and I don't want to hike out to the barn in the middle of the night to get one. I got fed up last year and replaced the 2 upstairs units with First Alert 10 year battery units. One is smoke only, one smoke and CO.

It makes no sense to me to require hardwired units with battery backup (in case the power goes out) when the batteries MUST be routinely replaced and will work just fine for the short amount of time you need to get out of the house if there is a fire. We have had 1 false alarm. EVERY hardwired unit went off. What good is that? Don't you want to go in the direction that is AWAY from the fire? How do you know where the fire is if there are half a dozen or more units spread through the house all alerting at the same time?

BTW, the battery life is truly undeterminable. 2 years ago I was having a hard time finding out which unit was telling me the battery was going. I finally found it in the crawl space. Makes sense to have one there since there is a propane furnace in the space. But the batteries in that unit lasted 3 years. Others have needed replacing in less than a year.

 

[N2DFire]

The batteries in hardwired units should NEVER get used except during power outages. Yet the batteries fail well before their "date". Thus something in the hardwired units is draining the batteries. There SHOULD be no battery changes/costs in hardwired units. Replacing them every 6 months "in case" is a waste of money and batteries in the dump that shouldn't be there. I have the same problem with a propane detector that is plugged into an outlet :mur:

To the OP.
Half the house was rebuilt 5 years ago. The electricians put in hardwired units as required by code. And 1' down from the ceiling as required. Not a great plan upstairs where there is no attic and the wall the units are on is 11'. I can JUST barely reach them if I'm on my toes on a chair. MAYBE I can get the drawer and batteries out. MAYBE I can get new batteries in. Plus, the only way to kill them while attempting this is to trip the breaker they are on ... which happens to be the same one as EVERY light in the kitchen. Which means dealing with the one near the kitchen also requires a flashlight (shorter ceiling so no ladder). And of course the batteries do go in the middle of the night. I don't keep a 6' ladder in the house and I don't want to hike out to the barn in the middle of the night to get one. I got fed up last year and replaced the 2 upstairs units with First Alert 10 year battery units. One is smoke only, one smoke and CO.

It makes no sense to me to require hardwired units with battery backup (in case the power goes out) when the batteries MUST be routinely replaced and will work just fine for the short amount of time you need to get out of the house if there is a fire. We have had 1 false alarm. EVERY hardwired unit went off. What good is that? Don't you want to go in the direction that is AWAY from the fire? How do you know where the fire is if there are half a dozen or more units spread through the house all alerting at the same time?

BTW, the battery life is truly undeterminable. 2 years ago I was having a hard time finding out which unit was telling me the battery was going. I finally found it in the crawl space. Makes sense to have one there since there is a propane furnace in the space. But the batteries in that unit lasted 3 years. Others have needed replacing in less than a year.

The reason Smoke Detectors are mounted 1' from the ceiling (and not lower on inconveniently high ceilings) is because of the volume of smoke required to fill the space above the detector before it trips. The larger the "gap" from detector to ceiling means the greater and more advanced the fire conditions would have become before you are alerted to the fire.

The reason Hardwired units have a battery back-up is not in the likelihood of a fire during an (unrelated) power outage but rather if the fire caused the power failure (to the building or just the unit) that it will still operate for a short period as a stand alone device.

As to your comments on why they drain the battery even when powered by outside sources - I have no idea but I'm sure if you e-mail one of the manufactures they could tell you (and for the record, I don't get it either).

And the reason you want linked detectors is to alert you to a fire as quickly as possible - i.e. you're asleep on one end of the house when a fire starts on another floor at the opposite end of the house. Having several non-linked units could allow the fire to have a very large head start before you are alerted or even worse you could be overcome by CO and other poisonous gasses from a remotely located fire before ever being awakened by the closer smoke detectors.

Depending on who's studies you read a free burning fire that has all the fuel & oxygen it needs will double in size every 15 to 60 seconds. Every bit of advanced warning you can get (especially when you're asleep) is critical.

You should always have a primary and back-up exit route from bedrooms and a designated meeting point for your family. Never rely on what detector is going of to guide you out of a fire.

If you research you will find that very few fire fatalities were caused by the fire itself (i.e. they burnt to death) - the vast majority succumb to the fire gasses and byproducts of combustion long before the fire ever gets to them. This is why early / remote detection is so important.

I'll get off my soap box now, but I will say I'd rather have you all here complaining about the inconveniences of smoke detectors, rather than you not being here because you didn't have them.

Stay safe everyone.