On Jun 30, 11:51 pm, Kyle wrote:
I have to install AC interconnected smoke detectors in an investment
home I own (county code) and am running into a bit of a problem.

Most interconnected require the units all be on the same wire, which
is simple enough for new construction, but trying to run one wire from
the attic to the basement in a house built in 1954 is a world of fun
beyond what I want to do or pay someone to do.

I found Kidde makes AC smoke detectors that are interconnected by
wireless. Does anyone have experience installing these? Do all units
have to be on the same circuit in order for the wireless
interconnectivity to work?

So, last week I installed the Kidde A/C wireless interconnected smoke
detectors, and installation could not be easier. I won't go into the
personal simple things (like being able to install one on a box in
place of a receptacle), but Kidde makes a connection harness that
splices into the existing wiring and then the alarm snaps onto the
harness.

The wireless interconnectivity is not circuit-dependent, so unless
your municipality requires alarms to be on the same circuit or a
dedicated circuit, you can wire them to separate circuits if you need
to. The instructions in the box are not all that clear, so don't be
confused by the part where it gives you instructions on how to connect
a wireless unit into a exiting hardwired-interconnectivity system.

This is one time I am grateful for the weird wiring habits of the
electricians who did Loch Raven Village in the 1950s. I usually prefer
a room to be on one circuit, but the fact the electricians ran a wire
off the main panel, creating a circuit of a couple outlets in the
basement, the dining room and the two back bedrooms made it incredibly
easy to put all three detectors on the same low-load circuit.

The key here is to not put the detectors on a high-load circuit that
might have a habit of tripping - like an appliance circuit or the
like. Choose a circuit that gets very little usage, and you won't have
to worry about the circuit blowing in the event of an accident. Then
again, isn't that what the battery back-up is for...?