I've actually brought this discussion up with my brother who is a
fulltime firefighter.

I put the question to him which smoke detector is better (the ionization
or photocell type). He recommended the ionization type since the photocell
type are prone to false alarms due to humidity, dust or insects. This
explains why they are the cheapest.

I understand that one smoke detector per floor should be sufficient,
preferably outside of the bedrooms in a central area.

A CO2 detector should be installed on the floor where the central
heating system is located but not too close to it.

Here's an odd fact; I thought it would be best to install detectors that
are powered from 120VAC however most common fires occur when the power is
out (i.e.: from candles). If you do choose detectors that are powered from
120VAC be sure to choose one with a battery backup. Kind of defeats the
purpose of the 120VAC feature doesn't?

I'm curious though, what is the expected life of a smoke or CO2
detector?, perhaps seven years?

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

later guys...

Handi

subject to your climate and the air conditions of your dwelling rooms
and ordinance requirements, there are also heat detectors.
humidity and laundry room dust bother our smoke detectors.
most smoke detectors are disconnected due to falsing from stove top
frying, so we teach everyone to microwave bacon with a paper towel or
two above and below the slices around one minute per slice.
if the laundry room falses we blow the smoke detector clear with a leaf
blower.
during construction cover the detector heads with a plastic bag to keep
out dust while you maintain protection because the fire will burn thru
it.
for safety we install smoke detectors and separate CO detectors in all
sleeping rooms as well as the usual places specified in installation
instruction booklets.
cost of these life saving alarms is wonderfully low.
some alarms now talk as well:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...ke+detector%22

buffalobill wrote:
subject to your climate and the air conditions of your dwelling rooms
and ordinance requirements, there are also heat detectors.
humidity and laundry room dust bother our smoke detectors.
most smoke detectors are disconnected due to falsing from stove top
frying, so we teach everyone to microwave bacon with a paper towel or
two above and below the slices around one minute per slice.
if the laundry room falses we blow the smoke detector clear with a leaf
blower.
during construction cover the detector heads with a plastic bag to keep
out dust while you maintain protection because the fire will burn thru
it.
for safety we install smoke detectors and separate CO detectors in all
sleeping rooms as well as the usual places specified in installation
instruction booklets.
cost of these life saving alarms is wonderfully low.
some alarms now talk as well:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...ke+detector%22


The talking alarms are very useful for small children. Research has
shown that children between the ages of 1 & 4 years may sleep through
the alarm from a standard single station smoke detector. The recorded
voice models are affective in waking children who respond well to the
primary care providers voice at a lower volume then they do to an alarm
horn at a higher volume.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

"INSTRUCTIONS ON SMOKE DETECTOR REQUIREMENTS
Smoke detector requirements are found in the CABO Residential Building
Code Book. These smoke detector requirements were adopted by the State
of Indiana as the rules to govern by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
The smoke detectors are required to be installed in a permanent manner.
The smoke detectors are required to be 120 volt powered, and with
battery back up. These smoke detectors are required to be installed
within each bedroom, in the vicinity of each bedroom area {hall}, and
at least one on each floor including a basement. These smoke detectors
must be 120 volt powered with a red or yellow conductor that ties all
smoke detectors together on a third wire so that if one smoke detector
sounds off then they all must sound off. When it comes to the smoke
detector rule, the term existing does not apply. This smoke detector
rule applies to all dwellings."
as quoted from a very helpful site at:
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/homew...welshow.htm#15

buffalobill wrote:
"INSTRUCTIONS ON SMOKE DETECTOR REQUIREMENTS
Smoke detector requirements are found in the CABO Residential Building
Code Book. These smoke detector requirements were adopted by the State
of Indiana as the rules to govern by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
The smoke detectors are required to be installed in a permanent manner.
The smoke detectors are required to be 120 volt powered, and with
battery back up. These smoke detectors are required to be installed
within each bedroom, in the vicinity of each bedroom area {hall}, and
at least one on each floor including a basement. These smoke detectors
must be 120 volt powered with a red or yellow conductor that ties all
smoke detectors together on a third wire so that if one smoke detector
sounds off then they all must sound off. When it comes to the smoke
detector rule, the term existing does not apply. This smoke detector
rule applies to all dwellings."
as quoted from a very helpful site at:
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/homew...welshow.htm#15

Sounds like the smoke detector industry wrote the
code!

Handi wrote:
I've actually brought this discussion up with my brother who is a
fulltime firefighter.

I put the question to him which smoke detector is better (the ionization
or photocell type). He recommended the ionization type since the photocell
type are prone to false alarms due to humidity, dust or insects. This
explains why they are the cheapest.

I seriously doubt a firefighter would get them mixed up that way. It's
photocell detectors that are more expensive, at least in the U.S.,
since they're much less common. But they are not more prone to false
triggering, and if anything they're less so because they're sensitive
only to dust and smoke particles, unless the house is in a fog bank,
while ionization detectors are affected by all sorts of combustion
products, including very fine invisible ones, and even by static
electricity generated by air currents (one reason they sound when their
detection chambers are vacuumed). Ionization detectors are commonly
$5-10 and sometimes as little as $2. If you absolutely must have only
one type of detector, get the ioniaztion type since it can detect both
smoldering and flaming fires, while photocell detectors are good only
for smokey fires and may never sound if a fire gives off flames but
little smoke. However you really should have both types of detectors
since ionization detectors can take twice as long to react to
smoldering fires. There are combination ionization/photocell models,
about $20-30, but you may find that 2 individual units are cheaper.

I understand that one smoke detector per floor should be sufficient,
preferably outside of the bedrooms in a central area.

The problem with that reasoning is that occupants may not hear the
alarms behind their bedroom doors, especially if the sound is
high-pitched, which it almost always is now, and fires do start inside
bedrooms. Even the most-sensitive detectors aren't triggered until the
smoke is fairly heavy and easily smelled, and ionization detectors are
so cheap there's no reason to avoid installing them in almost every
room. Follow the installation instructions exactly since some
locations, such as the peaks of cathedral ceilings, are inherently bad
for detectors since there's no air flow there.

A CO2 detector should be installed on the floor where the central
heating system is located but not too close to it.

CO2 detectors are used in commercial buildings, to measure the amount
of outside ventilation, but for a home it makes much, much more sense
to have a CO detector because thousands times as many people die from
excessive CO than from CO2.

If you do choose detectors that are powered from 120VAC be sure to
choose one with a battery backup. Kind of defeats the purpose of
the 120VAC feature doesn't?

The 120VAC backs up the battery, just as the battery backs up the
120VAC. It's probably better for average people to install
battery-only detectors since bad 120VAC wiring can itself cause fire,
and there have been cases where homes have burned down due to faulty
smoke detector wiring.

I'm curious though, what is the expected life of a smoke or CO2
detector?, perhaps seven years?

Please quit writing "CO2." It's CO, a much, much more toxic gas that
should be your concern.

Manufacturers and fire departments recommend smoke detectors be
replaced every 10 years, and that's reasonable, considering that
detector elements become coated with dust and oils and electrolytic
capacitors break down. Some detectors come with permanent lithium
batteries and instructions to replace the detector every 10 years. For
detectors with replacable batteries, be sure to change the batteries
every 2 years if they're alkaline, every 5-7 years if lithium. Some
detectors now include conventional carbon-zinc or carbon-chloride
batteries, and they should be replaced after just 1 year with an
alkaline. If your detector comes with a replacable lithium battery,
don't switch it to alkaline because the circuitry that warns of low
battery level is calibrated differently for each type.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

You should be more interested in the facts.

Handi wrote:
I've actually brought this discussion up with my brother who is a
fulltime firefighter.

I put the question to him which smoke detector is better (the
ionization or photocell type). He recommended the ionization type
since the photocell type are prone to false alarms due to humidity,
dust or insects. This explains why they are the cheapest.

I would like to point out that the two different detectors are sensitive
to different kinds of fire indicators. Your best protection is s
combination of both. Ionization type is sensitive to a smoldering fire not
making smoke while the photocell is more sensitive to a flaming fiire.


I understand that one smoke detector per floor should be
sufficient, preferably outside of the bedrooms in a central area.

A CO2 detector should be installed on the floor where the central
heating system is located but not too close to it

That should be CO detector for home use and should in the bedroom areas.
I have one on each floor.
..

Here's an odd fact; I thought it would be best to install
detectors that are powered from 120VAC however most common fires
occur when the power is out (i.e.: from candles). If you do choose
detectors that are powered from 120VAC be sure to choose one with a
battery backup. Kind of defeats the purpose of the 120VAC feature
doesn't?
I'm curious though, what is the expected life of a smoke or CO2
detector?, perhaps seven years?

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

later guys...

Handi

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Handi wrote:
I've actually brought this discussion up with my brother who is a
fulltime firefighter.

I put the question to him which smoke detector is better (the
ionization or photocell type). He recommended the ionization type
since the photocell type are prone to false alarms due to humidity,
dust or insects. This explains why they are the cheapest.

I would like to point out that the two different detectors are sensitive
to different kinds of fire indicators. Your best protection is s
combination of both. Ionization type is sensitive to a smoldering fire not
making smoke while the photocell is more sensitive to a flaming fiire.

I understand that one smoke detector per floor should be
sufficient, preferably outside of the bedrooms in a central area.

A CO2 detector should be installed on the floor where the central
heating system is located but not too close to it

That should be CO detector for home use and should in the bedroom areas.
I have one on each floor.
.
Here's an odd fact; I thought it would be best to install
detectors that are powered from 120VAC however most common fires
occur when the power is out (i.e.: from candles). If you do choose
detectors that are powered from 120VAC be sure to choose one with a
battery backup. Kind of defeats the purpose of the 120VAC feature
doesn't?
I'm curious though, what is the expected life of a smoke or CO2
detector?, perhaps seven years?

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

later guys...

Handi


Joseph
You reversed the two types of detector in your reply. It is the
Photoelectric type that responds best to the larger particles given off
by smoldering fires. An ionization detector will respond somewhat more
quickly to free flaming fires.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

Handi wrote:
I've actually brought this discussion up with my brother who is a
fulltime firefighter.

I put the question to him which smoke detector is better (the ionization
or photocell type). He recommended the ionization type since the photocell
type are prone to false alarms due to humidity, dust or insects. This
explains why they are the cheapest.

I understand that one smoke detector per floor should be sufficient,
preferably outside of the bedrooms in a central area.

A CO2 detector should be installed on the floor where the central
heating system is located but not too close to it.

Here's an odd fact; I thought it would be best to install detectors that
are powered from 120VAC however most common fires occur when the power is
out (i.e.: from candles). If you do choose detectors that are powered from
120VAC be sure to choose one with a battery backup. Kind of defeats the
purpose of the 120VAC feature doesn't?

I'm curious though, what is the expected life of a smoke or CO2
detector?, perhaps seven years?

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

later guys...

Handi



IIRC the applicable US national standard calls for replacement or
sensitivity testing every ten years. Since the equipment and skills
necessary to perform the testing are expensive it is generally less
expensive to replace the detector.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

Thanks for your input and the facts surounding smoke detectors. Boy,
did I get my facts wrong, thanks for the corrections.

After reading the responses I chose to buy a Garrison smoke & carbon
monoxide alarm and placed it outside the basement bedrooms. This model
operates off of 120 or batteries and cost about sixty dollars Cdn.

The instructions on the package were very informative and actually
answered every concern I had including the choice between ionization and
photoelectric. The instructions recommend using both types since they
detect fire at different stages.

Handi