Fire alarm for an outbuilding - recommendations please ?

Hi folks In order to trade at the local markets, I have to carry Public Liability insurance (6.5 million euro! )

Insurance renewal time is coming up again - and one insurer was offering me 'premises' insurance for the stained-glass studio (12ft x 24ft timber building just outside the back door).

Never had that insured before, but it started me thinking. in addition to a good few thousand euro worth of stock, machiner and raw materials, said shed does also include a kiln, and the groundsource heat-pump that heats the house. All-in-all - a fair bit of cash to replace all of this.... and, as theft isn't really an issue out here, I guess fire is the major risk.

We have a couple of linked fire alarms inside the house - what's involved in setting up some sort of similar alarm in the studio - presumably linked into the existing ?? It's not a technology that I'm familiar with - so any suggestions please?

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian Brentnall
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If the insurer requires a fire alarm, they will have a specification that you have to meet.

If it is for your own peace of mind, then check to see whether the ones you have use a radio link. If, as is quite likely, they do you just need to add a compatible detector in the studio.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

My workshop insurer got very uninterested in insuring my workshop when it acquired a glass kiln!

I need burglary insurance on my workshop, and especially when tools are out of the workshop - mostly when they're in a friend's workshop in a _delightful_ neighbourhood of Bristol. I just can't afford to insure it against my own risk though - premiums are crazier, relative to capital value, than for pushbike insurance.

In practice, I just segregate. Hot metal is done in a shed full of fireproof metal, no-one in the woodwork shop full of sawdust is allowed to know the secret of fire. My own alarms are just a cheap burglar panel from TLC, with zones for fire.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

No - no insurance requirement - just 'peace of mind'. The current alarms are hard-wired and linkable,

formatting link
there's one just by the back door, where there are also other power & data cables running out to the studio.

Presumably it's wise to get another identical alarm for the studio - rather than hoping that a different manufacturer's alarm uses the same link arrangements ?

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian Brentnall

Well - they've not specifically mentioned it - but I guess it'd be wise to state it on the proposal

As I say - luckily not an issue out here in the wild south-west of Ireland

Fair enough. Don;t think I need anything that complex - just a sensor / link to say - "hey, wake up, the studio's on fire....."

Thanks Adrian

Reply to
Adrian Brentnall

On 28/01/2011 16:49, Adrian Brentnall wrote: ...

Should be fairly easy to link another in then.

It certainly would be safer to buy the same make and model. Others may work, but you know the same type will work.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

For property protection, it depends what you can achieve by being alerted earlier. Can you tackle the fire unaided? Would calling the Fire Brigade sooner reduce the damage? I suspect, unless the fire is a slow-burning smouldering fire, the answer to both would be no. All the Fire Brigade would do if there was no-one inside would be to point their hoses at it.

The most suitable detector for a smouldering fire is an optical smoke detector. However these are more susceptible to being triggered by steam and dust. You might consider a heat detector, but, again, these may be triggered by the heat from the kiln.

Reply to
Hugo Nebula

I've got three things in my workshop: metals that won't burn whatever you do, solvents that wil flash over before you're out the dooor, and timber that will smoulder slowly for quite some time.

So time really is of the essence. If it's not already a question of "Run!", then it's a timber fire, and that's best dealt with by me while it's still a small fire, before it's a big fire.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Another factor in that is how long it will take the Fire Brigade to respond. We have single appliance in town, with retained firemen, some of whom would have to drive past us to get to the pump to come back out... I reckon that if the appliance was here squirting water within ten minutes of being called it would be doing very well. In ten minutes even a small fire could be a big one:

Property Fire (Eden) 21 May 2010

At 0358 hours on Friday, 21st May 2010, 4 appliances (1 from Alston,

2 from Penrith,1 from Lazonby and 1 from Brampton), the Water Bowser from Penrith, Watch Manager Kevin Johnston ,Station Managers Craig Drinkald and COnrad Leather attended reports of a property fire just south of Garrigill, near Alston. Fire involved the roof and first floor of a 2 storey farmhouse measuring 9 metres by 9 metres and was well alight on arrival. The fire was tackled using 8 breathing apparatus,2 hosereels, one main jet, various ladders, small tools,thermal image camera and a height safety pack. Detectors were fitted at this property by CFRS and raised the alarm to the occupants. Crews returned to home station at 1301 hrs.

Note that the place had smoke detectors so one assumes the brigade would have been called PDQ. The appliances from anywhere other than Alston would are not far short of an hour away...

Even the small hose reel can lay down a considerable amount of water, far more than yer average garden hose. Not for long though with only about 1000l of water on board.

Thought they were delta T sensors rather than absolute T. Would make sense to have both though with the absolute being something "silly" like >80C.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

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