Mains smoke alarms

I tried to buy some a couple of years ago, and couldn't find any. Interlinked ones all seem to be mains these days.

(OK, you may be able to get them, but they're not common. Anyway, I felt it was a better job to use mains ones...all six of them!)

Reply to
Bob Eager
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well if you have gone to all the trouble of running the interlinking wiring, seems that running them off mains would be a lot simpler.

I want aware that battery interlinked were even available.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Given the number of times the one in our hall "falses" (we call it "the bacon detector"), if it had a non-removable battery it would have been wrenched off the ceiling and stamped into ruin (or flung down the gardem, never to be retrieved) years ago.

Reply to
Huge

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:24:52 +0100, The Natural Philosopher mused:

I think you could be a bit more 'creative' with your low voltage wiring.

I've never fitted them, always fit interlinked mains\battery or mains\capacitor ones, or smokes linked to an intruder alarm, which I find better quality usually and less prone to false alarms.

Reply to
Lurch

Do you want to try backing up what you are so certain of with something other than just your opinion?

cheers

David

Reply to
DM

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:05:43 +0100 someone who may be DM wrote this:-

I did so, but you snipped it out.

Nice try.

Reply to
David Hansen

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:03:58 GMT, a particular chimpanzee, "The Medway Handyman" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

Building Regulations only cover "building work", which includes the erection or extension of a building, the material change of use of a building or part of a building, or the material alteration of a building or part of a building, or of a controlled service or fitting.

Material alteration only includes work which would, at any stage, result in a building not complying with a Relevant Requirement where previously it did, or making it worse in terms of complying with a Relevant Requirement than it did previously.

The Relevant Requirements in this case are structure and fire safety.

This is why the installation of any _additional_ detection is not Building Work and therefore does not need to comply with the applicable guidance, but replacing or altering any existing detection would be.

Reply to
Hugo Nebula

Realise interlinked alarms require some work. You need to get the link from ground-floor ceiling to hall-ceiling - which may involve major redecoration.

If you are going to fit interlinked smoke alarms, you may as well use mains powered w/battery backup. EI 141 are cheap - just =A312-14 on Ebay, long life.

Wiring... Wire off a local lighting circuit whose loss would be obvious - such as the hall lighting circuit. Use 3C+E for power-&-interlink, NOT the E conductor of 2C+E (fails inspection & no-one expects E to be live). Ensure L+N polarity is correct incidentally.

An alternative is to use Wireless Interlinked Alarms, EI have a range of these - wireless via the bases. Obviously this puts price up quite considerably.

Reply to
js.b1

Just make sure they're good quality!

Also consider different types of alarm for different areas - photoelectric vs. ionisation, with heat rise one in kitchen.

Agreed. Or use a separate circuit and wire a non-maintained emrgency light to it, fitted over the stairs. Serves the same function *and* gives you lighting backup in a power cut.

Reply to
Bob Eager

We did just that - lights the stairs very effectively.

I think Building Regs as of ?June? require the emergency-light & smoke alarm to be on a (switched) SFCU and not just FCU. The argument IIRC is to test the light works & provide isolation.

MK do SFCU with red switches, and neons, as differentiation.

-- JS.B

Reply to
js.b1

Mine is on a separate low-rated MCB at the CU.

Reply to
Bob Eager

Check again, and please post whatever you imagined of relevance that I apparently snipped out.

I think your requirements for a reference and mine must differ somewhat.

cheers

David

Reply to
DM

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