I have a First Alert duo photoelectric/ionization. Web makes it sound like you really need both. But the only manufacturers of alarms are Kidde and FA, and in both cases their duo products get lots of "false alarm" or "product not working" reviews. Any suggestions?
Didn't find your answer? Ask the community — no account required.
L
larry moe 'n curly
I have several American Sensors (formerly Dicon) ionization detectors, and the couple I tested for false triggering didn't go off when I put them right in front of A/C ducts, but I don't know how sensitive they are. When I was a kid, my parents bought Honeywell detectors because Consumer Reports said they were the second most sensitive ones (first were Philips/Norelco), yet they also wouldn't falsely trigger. Apparently they were nearly identical to the detectors Honeywell installed in their commercial alarm systems.
You really do want both photoelectric and ionization detectors because with very smokey fires the photoelectric one will trigger in just half the time, but for low-smoke, high flame fires they probably won't trigger at all, so you need ionization detectors for those.
Join the Discussion
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Didn't find your answer?
Ask the community — no account required
Report Content
You are reporting this content to the moderators. They will look at it
ASAP.