I've always had mechanical timers for things like bathroom fans--turn it on for 30 minutes of wind tunnel to exhaust condensation; it turns off at the end--but now I'm looking for one that has the opposite effect. I want the circuit to be on all the time except when I turn the timer to (say) 30 minutes and it counts down. After 30 minutes it should re-connect the circuit.
Any suggestions as to what I should look for? BTW it's not going to switch more than 100 watts @ 110V, maybe even as little as 5 watts.
OK, in the meantime I've been searching google and I find:
formatting link
---sheesh!---
which seems to fill the bill at a reasonable price.
As to what I want it for...
I'm making some smoke-generating foodstuff in the kitchen and this piercing unpleasant noise which can't be shut off shatters the tranquility of the neighborhood necessitating a trip to the load center to shut off the smoke detector circuit which of course you forget to turn on again when the smoke has cleared. So...
That 30-minute timer activated before the smoke-generating cooking will prevent the noise but return the system to alarm-ready state in a reasonable time without further intervention on my part.
That is a good idea. Where are you going to place the timer? In the kitchen or near the breaker box? Does anyone know if this would be alowed by code in a new house?
My load center is in the cellar at the opposite end of the house from the kitchen so not there. The kitchen (large including dining area) is in the basement together with the TV/family room, laundry, mud room/gardening-equipment area and is accessed by a hall from the front door so I'm thinking of putting it in the hall (which is where that floor's smoke detector is) perhaps in a dual box with a pilot light just so I can see if something goes wrong.
I don't know. Perhaps one of the code-boys will answer. My guess is that they'd have a conniption but it seems safer than turning off the circuit breaker which is what happens at present.
To the guy who says I should have a better vent, well, I currently have a commercial SS large range hood exhausting to the outside through a 10" pipe and a large dedicated fan. Some foods simply overwhelm even this. I've looked at the ASHME (something like that) standards for restaurants which would presumably guarantee sufficient exhaust but these are far too costly for even large expensive homes; they even say so in the standards.
I should think that what you'd really want is just a way to disconnect the kitchen alarm from the rest of the system. Or swap the smoke detector for a heat sensor in that location only. Sabotaging the entire alarm system, even for only half-hour increments, doesn't seem like a good approach to the problem.
First Alert, as well as others, makes many models of smoke detectors with a button to silence the detector for a period of time during non-emergencies. If it's mounted too high to reach, keep a stick nearby. That's got to be easier (and cheaper) than a custom made timer circuit that could break down and disable the detector when you really need it.
I've heard of a model that can be silenced with a flashlight, but a quick google didn't turn anyth> >
And the one I got uses IR remote control to activate the test feature. I keep feeling like yelling "SHUT UP!!!" most times I use the TV remote. I have no need for that "feature" anyway.
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