Smoke alarm advice

[Scott]

The Scottish Government has introduced legislation requiring smoke and heat alarms to be interlinked:

I see it, this can either be done by hard wiring or wireless connection. Leaving aside cost and aesthetics for the moment, am I right in thinking that wireless might be the safer option in case the cables are damaged by the fire?

If I go for mains-powered units, could these be connected to the lighting circuit or should there be a dedicated circuit?

I assume a separate link cable(s) is needed (not a signal via the existing wiring). Should these be armoured to protect from fire :-)

[Andy Burns]

Is it likely the cables will be damaged before the first smoke alarm activates?

I'd rather trust a cable than a radio.

[GB]

I think that it would be a major fire that damaged the cables. AFAIK, though, wireless is standard. I fitted some battery powered ones to MIL's bungalow years ago, and they worked really well.

Yes, lighting circuit. They have back-up batteries in them, so they'll continue working if the power is out.

You may be over-thinking this. :)

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have mains powered smoke alarms. They have always triggered (deafeningly) in the presence of extremely modest amounts of smoke or steam.

I have no doubt that they would do so well before a real fire got into their cables.

[alan_m]

How robust will a wireless system be if all properties around you fit the same or similar systems? I would hope it may be more robust than some wireless doorbell systems where if someone uses the same code then your chime sounds when someone else bell push is activated.

[Scott]

Are they interlinked?

[Scott]

Arguably, if you live in a flat there would be logic in activating the alams in neighbouring flats (though the Scottish Governement says this is not a requirement).

[Andy Burns]

Put any non-maintained emergency lights on the same circuit as the alarms to make it "super obvious"?

[spuorgelgoog]

Definately not, in most low-rise buildings with reasonable fire compartmentation. The certainty of false or even malicious alarms from neighbours at 3 am.

If a whole building alarm is needed it needs to be a proper panel system, preferably with C-Tec hush/isolation buttons for each dwelling.

Owain

[Brian Gaff]

I'd imagine the next rule will be your own personal fire engine in the garden. Brian

[spuorgelgoog]

Absolutely, if you've got the space for it!

Or if you live near Gordonstoun the local school can pop round

Owain

[Bob Eager]

I also attached a bulkhead emergency light to the circuit, halfway up the stairs. Useful in a power cut, and it's obvious when the circuit has tripped.

[Bob Eager]

What I did ten years ago!

[alan_m]

I also have a non-maintained emergency light in my hallway - originally a fluorescent tube type but replaced a few years back with a LED version. Although only 3 or 4W the light from the LEDs is enough to illuminate much of the rooms off the hallway in the event of power cut at night.

[newshound]

+1.

I tried (cheap) radio linked ones when I bought this house more than 30 years ago. They were pretty rubbish and I didn't try to keep them working. I just made sure there were plenty of basic battery ones scattered around.