Home smoke detectors!

[romans1212]

I just bought another home less than a year ago. I put batteries in all the smoke detectors in the house and in the basement because the previous owner took all the batteries before he left. My comments on this are tabled for another day...Past placing batteries in the detectors, I have not given them any thought at all.

Until last night...

At 1:45am, every detector in the house started screaming. I leap out of bed in a stupor to look for the smoke or the fire. The kids, the wife and the dog are all yelling, not in fear, but in anger for the interruption. Are we so desensitized to alarms that our reaction to hearing a screaming smoke alarm is anger? Really?

In this case, there is no smoke and no fire...the alarms are all screaming. I took batteries out, pressed buttons. Nothing worked until I flipped the breaker. I didn't flip the breaker off first because I wanted to be absolutely certain there was no fire. When I flipped the breaker back on, the detectors started screaming again. I am so glad the smoke detectors were clearly labelled in the breaker box. Are yours?

Never enjoyed this experience before. Although the breaker is currently still turned off, I understand that dust over time can collect in the detector and set it off. Set one off, set them all off. Neighbors hate you. I hope this fixes my issue. I will know more tonight after work.

Vacuum carpets and by the way, vacuum your detectors every now and then, I suppose. They do not like being ignored.

 

[CannonKrazy]

This may have nothing to do with your troubles but thought I would mention it just in case. I worked for a company in Swainsboro that made fire protection and suppression equipment for seven years. The place I worked was called Chemetron Fire Systems and was owned by United Technologies Corporation. Our sister company was in Pittsfield Maine and manufacture Kidde brand smoke detectors. Both companies were shut down recently due to UTC poor business practices. The Pittsfield Maine plant wasn't as nice about the closing as we were. There was intentional sabotage and tampering to the product line. There was a BIG recall for all Kidde detectors made during that period of time. You can read about this if you go on Yahoo and check out UTX stock message board.

 

[thesammythecurse]

I just got battery maintenance free detectors from Costco. Lasts 10years, throw them out. They were on sale last month. No problems

 

[polaris30144]

My sister had hard wired detectors in her house. One night they woke to them all screaming, when the fire department put the fire out they determined one of the hard wired detectors caused the fire. It shorted out and started burning in the wall where it was installed.

 

[sublimebeer]

Get ones that photoelectric. They detect heat rising(if there is not yet smoke on a level) they won't waste time on burnt toast. If you pay the money and get a good on that runs on 2 cr123 batteries they will last about 5 years with no battery issues. Possibly longer.

 

[romans1212]

This all great information. Thanks.

 

[righter13]

Don't forget a carbon monoxide detector too. Saved my wife a few months ago.

She put wood in the furnace before going to bed. Turns out she smothered the fire and so it started smoking like crazy.

 

[medium187mph]

HAHAHA This exact same thing happened to me about 2 years ago- Smoke alarms screaming at 2am, they woke up my wife and kids. The dog's barking and i'm running around the house in my boxers looking for the fire/smoke.... yep.

I had to replace all 8 batteries (Duracell's not the cheapies) and it was good to go. I didn't even think about the breaker though. Nothings labeled in my breaker box about smoke detectors. They are hardwired to run as a group.

 

[Jeddak]

Photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors are good for different types of fire. One detects fast moving smokeless fire, another slow smoldering fire. I have combo units that do both in my bedrooms and talking CO/smoke detectors in the rooms with potential sources of CO--fireplace, garage, furnace room. Kids respond better to words than sirens.

Get a smoke detector with a light for the hallway. If you wake up disoriented, seeing light in the hallway, pointing you to the exit, might help to save a few seconds.

 

[righter13]

Photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors are good for different types of fire. One detects fast moving open fire, another slow smoldering fire. I have combo units that do both in my bedrooms and talking CO2/smoke detectors in the rooms with potential sources of CO2--fireplace, garage, heater. Kids respond better to words than sirens.

Get a smoke detector with a light for the hallway. If you wake up disoriented, seeing light in the hallway, pointing you to the exit, might help to save a few seconds.

is it CO2 or CO1?