Anyone who spends $130 on a smoke detector.....

Just figured I'd start the conversation....

We did Bosch smoke detectors in my previous home and I know those detectors were up there in pricepoint...


Picked up 3 Nest Protect Smoke Detectors today to test funtionality. I would need 8 in total
I liked the *alert management* portion of it.
Sadly, they have decided to build the thing with no interconnect wire support.
ALL the units will interconnect within themselves (all nest protects) but that's it.

CODE aside, I don't know if code calls for HARD Wired Interconnect versus the *wireless* interconnect on the Nest Protect System

I suppose anyone who spends $130 on a smoke detector is a different *market* that will spend the additional SPEND to replace all the smoke detectors in their home.

I highly doubt Nest will release one with a interconnect wire.
Interesting Market / Strategy they are going for.


I can't recall the #s....but I recall reading they were shipping 40,000 NEST Thermostats to retailers every month.

Not to bad...

 

As I recall, the NEC doesn't address whether somke detectors interconnect or not. The smoke detectors in a new home are generally governed by building codes and in a new house they usually require them to be both interconnected and backed up with batteries. The NEC would generally just cover the wiring of the detectors.

I don't recall ever spending more than around $60 each for residential smoke detectors.

 

My view is that from a safety perspective they will be a step backwards. Anyone in a newer home should have an interconnected system with a half dozen units. Instead of replacing all of them people will just buy one or two of these new ones and so the whole house interconnected thing goes away.

Not related to Nest but check out the fact sheets about the need for multiple units at SMARTALARMCHOICES.ORG

 

I looked at those a few weeks back. I think it's a step in the right direction as the features are superior to many of the 'standard' detectors.

But while I could possibly justify buying one or two, I couldn't justify spending that much to get the 5 that would be required for my house. But then again, the First Alert CO/Smoke detector I think was $60 or so... so it's not that much more.

I will personally justify the need for interconnected alarms. When growing up we had a fire start in the basement one night at around 1am. We didn't know about it until the smoke made it upstairs and through the closed basement door. By that point, it was pretty lucky that we all got out... Interconnected smoke detectors should be a requirement everywhere.

 

I agree 100%

Many people are not aware that even if the detector is a hardwired type with three wires that if they are more then like five years old.... a newer version from the same company may not be inter-connectable.... and ones from different manufacturers will not usually interconnect and signal correctly.

 

Another thing many do not know is that the recommended lifespan is ten years for smoke alarms.

 

I dont get it... I have 3 detectors.. One on every floor.. If one goes off they all do...

Its hard wired....

The one in the crawl had issues going off. Dont know why. Replaced it and still went off. Middle of the night... Only way to stop it was crawl in crawl space and disconnect it...

I ended up disconnecting it for the past few yrs now......... The other two work...

 

That's the expected life span for the batteries in mine.

I bought three replacements for mine because the originals didn't have battery capability, just hardwire. Definitely a different company and probably 15 years since the originals were installed. I was surprised - I still am - that each new device integrated with the system, including the older sensors, as I brought it on lime. Confusing, but cool.

 

I've never heard of a requirement for a smoke detector in a crawl space before. Yours may have been going off because of dust or moisture. I believe the general rules are for one on each level of the house including the basement, one outside each sleeping area and one inside each bedroom. Attics and garages shouldn't have smoke detectors, but could have heat detectors.

I've seen some detectors advertised with 10 year batteries, sounds like a great deal. When the battery dies, throw the detector away and buy a new one.

 

These are SOP ionization detectors. They don't come with a battery life claim. They do come with a 9V battery, but it's alkaline. I set that aside and install a lithium-ion battery instead. That's where the battery lice claim originates.OK, but why? I'm just curious. The info with the detectors doesn't mention a need to do that.

 

Here are several sources of information on smoke detector replacement. Some may reliable for more than 10 years and some maybe less than 10 years.

A Smoke Alarm's Life Expectancy | EC Mag

USFA Smoke Alarms

http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original...mokeAlarms.pdf

http://www.mfs.sa.gov.au/site/commun...t_campaign.jsp

 

Im just wondering how mine are all connected that it makes the others go off when one goes off?

Its just 120v wires...

If one goes off and even if I trip the breaker the battery will keep it squealing....

 

Most likely the first detector in the daisy chain is wired with 14-2 NM cable. From there, the rest of the daisy chain is typically 14-3 NM cable with the red conductor being the control wire and the black and white being the hot and neutral.

 

I put 3 in 3 key locations in the house.....I don't plan to swap any others.
All floors still have hard wired traditional detectors in place.

I do like the *alert status* and the visibility to see if a alert was generated remotly. It ties into the my Nest thermostat, so it helps the unit to *see* when we're away and adjust temps *interactively*.

 

Years ago smoke detectors never had an expiration date. The isotope in ionization sensors has a half-life of 432 years. Many of the cheap optical ones can be opened for cleaning. In order to put radioactive material in every home the Nuclear Regulatory Commission insisted manufacturers make them safe and last basically forever. You suppose one day the manufacturers woke up and realized if owners handed these devices down through the generations there wouldn't be much of a market?

There are pricey models currently for sale that don't have expiration dates. Are they really any different than the $40 ones or are we being scammed by Kidde, First Alert, etc?

 

My new ones are from FireX. They don't have an expiration date and I'm not planning to replace them again.

Too bad about the market, if your guess is correct. It seems there ought to still be plenty of demand.

 

FireX also recommends a 10 years replacement.

FireX Smoke Alarms- Replace and Upgrade

Kidde, who owns FireX, also has a 10 year life of the detector on their website under FAQ.

Worry-Free-FAQ