Wireless smoke detectors
10:31 AM, 28th August 2015, 11 years ago
20
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I have recently taken on a new property and had an electrician in to look at putting in smoke/ heat detectors.
He suggested that wireless ones are used .
Are these still acceptable even though guidelines state they have to be hard wired
Any advice gratefully received
Kat
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Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 37
11:02 AM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
My understanding is that they should be hardwired into the electricity supply via the lighting circuits in terms of power supply. But they can be “wireless” in terms of communicating with each other, ie. by radio waves, so that they all activate together. This saves a lot of disruption of fitting cables linking them all together.
Member Since August 2015 - Comments: 79
11:07 AM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
I would agree with Graeme,
On all new builds and conversions I have worked on over the years a hard wired power supply is required to keep the battery charged, but radio interlinked has been fine for the purposed of building control approval.
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 11
11:13 AM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
Yes this is fine. The detectors will be hard wired from a light in the room and linked to each other wirelessly. So they have mains power, with battery back up, and the wireless link means if one is activated they all will activate.
Member Since February 2015 - Comments: 28
11:18 AM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
Graham’s comment was sensible and complies with BS5266. All of our agencies and landlords association have changed all smoke detectors to mains-linked type over the last 20-years.
Member Since November 2014 - Comments: 9
11:45 AM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
I believe now the regulation is that the detectors have to be connected on their own separate circuit, it is no longer acceptable to be wired into a lighting circuit.
Crazy I know as the reason you originally connected them into a lighting circuit is that if the circuit tripped you would know as your lights wouldnt work, now if your detector circuit trips you won’t know.
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 184 - Articles: 1
11:54 AM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
Hi guys. I had an enforcement officer comenius yesterday which I was glad he did.
1. Wired up from fusebox grey 1mm or 1.5 cable is ok to first smoke alarm in hallway, then we wired up (not wireless, that was our Choice). Kitchen had heat detectors. THEN HE WANTED a separate not linked system smoke alarms in each hallway of each flat, can come off lighting circuit.
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 126
12:13 PM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
Ah. I had to unlink one smoke detector from the lighting circuit in the attic and connect it onto the ring mains circuit down below.
I also didn’t realise until my last HMO inspection a couple of days ago that the smoke detectors have to be tested every week. I was doing it every few months.
Member Since December 2014 - Comments: 50
1:11 PM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
Does this new regulation apply to HMOs only. 18 months ago I had fitted 10 year battery life detectors to all my flats. Not all were linked. Thanks.
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 13
7:47 PM, 28th August 2015, About 11 years ago
I think it depends upon the electrician, due to the landlord licence scheme I have been caught up in various maintenance issues and in one situation the electrician I was using suggested moving the smoke alarms to the lighting circuit because if a fuse was to blow then the tenants would want their lights fixed instantly (and hence the alarms would be back on line), where as if the smoke alarm fuse tripped (just for smoke alarms) it is highly likely the fault would go unnoticed for a while…
So it makes sense to me to wire the alarms on a well used circuit.
I have worked in a place where the smoke alarm was pipping every 5 mins or so, (the low battery signal) and I asked why they had not changed the battery and they actually thought it was supposed to make that noise all the time as an indication it was working ok…??
Member Since September 2014 - Comments: 277
10:25 AM, 29th August 2015, About 11 years ago
Don’t forget new regs coming in October all rented property to have fire alarms or face heavy fines! Does anyone know what the regs are?