Smoke Detectors - what brand and model the most trouble free?
In today's requirements, you can easily have to put in a LOT of smoke and co2 detectors. Having them go off or fail sooner than anticipated means a LOT of money lost.
The new 10 year 'worry free' alarms by Kidde look promising - especially from a battery replacement point of view. But are they reliable? Will they go off unnessisarily? Will they go the entire 10 years without problems.
In YOUR experience, what are the most worry free smoke alarms?
They are all crap in my opinion, my office manages 3000+ doors and we have had problems with every brand purchased. Most of the "10 year" batteries seem to last two maybe three years.
We've had some nuisance tripping and I was recently told by the State Fire Marshall that the most important thing to do to avoid that is to keep them covered completely while there is any dust present during construction. Otherwise they will continually trip randomly and you have to replace them to fix the issue. Other than that tidbit (which I found to be very helpful) I don't have much to add.
Specialist · Toronto, Ontario · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 891 votes
6y
@Leah Slaughter
The ones that have built in batteries need to replaced at some point right? They can't last forever. I prefer hard wired more than anything with a back up alkaline
The problem I have had with hard wired in the past is the backup battery goes often. This sets of the chirping which can be very annoying. I have worked on many rentals as a contractor and the built in battery models are the most hassle free in my opinion.
Real Estate Agent · Plano, TX · Member since 2018 · 75 posts · 47 votes
6y
If rehabbing in our state, generally we go to hardwired. But, sometimes you can’t and those built in last ten years, far longer than we hold our properties.
Architect · Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2018 · 843 posts · 907 votes
6y
The ones that have a 10 year built in battery are the ones I go with. Even if they dont last ten years its cheaper in the long run than the replaceable battery ones. I've never had a problem with them...granted I've never lived in a house or had a rental for a full life span of one. You can find bulk packs of these at Lowes/HD.
Nothing wrong with hardwired ones but unless you are doing a reno or new build I wouldnt even consider them. Even then...for a SFH idk if i would go hardwire. MF I would though.
They are all crap in my opinion, my office manages 3000+ doors and we have had problems with every brand purchased. Most of the "10 year" batteries seem to last two maybe three years.
For clarification, I am looking at HARDWIRED, 10 year battery back up smoke alarms. These need to be replaced after 10 years. Since 2003ish, most alarms chip after 7 years - forcing you to replace. The manufacturer puts a clock in the unit to go off rendering it useless.
In response to Kevin Nickerson, is the manufacturer (who did you use) good about replacing them or is it a hassle?
Also, last I checked, I was under the impression every state required hardwired battery backup smokes. The battery only type unit is a home owner solution.
Also, last I checked, I was under the impression every state required hardwired battery backup smokes. The battery only type unit is a home owner solution.
New construction. I imagine there are some jurisdictions that require rental properties to retrofit.
For clarification, I am looking at HARDWIRED, 10 year battery back up smoke alarms. These need to be replaced after 10 years. Since 2003ish, most alarms chip after 7 years - forcing you to replace. The manufacturer puts a clock in the unit to go off rendering it useless.
In response to Kevin Nickerson, is the manufacturer (who did you use) good about replacing them or is it a hassle?
unfortunately no, when my office purchased 3000 home depot was good about replacing the defective ones. I just had a first alert model crap out after 18 months in my own home. I called them and they were no help, it was easier just to buy another one instead of wasting my time to arguing about their product being junk
Medford, MA · Member since 2012 · 163 posts · 36 votes
6y
The best would be 1) hard wired, 2) 10 year battery backup (so you are not changing every year) 3) talks to you when there are issues eg "co detected" or "fire fire" or at least has a light indicator next to each of those issues. Isn't helpful when tenant says "detector going off" and you don't have any more info.
I haven't yet seen one that is all 3, I don't know why, maybe not enough competition in detector market. Exception, the Nest, but it is expensive, I only have it in my personal residence. I use the Kidde (sold at Home Depot) which I will keep using for lack of a better alternative. Sometimes they fail, most of the time they are fine. I don't like the BRK (sold at Lowes) because the mounting plate is not good.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
Code here insists on hardwired smoke/CO & in one multi they dictated all units to be on the same circuit. We can use FM wired one to overcome wiring restrictions but that's an expensive option.