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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Mt Crosby, Brisbane
    Posts
    316

    Question which smoke alarm/detector

    Hi all,

    I have come to the font of all wisdom because the boss has a question.

    She needs to buy some smoke alarms. She bought some a few years back and they are already dead. New batteries they start chirping straight away. She's annoyed as they weren't the cheapest ones.

    So...

    What are the best smoke alarms to buy ? she wants quality but I bet she doesn't want the dearest. Any advice appreciated.
    I'm just a startled bunny in the headlights of life. L.J. Young.
    We live in a free country. We have freedom of choice. You can choose to agree with me, or you can choose to be wrong.
    Wait! No one told you your government was a sitcom?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    East Warburton, Vic
    Posts
    457

    Default

    I have the EIPFSPTLH which is on page 11 of this PDF, I bought them direct from Brooks and had my sparky install them about 5 yrs ago and they are still working as good today as they did when installed. Mind you they weren't cheap, just found the invoice for them and they were $72 each back then. Retail on my invoice has them at $85.50 each but got an discount as I bought a few other things as well.

    They do have battery powered ones which would probably be cheaper, would also recommend the Lithium powered ones.

    I initially rang them as I was looking for a system that would work with my hearing loss as I generally couldn't hear most alarms and especially once I was in bed, as I remove my hearing aids, the sales rep told me to come in and took me through everything and I was very happy with their service and advice.
    Cheers

    DJ

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Mt Crosby, Brisbane
    Posts
    316

    Default

    Great site, thank you. I think she's looking for battery powered. Those lithium 10 year detectors look pretty good
    I'm just a startled bunny in the headlights of life. L.J. Young.
    We live in a free country. We have freedom of choice. You can choose to agree with me, or you can choose to be wrong.
    Wait! No one told you your government was a sitcom?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    0

    Default

    We have one wired in detector in our house, and I will probably get rid of it sometime. It is just outside the kitchen, and every time someone burns the toast it goes off, and there doesn't seem to be any way to turn it off. At least with a battery one you can pull it down for a few minutes. Very annoying.
    The other day I described to my daughter how to find something in the garage by saying "It's right near my big saw". A few minutes later she came back to ask: "Do you mean the black one, the green one, or the blue one?".

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Bundaberg
    Age
    54
    Posts
    160

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by petersemple View Post
    We have one wired in detector in our house, and I will probably get rid of it sometime.
    Just check with your local council first though. I read somewhere fairly recently that all new build houses must have at least one wired in smoke detector, and that older houses must have one wired in prior to being sold. Deliberately removing one may be regarded as extremely naughty.

    This may only apply in QLD, and of course there is always the distinct possibility that I'm voicing an opinion via my alimentary tract.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Pambula
    Age
    59
    Posts
    5,026

    Default

    I'm pretty sure that all new houses, all houses that are renovated or extended beyond a certain limit (dollars), and all rental properties are required to have hard-wired smoke alarms installed. This is certainly the case in NSW. There are also regulations about how many and where they are to be put.

    If you're none of the above, you can probably do what you want. I guess no-one is going to know if you disable the smoke alarms in your new house either, but you may have trouble with insurance if it is discovered after your house catches fire

    For what it is worth, we have HPM hard-wired smoke alarms in our place, one outside each bedroom door. Putting them in the kitchen is pointless since you won't hear them if you're asleep and there's too much nuisance triggering. The regs are for them to be placed within so many metres of every bedroom door, which sometimes means more than one in the same room, as is the case at our place.

    Ours are wired together so that if one goes off, they all do, which is a good idea if the kids sleep at the other end of the house and there is a fire down their end. In 6 years I have replaced one battery - even hard-wired units must have battery back up. There have been a couple of nuisance triggerings from cooking but you just press the big button in the middle and they shut up.
    "I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to."

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    1,174

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by damian View Post
    Great site, thank you. I think she's looking for battery powered. Those lithium 10 year detectors look pretty good
    We have one in the shed and two in the house. I'm somewhat paranoid about fires (I once found my shed smouldering ie within minutes of fully catching on fire) so I guess hardwiring is next in order. I found a roll of fire alarm wiring in a skip a couple of weeks back so that is a start.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
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    0

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chief Tiff View Post
    Just check with your local council first though. I read somewhere fairly recently that all new build houses must have at least one wired in smoke detector, and that older houses must have one wired in prior to being sold. Deliberately removing one may be regarded as extremely naughty.

    This may only apply in QLD, and of course there is always the distinct possibility that I'm voicing an opinion via my alimentary tract.

    Good point. There is another hard wired one in a different part of the house that is not currently wired in (no idea why - it was like that when we moved in) and is working off the battery backup basically as a battery powered one. If we get a sparky to unwire one he should rewire the other at the same time to make sure. I would also guess a sparky should know exactly what the rules around it all are as well.
    The other day I described to my daughter how to find something in the garage by saying "It's right near my big saw". A few minutes later she came back to ask: "Do you mean the black one, the green one, or the blue one?".

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Glenhaven, NSW
    Age
    82
    Posts
    80

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    We have a two wired in types connected to our burglar alarm, so you have to turn them off with the code. Best part is that we never have to remember to fit new batteries.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Woodstock (Cowra)
    Age
    75
    Posts
    832

    Question

    If you have them wired to to the alarm and the alarm is off when your home, then they won't activate to let you know of a fire or smoke danger.... or am I missing something in your description..... please explain more clearly
    The person who never made a mistake never made anything

    Cheers
    Ray

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Glenhaven, NSW
    Age
    82
    Posts
    80

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    Quote Originally Posted by rwbuild View Post
    If you have them wired to to the alarm and the alarm is off when your home, then they won't activate to let you know of a fire or smoke danger.... or am I missing something in your description..... please explain more clearly
    Yes, you're missing something. The alarms work at all times. This is painfully obvious when I burn the toast! Also, BOTH alarms sound, not just the one near the smoke.

  12. #12
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    Aug 2003
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    Pambula
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    Best part is that we never have to remember to fit new batteries.
    It would be unusual for them to not have back-up batteries. Ours certainly do. But they don't need to be replaced very often.
    "I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to."

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Glenhaven, NSW
    Age
    82
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    80

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    The backup batteries have their own alarm on the main board. We've never had to touch them.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
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    Pambula
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    I've replaced one in 6 years. We get occasional power outages here in the bush
    "I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to."

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