Smoke Alarms

[FISHBONZ]

Hello. I am new to Wood Burning Stoves. I purchased and installed a new Harmon TL300 last season. We had issues with the smoke detectors going off all the time. It came to the point where we just removed them from the ceiling. How long will these things let off smoke particles, etc. ? I have an excellent draft so I really doubt smoke directly from the fire is causing my problem.

Any Thoughts?

 

[fossil]

In my workshop, I have a smoke/CO alarm mounted on the 10' ceiling about 4' away from the chimney adapter. It went off once during my initial break-in fires when there were abundant smoke/fumes from the finish curing. I can only remember one other time it went off during the burning season, and that was probably because I let some smoke into the room while futzing with the stove while it was running real hot. Other than that, it has remained silent, and I know the batteries are fine in it. I'd say you should figure out the cause and correct it, rather than just disabling the alarms...they're trying to tell you something. The finish on the stove installation should have been fully cured after 2 or 3 fires. Rick

 

[sinnian]

Smoke detectors have a shelf/install life of 5-7 years. Once they start going, you'll know because they GO OFF frequently. You probably should replace them and DEFINITELY should not unplug and be without a smoke detector (you should also have a CO detector too).

 

[caber]

We have one on a post right in front of the woodstove about 5 feet away and 8 feet up. It's never gone off due to the stove. When does it go off? When you open the door to load wood, when you start a fire, randomly? Could be a problem.

On a side note, we have multiple smoke and co2 detectors through out the house. And fire extinguishers within quick reach by the main doors, stairs, bedrooms, and the stoves (at a safe distance).

 

[VTJake]

What kind of smoke detectors are they? Photoelectric or Ionization? Take the smoke detector and look at the back of it. If it has on the back of a "P" that will indicate photoelectric or it might even say photoelectric on it. An Ionization style detector should say in some form " contains radioactive elements" . This is normal,don't be concerned. Smoke detectors should be replaced no later than 10 yrs from date of mfg.
Here in Vermont it is madated that all smoke detectors WILL BE 110volt photoelectric with battery backup. Any new construction or at the time of property transfer( sale) this is now the law as of July 08.
This also pertains to Carbon Monoxide(CO) detectors in single and multiple residences. If you don't have one of those............. GET ONE. There again 110volt with battery backup. One on each level of your home. Location outside of your sleeping area.

Hope this is of some help. Any question send me a reply and I'll see what I can help you with.

Mike

 

[FISHBONZ]

Actually it seems to go off when I am nowhere near it. Strange. Perhaps the detector is cheap? The trouble is, it's hardwired and conected to all the others in our home. When it goes off..It really GOES OFF!

You are right. I need to get to the bottom of this and get them back on the ceiling. I do have a fire extinguisher close by.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[VTJake]

Jeff, reinstall them ASAP.........an electrican can match those up for you. So that the newer ones can plug right in. Hardwired is the way to go with battery backup! I've seen the results firsthand where there are not any smoke detectors in homes..............the outcome is not good!

 

[firefighterjake]

Fishbonz:

To really answer your questions about your smoke detector alarming I would need some more info:

* When does your detectors go off? When you first light the fire? When you add fuel? At any old time? Once you get the stove temp up to Temp X?

* Where is your smoke detector located? There is such a thing as overkill when it comes to placing detectors in a home -- too many and too close in bad locations/rooms = false alarms.

* Finally, how old are the detectors in your home?

As many others have said . . . smoke detectors really are important. Please, for your sake, your family's sake and the firefighters in your hometown do not disable your detectors.

Here are some possible problems and solutions.

Possible Problem: Smoke or dust (or other particles visible or invisible to the naked eye borne upward by the heated air) may be setting the detector off when the fire is being fed or a fire is started. Also . . . smoke detector or detectors may be placed too close to the stove.

Possible Solution: Try some tips and techniques listed at this site when feeding the fire (i.e. some folks have suggested opening the loading door just a bit for a few seconds before feeding the fire.)

Possible Solution: Try moving the detector . . . although this may be more of a challenge with hard wired detectors. Sometimes moving the detector to an adjoining room or leave it in the room but place it further away from the stove will make a big difference.

Possible Solution: Consider purchasing either a) a dual ionization/photoelectric detector as these detectors in theory have fewer false alarms as the two detectors are supposed to work in tandem to filter out false alarms or b) consider a detector with a built in silencer or hush feature which can be temporarily silenced for five minutes when the alarm activates and you know it is false (after five minutes the hushed detector goes back to its normal alarm mode and if the reason for the alarm is still present it will reactivate -- one of these detectors even is made for cathedral ceilings as you can engage the hush feature by aiming your TV remote at it and hitting the volume button


Possible Problem: The smoke detector may be faulty . . . either due to a manufacturing defect or age. Most experts (including the good folks at the NFPA and the International Association of Fire Chiefs) suggest changing the detectors after ten years since these are electronic and like anything else they can and do break down or wear out over time.

Possible Solution: Replace the detector or detectors . . . especially if these are ten years or older. If you do opt to change them I would highly suggest going with a dual ion/photo detector and getting one with a hush feature.

 

[fossil]

Clean 'em (blow a little air through 'em), change the batteries, and put 'em back up and see how they do. Switch their positions around in the home (I'm not saying move the mounting plates, just mix where the specific detectors were installed). When they're wired all together, it only takes one sensing something that it thinks isn't right to set all of them off. Rick

 

[Detector$]

Agreed.... I'm in the business.....Never a good idea to remove a smoke detector.
My best guess is that the detector is an ionization type device. They are more sensitive than photoelectric and more common in residential applications.
Most of the detectors at the big box stores are ion's. Replace yours with a photoelectric. They are slightly less sensitive and less likely to false alarm. Keep them away from ceiling fans and supply air HVAC registers. Buy a good one....Kidde is a well known brand.

 

[sinnian]

A lot of "hard wired" smoke detectors are usually just clipped on with a universal connector. If you can start a fire, you can replace your detectors ;-)

 

[FISHBONZ]

Thank you all for your valuable information. You can all rest easy tonight. The Detectors have been reinstalled. Unfortunately I probably will not know the answer to some of these questions until the burning season.

What I can tell you is:

1. They seem to go off at random times. I do not recall one single instance where I was loading the stove and/or had the stove open.
2. My basment is 1200 sq feet and consists of two main rooms of equal size. There is a large opening between them for air to circulate easily.
3. I have two smoke detectors, one in each room.
4. The detector in the Stove room is approximately 15 feet away from the unit on a ceilng that is 7.5 feet high.
5. The Detectors are Kidde Ionization Smoke Alarms Model i12060. They were manufactured in June 2007.

From the information you have provided I will start by blowing some compressed air in the units I have and keeping them up. Perhaps some drywall dust got in them while the basement was being finished last fall.
Then I will try to switch them with detectors from other spots in the house.
If that does not work I will look into purchasing some photo detectors and will hopefully find some that will work with my existing detectors.

One last point. In the room of concern the ceiling is completely enclosed by walls or soffit that are about 12 inches deep. This could potentially trap a "bubble" of hot air that would be hovering around said smoke detector. Would the potential "hot bubble of air" cause the detector to go off or are they strictly set off by particles?

 

[Tazball]

the hot air should not do anything to the smoke detector. It definitely sounds like it being ionized is your trouble.