Smoke Detectors and CO2 Detectors - Any Recommendations?

[RainMaker]

I'm trying to upgrade smoke detectors and CO2 and not only my place but my elderly Mother's. Does anyone have any recommendations? Some places suggest Photoelectric ones. A lot of them are ionization ones. The one that Consumer Reports recommends seems to get terrible reviews on Amazon.

I'm pretty lost on what's best these days so does anyone have any insight into what people should be getting these days?

[CU Tiger]

I can post a book here and try to help. I'm on my phone right now ...I'll try and follow up later if I don't remember ping me

[lungs]

Photoelectric did a pretty good job saving my life. Fire started outside my attached garage and the smoke detector in my kitchen was going off before the fire got into the house. 20 minutes later my house was completely engulfed but I was safely outside.

[Toddzilla]

Don't get a CO2 detector - they go off all the time pretty much non stop. Try a CO detector

[CU Tiger]

Smoke Detector -
Photo vs Ion is a yin yang. Strengths and Weaknesses of both.
Ionization will pick up fast flaring fires quicker than a photoelectric while a PE will pick up a smolder quicker, assuming of course the smolder produces smoke in the area.

Any monitored smoke detector will be PE because they are less prone to false alarms than an I. Want proof, stand under a I detector and spray hairspray. Not at the detector mind you, at the ground. The release of the spray from the can will change the air charge enough to set off the detector. Hence the NBFAA (National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association) stopped recognizing I detectors as "listable" for monitoring services.

CO detectors are a whole other ball of wax.
Due to the specific gravity of CO as compared to other atmospheric gases most commercially available CO detectors are virtually worthless. A CO detector should be mounted on the wall (never the ceiling) and between 3-5' above the finished floor surface. (For 8' ceilings) or 3.5-6.5 for 9' ceilings.
Mounted on the ceiling, typical sourcs of CO poisoning will prevent the CO detector from ever going off as the "upper chamber" will fill with lighter gases and the CO will never get there. Plugged into an outlet at 20" AFF and chances are most everyone in the house is dead before it ever goes off.

So....yeah CO detectors matter but 95% are installed incorrectly and virtually useless.

[sovereignstar v2]

I recently bought replacements as the cheapo contractor ions started chirping randomly. Went with photoelectric ones that cost around 25 a pop. Ran into one large issue and that is that my daughter's sonic mist humidifier set it off half the time. Decided to a buy another ion for her room and the issue went away. Don't really know what to make of it other than you probably get what you pay for. I'm guessing 30 bucks and under is a hit and miss range.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

I recently bought replacements as the cheapo contractor ions started chirping randomly. Went with photoelectric ones that cost around 25 a pop. Ran into one large issue and that is that my daughter's sonic mist humidifier set it off half the time. Decided to a buy another ion for her room and the issue went away. Don't really know what to make of it other than you probably get what you pay for. I'm guessing 30 bucks and under is a hit and miss range.

This is totally normal and expected, actually.
PE detectors have a "detection chamber" that is octagon shaped. There is a photobeam on one side of the octagon and a "Receiver" on the direct opposite side. Smoke refracts light. So if any of the other 6 sensors "see" light it trips. Also if the opposite sensor doesnt see light it trips.

high humidity environments are huge no-nos for PE detectors.

I am actually mad at myself for not mentioning that above. When I was in the alarm business one of the biggest nuisance calls was a detector right outside a small full bathroom. Hot shower, open the door, alarm

[RainMaker]

Do you have a recommendation for brand/type?

It seems like all the alarms get mixed reviews on Amazon. The one that Consumer Reports recommends in fact has some of the worst reviews of all on Amazon (false alarms, breaking after a few months).

I was thinking of a dual ion/CO for the bedroom area (which is near the bathroom and might get some humidity after showers).

Kidde KN-COSM-BA Battery-Operated Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Voice Warning - - Amazon.com

And then getting a photoelectric one for the area around the kitchen.

[Gary Gorski]

Anyone have experience with the Nest Protect or is it basically just paying unnecessarily for a modern gadget?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Anyone have experience with the Nest Protect or is it basically just paying unnecessarily for a modern gadget?

No experience but it didn't get good reviews from Consumer Reports.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Do you have a recommendation for brand/type?

There are good and bad for all companies.
In the monitored PE world System Sensor was my brand of choice. They were expensive but rarely failed.

They are pretty cheap devices.
I cant give you an easy answer.




For example the rage 10 years ago was "dual detection" PE and I in one unit.
These came in 2 major varieties and both sucked.
Variety A (series) required both types of alarm to sound. Reduced false alarms but by the time it went off you better be RUNNING for the door.
Variety B (Parallel) sounded on either detection method.You guessed it, was prone to false alarms on both pathways.

We actually installed the B option for a while...until we were getting damn near daily calls for false alarms and just switched them over.


My advice is this. You want hard wired with battery back up and interconnected. So an alarm anywhere in the house sounds every detector. This is varying degrees of "necessary" depending on home size but better safe than sorry.

Current NFPA code requires:
1 in each bedroom
1 immediately outside each bedroom area within 4' of the door
1 on each level of the home within 6' of the stairwell opening

Kiddie or first alert are both made in china and Ive heard numerous times they are made in the same factory. No proof of that but Ive heard it from C level guys in the industry...