# Tired of smoke & co2 electric/battery interconnected alarms



## frankgsr (Feb 11, 2020)

I have a 6 yr old house I had built. It came with 2 smoke alarms, and 4 smoke and co2 alarms. All are First Alert, ac powered with battery backup, and worse part interconnected. 
I am fed up with them all. I never know the one setting the entire house into chaos. Main reason is
we had three rooms added during the build for Diane’s momma, and the food she ‘cooks’ ‘burns’.

I’m ready to toss them all and go back to separate non connecte, battery operated alarms.
The current ones have lights, all different. Some are sold green, some are flashing green, some solid
red, some flashing red. They are all First Alert, models 9120B & SC9120B.

Im not looking to go with a cheap alarm, exactly the opposite. I just hate the battery/electric idea, and no 
interconnection. Any recommendations will help. I’m getting to old to playing the guessing game.
Thanks Guys
Frank


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## quatsch (Feb 4, 2021)

Unconnected alarms, 10 yr batt. in each?


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## SW Dweller (Jan 6, 2021)

Interconnected is required by code. When the addition was installed those detectors should have been connected to the existing fire alarm system. Going backwards could be an code issue where you live. 

I had the same issue building my new home. I ended up getting an Edwards 5 zone panel. My age I do not need to be on a 10 foot ladder to deal with squealing batteries or resetting some idiot alarm.
I added one other thing into the mix I wanted to know which detector was the one in alarm. I do not care for all of them going off but that does make sense in a large home. I was in one that had a fire and I was thankful that all of the units were blasting. I was the last one out of the home. Almost did not make it due to how the house was laid out. 








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I called Kidde and First Alert and tried talking to them. What a waste of time that was. They flatly do not care what you want they point you towards what they build.

I installed this








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The detectors and signaling devices were all about 20 bucks, the carbon monoxide was about $50. My walls were open so the low voltage wiring was easy. 

My inspector had a fit over the system. He complained that the metal boxed for the devices were not grounded. I asked him for the code section for 12v dc systems to be grounded. He grumbled and said never in 20 years of doing inspections have I ever seen anyone do what you have. I explained the ladder issue and he just shook his head. He was maybe 50 years old and I am 70. 

What you want will not be inexpensive or easy


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Buy a recipe book for Diane's mom and check that the oven thermostat is controlling the oven correctly.


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

quatsch said:


> Unconnected alarms, 10 yr batt. in each?


Please stop giving bad advice like this. The alarms are interconnected to provide a warning throughout the entire house regardless of where the issue is. The interconnected alarms have been required for many years.


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## quatsch (Feb 4, 2021)

Unfortunately, a Google search on
"safety vs. quality of life"
didn't come up with 
nuisance tripping of AFCIs or 
these detectors demanding your attention.


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## Chris616 (Dec 31, 2019)

frankgsr said:


> I am fed up with them all. I never know the one setting the entire house into chaos.


The manufacturer provides a way for you to see which unit triggered the alarm.



https://support.firstalert.com/s/article/Interconnect-Latch-Feature#:~:text=To%20find%20the%20initiating%20unit,out%20which%20alarm%20was%20triggered.&text=Certain%20Interconnect%20alarms%20have%20a%20Latching%20Alarm%20feature


.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

Please review the installed location of the alarms. If directly over a source or moist heat, they can be set off - so may be, and still meeting code, they can be moved to the door of the kitchen, etc. etc.

You need to stay safe and proper alarms mean your insurance will have one less reason for backing out if you were (God forbid) to have a fire. You can't mess with code or you lose your financial recovery after a disaster.


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## quatsch (Feb 4, 2021)

These are plaintiff's attorneys so take this with a grain of salt.








Leading Causes of House Fires


Do you know what the number one cause of house fires is in the United States? It might surprise you. Cooking is the leading cause of house fires in the United States.



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For an average financial loss of 21 kilobucks [assuming you have a fire] I can't say how many nuisance alarms per year I'd put up with.
380,000 fires per year out of 139,000,000 houses in the US [1 in 366] are pretty good odds. Dying in a vehicle is 3x more likely.

Our ins. company asks how close the nearest hydrant is & how close is the fire dept. If your numbers are good you can lose less then $21K.


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

quatsch said:


> These are plaintiff's attorneys so take this with a grain of salt.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do you realize how little damage it takes to cause a 21 thousand dollar loss? Are you aware that many areas depend on a volunteer fire service where the station is not staffed 24/7 and a response may not happen quick enough to avert a significant loss? You seem to be saying property loss or possible loss of life is acceptable to avoid nuisance alarms. 

Is dying in a car accident a 1 in 122 chance? If so the data does not seem to support your figures. I know given the number of motorists on the road not enough are dying to support your figures.


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## lazzlazz (Mar 29, 2010)

I wrote a reply to another thread here that's relevant to this thread (I realize it's a few months old, but people find these threads when they search for information): Smoke alarms for seniors

Photoelectric only alarms are less likely to cause nuisance alarms due to cooking. With ionization (or combined photoelectric/ionization), it doesn't take much cooking smoke to set them off. I mentioned other things in that reply that may be of use.

I think smoke detector manufacturers, esp. Kidde & First Alert, have really dropped the ball with the products they manufacturer. There are a lot of problems out there - early failure, constant chirping, etc., if you read reviews written by actual consumers.


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## SW Dweller (Jan 6, 2021)

How true Lazzlazz. 

When I was doing my home with the 17' ceilings I contacted the 4 MFG biggies and not one of them offered a smoke without a stinking battery. So I dug into the knowledge vault and bought a 6 zone Edwards panel. Those detectors are about $30 each and no blankety battery in them.
Big battery in the panel. So if one goes into beeping mode at 2 am. I get up walk down the hall and press the trouble button and I do not have to get a ladder until after my coffee in the morning. The inspector FREAKED out when he saw the wiring. " You have to ground those wires." "Really at 12 v dc?" "Oh I thought they were 120v" Then he said why did you run coax and Ethernet cable? Metal building with equal potential grounding. If I close the roll up door my cell cuts out. I will end up with a repeater for the cell.


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