Just a type. There are two basic types of smoke detectors: Ionization and photoelectric. Ionization, the most common type, are fastest at detecting fast burning fires by about 30 seconds. Photoelectric are fastest at detecting slow burning, smoky fires by several minutes.
You want a photoelectric. The biggest danger are fires that occur while sleeping. The slow, smoky type are common, and those several minutes of extra warning could be the difference between life and death.
I used to have a whole house wired system, but the one unit had become faulty and it would trigger the others in the house. My dog would freak out and be a basket case for days. I re-used the ceiling harness and now, just have individual photoelectric detectors throughout the house. I don't have to worry about climbing the ladder to change batteries. And I'll likely replace the units before the 10 year lifespan. When one goes, they will all be replaced at the same time.
RE: I have gone with the 10 year litium ion battery type. Â
I used to have a whole house wired system, but the one unit had become faulty and it would trigger the others in the house. My dog would freak out and be a basket case for days. I re-used the ceiling harness and now, just have individual photoelectric detectors throughout the house. I don't have to worry about climbing the ladder to change batteries. And I'll likely replace the units before the 10 year lifespan. When one goes, they will all be replaced at the same time.
While I get the annoyance factor when false alarms occur, Interconnected systems are much safer. If a fire occurs somewhere far from your bedroom like the basement, the alarm there may not wake you. By the time the bedroom level alarm sounds, it may be too late to get out.
too, interconnected systems (with combined smoke and carbon monoxide) are a requirement in my town. Now you may not be subject to code based on what you're doing, but code is in many cases not just created to be a PITA for home owners and contractors, sometimes it's for safety.
I had to upgrade my old house before I sold it and the people I bought my new house from had to do the same.
RE: RE: I have gone with the 10 year litium ion battery type. Â
I used to have a whole house wired system, but the one unit had become faulty and it would trigger the others in the house. My dog would freak out and be a basket case for days. I re-used the ceiling harness and now, just have individual photoelectric detectors throughout the house. I don't have to worry about climbing the ladder to change batteries. And I'll likely replace the units before the 10 year lifespan. When one goes, they will all be replaced at the same time.
While I get the annoyance factor when false alarms occur, Interconnected systems are much safer. If a fire occurs somewhere far from your bedroom like the basement, the alarm there may not wake you. By the time the bedroom level alarm sounds, it may be too late to get out.
While I understand the overall safety, it really never made sense in my home. Here in Florida, basements don't exist and my home is a single story ranch style.
Go with a blend of types as Jim said you need to have a photo, but I have the other type in other parts of my house. Get the 10yr ion. I also added two w built in carbon monoxide for key locations. They are all connected via wireless, so if one goes off the message/alert carries through all of them and tells me the location. I created a map of where I wanted the smoke detectors and what I what specs I wanted each to have based on placement. Good Luck!
You want a photoelectric. The biggest danger are fires that occur while sleeping. The slow, smoky type are common, and those several minutes of extra warning could be the difference between life and death.
A photoelectric smoke detector is less likely to be triggered by small amounts of kitchen smoke.
While I get the annoyance factor when false alarms occur, Interconnected systems are much safer. If a fire occurs somewhere far from your bedroom like the basement, the alarm there may not wake you. By the time the bedroom level alarm sounds, it may be too late to get out.
I had to upgrade my old house before I sold it and the people I bought my new house from had to do the same.
Quote:
I used to have a whole house wired system, but the one unit had become faulty and it would trigger the others in the house. My dog would freak out and be a basket case for days. I re-used the ceiling harness and now, just have individual photoelectric detectors throughout the house. I don't have to worry about climbing the ladder to change batteries. And I'll likely replace the units before the 10 year lifespan. When one goes, they will all be replaced at the same time.
While I get the annoyance factor when false alarms occur, Interconnected systems are much safer. If a fire occurs somewhere far from your bedroom like the basement, the alarm there may not wake you. By the time the bedroom level alarm sounds, it may be too late to get out.
While I understand the overall safety, it really never made sense in my home. Here in Florida, basements don't exist and my home is a single story ranch style.