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The Watercooler
smoke detectors (grrrrr)
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<blockquote data-quote="Marg's Man" data-source="post: 221946" data-attributes="member: 4085"><p>I am the firewarden for a really dangerous building - there's over 40 laboratories in it with heaven only knows what's going on in them. So you couldn't even BEGIN to imagine how many evacuations we have due to system faults. (We NEVER have 'false alarms' - it might be wrong but it is not false). I can, and have, dumped over 3,000 people from our six story building in less than 4 minutes.</p><p></p><p>The main cause of these are the smoke detectors which trigger due to dust being mistaken for smoke - after all smoke is just a very fine dust. Most of the ones available for domestic use are the ionization type which do this by using a tiny amount of radiation (usually Americium) to detect the smoke particles. Like all radioactive elements this loses it potency after about 5 years and the detector needs to be changed so it can continue to function. Disposing of these units can be problematic due to the radioactive content being too low to be useful but still still too high to be simply dumped in landfill. Hard wired units just use mains power but should have a backup battery in case of power failure that should be changed at least twice a year. They are set up to give a warning if the battery runs low and, by their very nature, HAVE to be something that cannot be ignored. Most usually have a reset button which will stop the noise. These reset buttons often don't look like buttons but just like a lamp cover. If it trips again you really need to figure out why, just like you should check out a fuse that keeps blowing.</p><p></p><p>Lothlorien, if it's not too late make sure sure your new alarms have a reset button. Also try to get the photoelectric type. These are more expensive but don't have any radioactive content and last longer before they wear out. You can make both types last longer by using the vacuum cleaner to clean the vents the smoke enters through. This will probably set them off, not bad thing, you know the cause AND you know it's working properly so you can ignore it and reset it. As a test I deliberately set ours off occasionally (usually when Marg is out so she doesn't panic) by holding a couple of incense sticks (or mosquito coil) close to the detector, if I smoked a cigarette would also work.</p><p></p><p>As both Anaheimfan and Star have said they are a very necessary item in our houses.</p><p></p><p>Marg's Man</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marg's Man, post: 221946, member: 4085"] I am the firewarden for a really dangerous building - there's over 40 laboratories in it with heaven only knows what's going on in them. So you couldn't even BEGIN to imagine how many evacuations we have due to system faults. (We NEVER have 'false alarms' - it might be wrong but it is not false). I can, and have, dumped over 3,000 people from our six story building in less than 4 minutes. The main cause of these are the smoke detectors which trigger due to dust being mistaken for smoke - after all smoke is just a very fine dust. Most of the ones available for domestic use are the ionization type which do this by using a tiny amount of radiation (usually Americium) to detect the smoke particles. Like all radioactive elements this loses it potency after about 5 years and the detector needs to be changed so it can continue to function. Disposing of these units can be problematic due to the radioactive content being too low to be useful but still still too high to be simply dumped in landfill. Hard wired units just use mains power but should have a backup battery in case of power failure that should be changed at least twice a year. They are set up to give a warning if the battery runs low and, by their very nature, HAVE to be something that cannot be ignored. Most usually have a reset button which will stop the noise. These reset buttons often don't look like buttons but just like a lamp cover. If it trips again you really need to figure out why, just like you should check out a fuse that keeps blowing. Lothlorien, if it's not too late make sure sure your new alarms have a reset button. Also try to get the photoelectric type. These are more expensive but don't have any radioactive content and last longer before they wear out. You can make both types last longer by using the vacuum cleaner to clean the vents the smoke enters through. This will probably set them off, not bad thing, you know the cause AND you know it's working properly so you can ignore it and reset it. As a test I deliberately set ours off occasionally (usually when Marg is out so she doesn't panic) by holding a couple of incense sticks (or mosquito coil) close to the detector, if I smoked a cigarette would also work. As both Anaheimfan and Star have said they are a very necessary item in our houses. Marg's Man [/QUOTE]
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smoke detectors (grrrrr)
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