Posts: 1,074
Threads: 113
Joined: Sep 2008
I was reading about smoke detectors and came across Bullwinkle's post about using heat rise detectors instead of smoke detectors.
Bullwinkle if you are reading can I ask where you bought your Heat rise detectors and how are they working for you?
Anyone else using these?
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
Posts: 1,955
Threads: 100
Joined: Aug 2005
Rate of rise detectors are great where you have dusty, high humidity conditions or smoke like in a kitchen but they are only come as part of a System and you have to pick the right ones for the conditions
Posts: 3
Threads: 0
Joined: Jul 2011
Please keep in mind that a rate of rise detector is for protection of your property...not to protect your life. A smoke detector, whether it is photoelectric or ionization is a life safety device. Smoke detectors go off very early in a fire to give you time to flee to safety. By the time rate of rise detectors go off, the smoke in your home may overwhelm you. That is why smoke detectors are required in sleeping rooms and rate of rise detectors are desirable in garages, basements, etc where you might find dusty or very humid conditions.
Posts: 3,188
Threads: 216
Joined: Sep 2007
agreed -
as to heat detectors......
We have 135 f sensors in every room as part of the monitored stand alone alarm system. The fire alarm can not be turned off by the user so its always active - false alarms unacceptable, the high humidity and my cooking the worst offenders imho.
Stand alones:
Kidde model hd135 (
http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-HD135F-Fyrne...B000P4YY8K) would be the retrofit if a home has a recent per code fire alarms (the ones that run on 120 ac)
I also keep cheap throw away photo smoke alarms in strategic spots in every room - high enough to allow plenty of time to crawl out to fresh air if caught sleeping - low enough so I can reach the always malfunctioning units and pull the battery
- I'm not saying what I do is up to code or wise - I've had such bad luck with hard to get to photo smoke detectors going off in the middle of the night, - that I settled for the heat detectors in those hard to get to spots on the monitored portion of the alarm system. check your local electrical / low voltage and fire codes.....
Posts: 1,955
Threads: 100
Joined: Aug 2005
ok terminology confusion
heat detectors and rate of rise are different things, ROR detects if the temperature in the room is increasing faster than normal(heat coming on , sun coming out) and are quicker acting than straight heat heads. they look like a little silver tube sticking out of the ceiling. there some photo type detectors that work ok in humidity but not dust or bugs. Vog kills the ionization type fairly quickly so if you want them to work you have to change them on a regular basis
and I'm a big fan of residential sprinklers if you can aford them
Posts: 3,188
Threads: 216
Joined: Sep 2007
and to add confusion - some heat detectors have rate of rise functions
in my mind they are all heat detectors - some set at a maximum temp (135,145 degrees F. most common,
rate of rise detectors do just that - measure the rate of rise & have the alarm trip point modulated by a rate of rise algorithm (may not be the best choice for residential systems)- read the specs very carefully as the design upper limits and "curve" vary a lot - I have used 185's up to 250's and up in very warm machinery, boiler rooms etc.
edit. Its the smoldering, low heat producing, high smoke level, (think polyurethane cushions etc) those fires kill - smoke sensors save lives - temp sensors save property
