ionization alarms can be dangerous!!!!

http://www.wthr.com/story/6861441/ionization-smoke-detector-fails-aquarium-test

Ionization alarm takes forever to sound.

I didn’t realize until recently they even still made Ionization alarms because of the radioactive material and issues with recycling them, but apparently they’re still pretty popular in homes.

The major commercial fire alarm systems moved to photoelectrics in the 90s or early 2000s so I haven’t seen one in ages except on legacy systems.

Don’t jump to conclusions!

Source:
http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/fire-and-safety-equipment/smoke-alarms/ionization-vs-photoelectric

ionization reaction time is what makes it dangerous vs photoelectric instant reaction

They are popular in homes because they are cheap. You figure a two story, three bedroom home, with basement would have 6 smoke alarms. At $10 a detector for ionization verses $30 a detector for photoelectric, as a contractor which one would you put in? Personally, I think they need to only allow the ionization in bedrooms and place the photoelectric everywhere else. So when you get the electrician who gets the bright idea of placing a smoke alarm too close to the kitchen so it false alarms every time someone opens the broiler, at least the photoelectric won’t go off as frequently.

But they can’t detect a fast burning fire. Ion reaction times are dependent on the unit.
When we upgraded our smokes, my dad asked what we needed. I choose the Kidde Nighthawk smoke+CO(we have a gas furnace). Also it has both types of detecters.
I’m currently working on a electro static smoke alarm.

I have FireX ones from the 90’s and it doesn’t take much to set them off. xD A simple shower without the fan on in the bathroom. Beeeeeeep! Beep-Beep Beep-- Beep-beep-beep. You get the picture. xD

More cities need to implement a code similar to this one:
http://www.portlandmaine.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/743

Right there on the top of the page: "New smoke alarms shall be photoelectric. "

However, the hardware stores in Portland still sell ionization and there’s no signs mentioning the requirement so I bet a lot of people are not actually compliant with the requirement. One store that I “played dumb” at actually told me that photoelectric is better and did mention the code in the city. When I revealed that I was doing a test, he then told me the reason they sell ionization is for customers who do not live in the city, and also because that’s what Ace Hardware is supplying them.

That’s no good either! False alarms are almost as bad, I’m guessing your detectors aren’t hooked up to a dialer though. Wouldn’t be a good thing to have fire trucks showing up at your house every time you take a shower.

Why would fire trucks just “show up”?

Maybe because the smoke alarm told the dialer to call the fire department.

If you have a hobby system call the FD, it could cause problems…

NewAgeServerAlarm’s system doesn’t call the fire department.

Which is exactly why they still sell and fight ionization alarm bans to the ground

We only have a smoke alarm in the hallway.

In an actual system false alarms are just as bad though.

What happens if the firetruck is responding to a building with a false alarm when another building across town has an actual emergency?

What happens if you evacuate 1000 people out into harsh weather conditions and someone catches pneumonia?

What happens if you evacuate 1000 people and in the rush someone falls down the exit stairs and is seriously injured?

While fast detection might be the most important thing at home, accurate is just as important (if not more so) as fast detection in commercial settings. Photoelectric tend to be a lot more accurate, especially with higher tech detectors with the ability to adjust sensitivity settings and change algorithms based on the type of environment/location its installed in.

Just some things for you to consider. :wink:

Ionization verses photoelectric, you could beat that dead horse all day! There really is not “right” answer for what is best in your home because they detect two different types of fires. An ionization would be perfect for that flash grease fire, but then the photoelectric would be good for the couch fire that has been smouldering for an hour. But you are not going to be able to predict what type of fire you are going to have. You could go with the dual technology detectors if that is your concern but in all honesty, any smoke detector in your house is better then none! Most false alarms can be pigeonholed into two categories - poor installation location (placing an ionization detector in a kitchen) or outdated and/or poorly maintained equipment.

Personally, I prefer photoelectric. More reliable, less prone to false alarms, no radioactive particles, time tested technology. In my home I use System Sensor 4WT-B photoelectric detectors placed per code (and a few extra areas) along with heat detectors in the kitchen, laundry, attic, and crawl space; and in 10 years of living there ZERO false alarms.

As far as a system dialing out… A system should never dial out directly to 911 or the fire dispatch center. You should always go through some sort of central station or other remote monitoring service. The good news is that they relax the rules for residential systems (such as only requiring one telephone line instead of two) so any standard household burglar panel should do just fine. You may even want to program a “dial out delay” into the communicator - the alarm goes off you have 30 seconds to shut it off before it even calls the central station. But in any case, the central station should “call to verify” any alarms except panic and duress alarms. So even after the system activates, they will call the house first to determine if a dispatch is needed. Then the fire department should be called out. As a safety measure, always good to call the local fireboard before starting any testing. And in some places it is required. I believe the fine here is $500 if fire trucks get dispatched to a non-accidental false alarm - and that’s a civil charge to you (not your company).

The firex’s are on my hobby system. We have Nest AC+Battery backup guarding my home. :smiley:

Do you also have a Nest thermostat?

As a matter of fact I do! :smiley: