Interlinked Fire and Smoke Alarms

[Robster59]

In Scotland, the law on Fire and Smoke alarms changes and they all have to be interlinked.
Interlinked Fire and Smoke Alarms
I wonder if anyone has already done this and has any tips, good buys, where to buy them from?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Fade and Die]

In Scotland, the law on Fire and Smoke alarms changes and they all have to be interlinked.
Interlinked Fire and Smoke Alarms
I wonder if anyone has already done this and has any tips, good buys, where to buy them from?
Thanks in advance.

We install a lot of LD2 interlinked smoke and heat detectors for local authorities, you can find a lot of information on the Aico website……
https://www.aico.co.uk/homeowner/

If you do not already have mains powered smoke detectors then I would recommend using these……
https://www.edwardes.co.uk/products...om9iUF0AetMYPLhKTiwYbawgeC9RuZ2gaAoReEALw_wcB

It’s an optical smoke detector with a 10 year lithium battery with RadioLINK so you can link it to other devices.
You can also link it to mains/battery devices you might have in a hall, saves the hassle of hard wiring to other rooms.

 

[Robster59]

Thanks. I am not looking for the mains wired units. I am looking for as simple a fitting as possible that meets the regs without breaking the bank.

 

[Jimaroid]

I’ve also recently discovered this new law and need a new system. Thanks Nicola!

How did I find out? By being woken up at 3am by the smoke alarm going off due to a flat battery, me smashing it off the ceiling into many pieces to make it stop, and then typing smoke alarm into Google. Imagine my pleasure on finding the news.

I’m probably going to get a bundle from these people. It’s not a recommendation, just the lazy route I’m likely to take unless anyone here recommends anything better. https://fireguardplus.co.uk/

 

[jim8flog]

I cannot grill sausages without setting off the alarm on the landing. (kitchen is open to the stairway). Never new about heat alarms

 

[williamalex1]

You also need Carbon monoxide alarms in rooms that have a gas appliance and a heat detector in the kitchen.
Not sure if the carbon detector needs to be linked to the smoke & heat detectors. Previously it didn't but the regulations might have changed .
The idea was that carbon monoxide is heavy and falls to floor level where as smoke rises, they use to give off different sounds.

 

[Jimaroid]

You also need Carbon monoxide alarms in rooms that have a gas appliance and a heat detector in the kitchen.
Not sure if the carbon detector needs to be linked to the smoke & heat detectors. Previously it didn't but the regulations might have changed .

They (CO alarm) don’t need to be linked. it is described in the Gov.scot artile Robster links to but here it is for convenience:

What each home needs
By February 2022 every home must have:

• one smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use most
• one smoke alarm in every hallway or landing
• one heat alarm in the kitchen

All smoke and heat alarms should be mounted on the ceiling and be interlinked.

If you have a carbon-fuelled appliance – like a boiler, fire, heater or flue – in any room, you must also have a carbon monoxide detector in that room, but this does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.

 

[Jimaroid]

BTW, you may be surprised to find your home insurance is not valid if not complying with this.

THANKS NICOLA.

 

[Robster59]

The cost of the stuff!
So we need

• one smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use most
• one smoke alarm in every hallway
• one smoke alarm in the landing
• one heat alarm in the kitchen
• one smoke alarm in the granny flat

That's 5 alarms.
As you say. THANKS NICOLA!

 

[Blue in Munich]

So because of a fire in a block of flats with defective or ill chosen cladding at one end of the country, houses at the other end f the country, the vast majority of which will not have this cladding, now require interlinked alarms

There's nothing like following the science, and this is nothing like following the science.

 

[Jimaroid]

It's crazy isn't it? It's also alarming (tee hee) how few people seem to know this is happening. I'm not a complete luddite but I don't consume a lot of local news and media and had never known it was happening until I needed to replace a smoke alarm by chance.

 

[Fade and Die]

So because of a fire in a block of flats with defective or ill chosen cladding at one end of the country, houses at the other end f the country, the vast majority of which will not have this cladding, now require interlinked alarms

There's nothing like following the science, and this is nothing like following the science.

The scale of the nationwide knee jerk reaction is ridiculous, there are 4 blocks of flats in Luton where they are fixing the cladding, I don’t know the cost of that, but some overzealous fire safety officer has decided there should be wireless fire detection and break glasses on the scaffolding during the works…. Cost per block £34k!

 

[williamalex1]

BTW these regulations have been in place for years, in private rented accommodation in Scotland .

 

[Robster59]

And, of course, people will look to profit from it as it's now going to be a legal requirement. I'm not saying they should be as cheap as a conventional fire alarm but neither do I think people should be charging as much as they do.

 

[GreiginFife]

We fitted the Aico alarms system. Think it was about £200 and that’s living room, kitchen, lower and upper hall and two bedrooms and the radio link base.

For the size of the house it’s completely overkill, if the alarm in the lower hall goes off there is nowhere in the house you are not going to hear it.

The one in the upper hall would wake the dead as it’s right outside both “in use” bedroom doors.

Stupid, ill thought out legislation but with the mob in charge that is, it’s hardly surprising.