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12-16-2010, 10:19 AM
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#1
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Oh never mind, false alarm….
I got a service call to check out a smoke detector that had awakened a lady at 3:00 a.m.
After her calling the fire department, asking her daughter to come over, and no one finding anything wrong, it was my turn the next day.
I checked the furnace, water heater, gas fireplace and all was good. I even performed a CO check for her. A reading of up to 50 parts per million is allowable, anything over that is a problem. Her home reading was 00.
I have researched smoke detectors and will share some information with you.
If you have 120 volt hard-wired smoke detectors in your home, if one alarms, the rest will follow suit. The initial detector will flash a red light in most cases, the rest, no red light. There are two different types of detection devices in detectors, rather complex, but they ‘see’ combustion particles, smoke.
Now here is where maintenance comes in. If Mr. spider or another multi-legged varmint enters the detection area, it will alarm. If dust and dirt accumulated in the detectors detection chamber, or area, it will alarm.
They will all alarm… As luck would have it many times, at the worst possible times. Oh, the maintenance.
Just take your keyboard cleaner, the compressed air can and blow it out real good. 120 volt or 9 volt units alike. Your trailer will have these.
7 to 9 years is about it for them, if you have detectors getting a little ‘Long in the tooth’ discard them.
I would add a CO detector to the mix if I were you.
Sleep tight!
CO: Carbon Monoxide, not to be confused with Carbon Dioxide, that’s pressurizing your Draft beer, or Colas.
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12-16-2010, 10:57 AM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Texico
Posts: 1,917
M.O.C. #6150
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Great info Ozz, thank you.
I saw on one of those documentary shows how smoke detectors work and how they "see" the particles as they block the electrically charged air between the plates. I had no idea until I saw the show. Your right, it's a complex process.
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12-16-2010, 11:18 AM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
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Thanks for the reminder about keeping them free and clear. Smoke detectors will scream when the see ANY particles, not just smoke. I'm kinda glad they don't know the difference. If there isn't smoke use the alarm as a notice that you gotta clean them out.
Another thing. January 1st is approaching and it will be time for me to change out all the 9v batteries in the stickhouse and rig for the CO and Fire alarms. And the old batteries go into our hazardous materials disposal box for eventual proper disposal at the County location. Such are the costs of safety. DW will be reminding me of this drill real soon.
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12-16-2010, 11:42 AM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 2,783
M.O.C. #10246
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Thanks for the reminder, Ozz...frankly, unless our alarms are "chirping" to let me know it's time to change the batteries, I just completely forget them.
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12-16-2010, 11:59 PM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: New Bern
Posts: 4,387
M.O.C. #8728
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Michael,
You are not the only one who forgets them. I get calls on a regular basis for chirping smoke alarms.
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12-17-2010, 12:22 AM
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#6
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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The lady's house I went to had the cathedral ceiling in her bedroom, the hard-wired 120 volt smoke alarm was next to a ceiling fan. When I blew out the alarm module, dust really came out of it, all the rest showed no dust at all. The dusty one was the one that alarmed.
About 100 times the normal airflow circulated around that alarm because of the fan. They were about 3 years old.
Out Montanas have the 9volt alarms, but they need to be cleaned as well.
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12-17-2010, 02:39 AM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Texas City
Posts: 5,736
M.O.C. #7673
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Thanks for the information.
I change out our batteries with the time changes. Easy to remember.
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12-17-2010, 05:02 AM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: none
Posts: 1,566
M.O.C. #1043
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Ozz, Speaking of Fire, If Glenn Adams was with us, he would also remined us that it's time to check your fire extinguisher.
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