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| Ek's Home | Forum | Chat | Electrical Links | |
| Subject - residential smoke detectors | |
| joe funk |
I have been told that residential battery back up smoke detectors must be on the same circuit. I s this true? |
| Ryan_J | Yes. |
| lctrc789 | As well as be interconnected to each other so that when one goes off they all go off at the same time. One on each floor and one in each bedroom Living room some locals allow one in a small hallway in between two bedrooms. |
| Electricman | Dont forget to place them on a Arc Fault circuit, See 210.12 (B) |
| kbsparky | quote: Some jurisdictions have amended their codes to prohibit such devices from being connected to arc-fault circuit interrupters. Be sure to check with your local inspector-critter for your specific requirements. |
| Electricman | Ken, Any Info on why they would do that? Wouldnt 210.12 NEC be a safer install? |
| lctrc789 | We have a local ammendment to the circuit for smoke detectors here, even though they are installed in bedrooms if more then 1 smoke detector is in the home then all smoke detectors must have a dedicated circuit and shall have battery back up as well as be interconnected. We don't want them on an arc fault circuit that could trip out due to arc and cause them not to get 120 volts power. Many homeowners do not change their batteries or remove them. |
| BASE | I don't see how an AFCI would be beneficial. |
| kbsparky | quote: This all happened in Sussex County, Delaware: It was all a knee-jerk reaction to a fire that killed 8 members of a family in a substandard neighborhood. After that tragedy, they amended the rules to the following: 1) All new houses had to have smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside of each sleeping area, on each floor, interconnected for simultaneous operation, and battery-back-up units. 2) The smoke detector circuit had to be dedicated, with no other loads connected. 3) The smoke detector circuit also was required to have a lock-on installed on the breaker to prevent accidental turning off. 4) Arc-Fault circuit interrputers were NOT to be used on the special smoke detector branch circuit. In addition to this, any building permit issued for any reason in an existing structure required smoke detectors to be installed in all the locations mentioned above before the final inspection would be released. |
| Electricman | This might be something that the code making panels might need to look into for the 08 code. Base, I am not saying one way or the other if AFCIs should be arc fault protected I am just going by the NEC . All of our installs (In various counties and municipalities ) require the same installs as the rest of you fellas, Interconnected, battery backup, every bedroom ,floor, and basement. But they all have to be protected by an AFCI according to NEC 210.12 (B).
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| Ryan_J | quote: There were many, many, many, many proposals for this in the 2005 cycle. Code Making Panel 2 wants AFCI for the circuit. |
| WELLSEROUSKI | I'M IN TEXAS AND ACCORDING TO THE NEC. THE SMOKE DETECTORS ARE NOT TO BE ON A DEDICATED CIRCUIT BUT ON A CIRCUIT THAT IF WAS NOT ENERGIZED YOU WOULD NOTICE SUCH AS MASTER BEDROOM LIGHTING, KITCHEN LIGHTING ECT. 2004 NEC. AM I WRONG? |
| blackrd | I personally havent heard that before. |
| JimmyDee | quote: Thats what they want in Michigan as well. Jim |
| kbsparky | Personally, I am in agreement with local requirements that call for something obvious to fail when the circuit supplying the smoke setectors fails. Such as a hall light, or prominent bedroom light. It makes the occupant search for and correct the problem. But then we have politicians who have knee-jerk reactions to isolated incidents, and they make rules and enact laws that are not really seated in common sense. 
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| stedder | Local req's in NY also want a conspicuous circuit. I think it makes sense. |