Recommend me new smoke alarms

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cddt

658 posts

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#303219 25-Jan-2023 10:20

I am interested in hearing recommendations for a good smoke alarm. We are moving (to a larger) house soon and want to get new ones once we do.

Do you replace the batteries in all the alarms in the house at the same time? On a schedule or just when one starts to chirp?

Rant follows, ignore if you want:

In our current house we invested in six "long life" smoke alarms from Mitre 10, brand "Orca", which promised 10-year operation. So far over the 18 months we have had them, four of those smoke alarms have gone off randomly in the middle of the night for no reason (no smoke, obviously), and the one time our kitchen was filled with smoke (an oven mitt was placed on a gas stove) none of the alarms went off, not even the one in the kitchen. So no confidence that they won't wake us up needlessly and also no confidence that they will actually sound in the event of a fire.

So I'm mostly interested in a) something that makes a noise when there is a fire and b) something that doesn't wake me up at night unless there's a fire...

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#3026895 25-Jan-2023 10:33

We have Nest Protect smoke alarms. I would highly recommend these. It is very much a case of buy once cry once. What I like about them

- Self test, does it without prompts every couple months (cant remember the rule but it just does it)
- All connected, so if one goes off they will all go off. We have young kids, this sets my mind at ease
- Light soft flashing indicator when you turn the lights off - nice to have but something that makes you recognize its working
- Replaceable long life batteries (Energizer Ultimate Lithium) although these last 5 years - so far so good for us

Only con is the size, they are larger than a normal smoke alarm, but I think they look really tidy so not a big deal for me

Like you we also had issues with so called long life smoke alarms. In fact my brother ignored my advice, bought the long life ones 3 weeks ago, and one of them is failing already.

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michaelmurfy

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#3026896 25-Jan-2023 10:34

You didn’t mention budget but I’ll personally recommend the Google Nest Protect smoke alarms. I have them and find them awesome for not going off for the hell of it. Also, they warn when they’re about to go off by talking to you giving you a chance to hush them.

It’s what the fire service and consumer recommend too. Expensive, but good.

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itxtme

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#3026898 25-Jan-2023 10:35

michaelmurfy: Also, they warn when they’re about to go off by talking to you giving you a chance to hush them.

I forgot about this feature - its great, have had that a couple times with cooking

duckDecoy

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#3026905 25-Jan-2023 10:44

Re Google Nest Protect smoke alarms.

I saw on a site the sensors last for 10 years from manufacture

Can you find the manufacture date on the box? I'd hate to buy some that have been on the shelf for half their lifetime...

timmmay

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#3026907 25-Jan-2023 10:46

I use Cavius smoke alarms, they're a good brand. They communicate with each other wirelessly so if one goes off they all go off. They cost more than Orca, but a lot less than Google Nest, especially if you get a multipack. I have smoke alarms in some rooms, heat alarm in the kitchen. The heat alarm is fine even if we open the oven and a bunch of hot steam comes out and hits it, it must have a decent algorithm for detection.

cddt

658 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3026911 25-Jan-2023 10:48

Thanks for the recommendation, I will look into those, although the cost may be prohibitive. I'm thinking about the layout of the house and we would probably need a minimum of 7 devices.

I'm also a little wary of anything "connected"... heard some horror stories about early Nest products which would sound when they lost connectivity and couldn't be disabled manually.

cddt

658 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3026912 25-Jan-2023 10:49

timmmay:

I use Cavius smoke alarms, they're a good brand. They communicate with each other wirelessly so if one goes off they all go off. They cost more than Orca, but a lot less than Google Nest, especially if you get a multipack. I have smoke alarms in some rooms, heat alarm in the kitchen. The heat alarm is fine even if we open the oven and a bunch of hot steam comes out and hits it, it must have a decent algorithm for detection.

Thanks, will check these out too.

duckDecoy

794 posts

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#3026918 25-Jan-2023 11:05

timmmay:

I use Cavius smoke alarms, they're a good brand. They communicate with each other wirelessly so if one goes off they all go off. They cost more than Orca, but a lot less than Google Nest, especially if you get a multipack. I have smoke alarms in some rooms, heat alarm in the kitchen. The heat alarm is fine even if we open the oven and a bunch of hot steam comes out and hits it, it must have a decent algorithm for detection.

But these still have the 'lifetime' batteries don't they? This seems to be a big problem for smoke alarms, 10 year batteries that last half that after installed (probably lost half their life in packet on the shelf)

scuwp

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#3026927 25-Jan-2023 11:14

Another vote for Cavius.

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Earbanean

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#3026932 25-Jan-2023 11:32

Yep, Cavius here too. As well as functionality, their small size and discreet looks appealed to us.

Blurtie

432 posts

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#3026940 25-Jan-2023 11:58

itxtme:

We have Nest Protect smoke alarms. I would highly recommend these. It is very much a case of buy once cry once. What I like about them

- Self test, does it without prompts every couple months (cant remember the rule but it just does it)
- All connected, so if one goes off they will all go off. We have young kids, this sets my mind at ease
- Light soft flashing indicator when you turn the lights off - nice to have but something that makes you recognize its working
- Replaceable long life batteries (Energizer Ultimate Lithium) although these last 5 years - so far so good for us

Only con is the size, they are larger than a normal smoke alarm, but I think they look really tidy so not a big deal for me

Like you we also had issues with so called long life smoke alarms. In fact my brother ignored my advice, bought the long life ones 3 weeks ago, and one of them is failing already.

Another vote for Nest protect.

Just to add a couple of other pros I like about hem:

- they include a motion sensor, we have one placed in a central hallway connecting our bedrooms/bathroom and it's useful at night time as the motion sensor will trigger a soft night light to light the path to the bathroom;

- they're connected with our Hue smart lights, so if the alarm gets triggered at night, then it'll turn on all the lights.. Although I vaguely recall possibly reading somewhere that this functionality might have been removed recently? I'm sure someone else can confirm/deny.

rscole86

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#3026951 25-Jan-2023 13:10

Another vote for the Cavius wireless family, I've got a mixture of heat and smoke throughout the house and garage.

timmmay

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#3026971 25-Jan-2023 13:55

duckDecoy:

But these still have the 'lifetime' batteries don't they? This seems to be a big problem for smoke alarms, 10 year batteries that last half that after installed (probably lost half their life in packet on the shelf)

According to their website, batteries are 10 year but replaceable. Duracell Lithium.

rb99

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#3026978 25-Jan-2023 14:16

Also says mains powered...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

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#3026981 25-Jan-2023 14:23

Zooming in on images of the models they sell at Mitre10, most say 10 years, non-replaceable.

I tell myself after a decade its probably a good idea to replace the whole thing anyway, but still...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

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