I've just noticed the smoke alarms in my house should be expired (more than 10 years old).
These smoke alarms are hard wired and it seems I'll need to get an electrician to install a new one.
Modern smoke alarms can have batteries that last for 10 years. Any point in getting an electrican to replace my hardwired ones or should I just buy some battery powered ones and install them myself?
thanks for the link. Yeah okay so the main advantage is still the interconnected-ness of the alarms.
Even the interconnected is moving wireless. For easy install.
I bought a 5 pack of the 10 year sealed battery units a few months ago. They are interconnected - one goes they all go off. They pair together so from that perspective there is no difference to hard wired.
Whether you go hard wired or not might depend on other factors, one being your state's rules. Each state's fire service website should be able to tell you what you can (and can't) do.
yeah ok that might be a better option for me. I would prefer a solution that doesn't "rely" on an electrician.
Did you have hardwired ones that you just downgraded to them?
@witsa: Yes I did (or rather, still do) have hardwired ones but the technology 10 years ago (ionising type with the radioactive symbol) is inferior to modern equipment and won't even meet current regulations which require photoelectric detectors.
In QLD there are rules coming in 6 years where interconnected alarms need to be in bedrooms. But 10-15 years ago when the hard wired ones were installed, the rules were different and they did not install in the bedrooms at all - only the living areas.
So I left the hard wired ones alone and will deal with those separately, and I put the wireless interconnected ones in each bedroom. The incoming rules specifically say that battery alarms are OK so long as they are the sealed ones - not 9v replaceable. The existing rules say you can't replace hard wired with battery, although in my case I've not replaced anything, I've only added new ones.
FWIW the QLD rules are summarised https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/prepare/fire/smoke-alarms
Read your Insurance Policy for some additional "rules" (that could save you $$ on premiums &/or preclude your policy from being invalid, on a technicality…)
Yes and no. Like JimmyF said, no need for hardwired. It's a dumb idea hardwiring a limited-life device that can't be easily swapped out (i.e. not needing an electrician).
It will probably eventually be compulsory to have interconnected alarms. eg. in Qld, rental properties will have to, upon change I tenant, I think from next year.
I am curious regarding the best value wireless interconnected smoke alarms, I've been meaning to look into this.
"that can't be easily swapped out"
After my hardwired units started beeping constantly @ 2:20 [am] one January 2nd and failed to respond to repeated attempts to silence it using a broom handle, examination of the remains in daylight suggested that pressing a simple plastic clip would let it slide out of its holder for battery replacement - confirmed by doing just that on the second unit.
I also now know that an suitable piece of plasterboard is cheaper than a pot of filler, a sample paint pot and a sheet of A4 paper, however it has passed three inspections and [professional] replacement with more modern units so I'll leave it until a round tuit bargain gets posted.
I'm a bit ambivalent about interconnected alarms tho, as all the alarms triggering offers no indication of where the smoke/vapour was sensed therefore the best exit to use…
@terrys: I don't understand what you're saying - hardwired or replaceable battery??
I have a battery-based detector installed with doublesided tape on top of the hardwired one. (It was a monitored alarm with a monthly fee, which I cancelled when I moved in.)
I reckon I might agree with you abou interconnected - they should make a different sound where the smoke was detected??
But I'm just gong by what laws require, not what I'd do if I was allowed make my own decision.
@SlickMick: The hardwired had a replaceable back-up battery - and all of them do have a battery. The "ten years" often quoted for replacement is the estimated life-time of the battery. The loud constant repeated single beep was slower than the alarm.
I'd ignored to occasional "beep" the unit had been given for three months, as I was then still burning money using Phillip Morris as a proxy. Not all the manuals had been left by the last tenant…
well technology changes. Sometimes the advice from > 10 years ago when the last smoke alarms is no longer still the right approach.
do you seriously not understand the difference or you just trying to find a reason to be outraged?
Every car has seat belts and they're the same in every car.
With smoke alarms, there's a number of different brands and types and technological improvements. I'm just doing research on it before I get new ones.
Ummm, you missed the question entirely. He's not asking whether you should wear seat belts or not (using your analogy).
Technology changes, e.g. new rear-facing baby carseats look very different to the ones we sat in, but are much better with improvements to safety tech.
When I saw that my hard-wired smoke detector was >15 years old, I looked up the make and model and found that they're still making smoke detectors that fit that old base. I was able to get one from a nearby electrical supply shop and all I had to do to install it was gently pry apart the plastic hinge on the old one and snap on the new one.
It's true that technology has changed a bit. Apparently the new one I bought has less radioactive material than the old one (possibly none?) so it's even safer.
You probably didn't need to "pry apart the plastic hinge". Usually, there's a little plastic tab that you have to press in or pull up and then you just rotate the detector about a quarter of a turn to release it. Sometimes the tab might be hard to locate, or there might be a small hole that you have to push something into to release it, something like a mobile phone sim card carrier. If you have a new replacement unit that uses the same base, though, it'll probably come with instructions that explains how the catch works.
Problem is your usually working half blind due to the lighting/shadow at the top of a ladder to see the intricacies.
And who seriously can find the instruction manual to the smoke alarm from 10 years ago?
Doubtful that the manual would include those details anyway.
And who seriously can find the instruction manual to the smoke alarm from 10 years ago?
I meant the manual from the new detector, not the old one :-)
Thanks George. Your explanation was more informative than Albert's.
"When you've got a brain the size of a planet" "It gives me a headache just trying to think down to your level."
Is there a huge price difference? Unless something for the home is designed to be portable and/or the cable can get annoying, I'd always prefer to go hardwired for power. It's just one thing less to think about.
there is a huge price difference. Mainly because the hard wired ones require an electrician to install.
And from what people are saying elsewhere in the thread, it sounds like the battery lasts longer than the smoke alarms now and even the battery powered ones are interconnected wirelessly.
…the hard wired ones require an electrician to install.
If you've got an existing hard wired smoke alarms, it'll be quite easy to replace them and no-one would ever know the difference.. :) But, of course, that depends on whether you're comfortable with this kind of handy work or want to do it in line with the regulations etc.
If you're not comfortable with that and you can get the battery-powered models that are much less cheaper and comparable in functionality, then I guess, that's probably the ideal way to go.
actually looking at my state's policy (https://esa.act.gov.au/be-emergency-ready/smoke-alarms), its not clear whether i need an electrician at all.
Maybe I could be okay without one…
I am replacing all of the alarms in my investment property in QLD to meet the new legislation coming next year.
There is no difference in price of having hard wired vs battery.
They are all interconnected either way, the wireless ones use wifi to interconnect through a dedicated wifi controller.
I went with hard wired as I prefer to have less things to go wrong in the property.
I bought the same brand unit and was able to connect the new unit to the old connector, no electrician required.
It did require some "surgery" with a pair of pliers to remove the hinge mechanism, can't recall if the new one is installed without hinge or not.
It's interesting that it's a requirement to be hard wired in some states and not others.
I wonder what the reasoning is for this and why some state departments deem it as being necessary and others not.
probably legislation taking time to adapt to changing technology
I don't think so.
From what I can tell, ACT never adopted the "mandatory hard wired" policy like many other states, so you could always have a battery powered one. In WA for example, it changed in 1997 to requiring them to be hard wired. It's not so much a case of changing with technology, it's more that it was never a requirement.
If you ever rent out a room (Airbnb or long-term) or you may have different rules (usually powered detectors, here.)
I must admit this is a bit of an eye opener for me - I had no idea it was recommended to replace them every 10 years. We have 3 hardwired detectors and I test (push the button) and change the battery each year but they must be over 15 years old now.
Where are people getting replacement detectors from? Can I just pick them up from Woolworths or are they a bit crap? I've done zero research but it sounds like I'd be better off replacing the currently wired ones with battery units that last 10 years?
from what the comments have said, it seems the recommendation is to just get battery powered ones if legislation in your area allows. Make sure they are interconnected wirelessly.
Bunnings have a varied selection of smoke detectors. I replaced my old hard wired smoke detectors with ones from Bunnings. They have sealed battery units and ones where you can change the battery as well. I installed them myself. Mine get checked every year by an authorised company as part of local council regulations.
Are smoke detectors something to go cheap on?
I sell the most expensive Smoke Alarms on the market, you should buy some: you wouldn't want to cheap out on smoke detectors!
When it's an item that needs to meet very specific standards before it can be sold, yes. Then again, with all due respect and gratitude to to the demi-god Clear, any overseas based retail offer from Bangood for any $0.99 ones should be treated with a little more caution…
All the fixed wire detectors I've seen have a base plate attached to the ceiling and the detector rotates and clicks into the base plate. The mains wiring is connected to the base plate. So, if you could find the same type of detector as the original, you'd be able to just unclick the old detector and click in the new one. It's similar to replacing a light globe - need for an electrician as long as you don't poke your finger into the socket.
However, after ten years, you're probably not going to be able to find the same detector, and even if you can get one from the same manufacturer, it probably won't have a compatible click in arrangement. Still, it never hurts to ask.
What state? different states have different rules. Some states require at least one mains powered depending on when the building was built. I would spend a few minutes checking the relevant legislation for your state. Last thing you want is insurance issues due to non compliant smoke alarms
But what are you going to do with the current smoke Detectors? Just leave them installed, and add a wireless one next to them?
If you are going to go to the hassle of removing them, which will actually require an electrician to terminate them, plus it will leave holes in your ceiling, you may as well get new hard wired ones installed instead.
Just leave them installed, and add a wireless one next to them?
I imagine it might be a little disorientating when the room is filled with smoke and alarms are beeping at least "doubly" as loud! 😱
Simply, you turn off the mains and replace with new device
In WA, the advantage is that you're complying with the law: https://www.mbawa.com/smoke-alarms/
Unless for some reason (solid walls of an old apartment?) you can't install a hardwired one, in which case I think it's long life non-removable battery
OP, TIL. Thanks for raising this important issue. We moved into this house a few years ago, and it's definitely > 10 years old.
For VIC, the Building Authority says:
Homes constructed after 1st August 1997 must have smoke alarms connected to 240V mains power and have a backup battery.
However, just a couple lines down it also says:
Interconnected smoke alarms can be:
- hard-wired (which should be installed by an electrician), or
- wireless interconnected smoke alarms powered by a ten-year lithium battery (which can be easily installed without requiring an electrician).
https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/consumers/guides/smoke-alarms
I think wireless interconnected (no electrician) is definitely the way to go for us.
The natural next question (after deciding wireless interconnected alarms is the way to go) is of course: Which one?
Our local Bunnings only have Quells, with bad reviews. This one has exclusively one-star reviews, mostly of the false alarms and error codes.
ACT Fire & Rescue recommends wherever possible, hard-wired and interconnected smoke alarms are installed.
Where possible, your smoke alarms should be connected to each other so that when one sounds, they all sound. This is called ‘interconnected’. Interconnection means that the smoke alarms communicate with each other so that if one smoke alarm activates all the smoke alarms in the home go off, giving all residents the best chance of getting out safely before they are overcome by smoke.
Please consult with a licensed electrician if required and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
https://esa.act.gov.au/be-emergency-ready/smoke-alarms