Fire safety

Retlaw said:
It shouldn't be in the hallway, by the time smoke sets it of there, your house could be smoke logged, if you are in your bedroom you will be unable to see where your going.
If you don't think it gets hot, try touching it after its been on for 1/2 hour, I think you will find its quite hot to the touch, try touch the light bulb if you don't think it gets hot. Just because the are low energy means nothing, all types of household light bulbs generate heat.

Ring Accy Fire Station they are fitted entirely free.
The battery's are lithium, with a ten year life span.
Dont wait for H.H., you could be dead by then, they can't stop the Fire Brigade from fitting alarms.

Retlaw.
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I can see that you are genuinely concerned Walter, and I appreciate it.

The hallway is the central point of my flat, and the one bedroom leads directly off it, as do the lounge and bathroom.
The kitchen is accessible from the lounge only and I always close the kitchen door at night.

I have had one of those 10 year battery alarms but it only lasted 6.
This one is less than a year old, so I hope it will last until a mains supply type is put in by HH - I will mail them to ask if it will be done during the rewire which is due this year.

Your expert info on this subject is appreciated -karma due
 
I am sure Walter will clear this up for me.

I thought the reason smoke alarms were fitted flush to the ceiling was to do with the way the smoke rises up and then follows the ceiling as it spreads out. By having a smoke alarm hanging 6" from the ceiling it may take longer before it activates.

I know the instructions tell you how close you can fit them to walls and the corner of rooms due to the way the smokes "flows".
 
I must admit I never did like the look of the light bulb ones.
The rising heat from the lamp will cause a large air flow through the light shade and the smoke detector. I suspect this will lead to them getting dirty inside much faster than if they were not above the lamp.
 
Neil said:
I must admit I never did like the look of the light bulb ones.
The rising heat from the lamp will cause a large air flow through the light shade and the smoke detector. I suspect this will lead to them getting dirty inside much faster than if they were not above the lamp.
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That is logical -- and the maintenance instructions advise vaccuuming the dust off it regularly -- though I doubt that many people will.
 
When I had the oxygen system installed in my flat the Fire Brigade had to come and check everything was okay, things like double sockets are band, the block ones but the plug in trailing sockets are okay. Mind you girls you don't always get your own way in things like this I got a fireman and a firelady:rolleyes: They also put me a new smoke alarm in a 10 year one with no batteries, ou jst have to test it each week and use the suction hose on it every week. They spent around an hour and inspected all my appliances, and gave me a good talk on fire safty, to me a very worthwhile exercise
 
Your right Neil. Smoke does rise to the ceiling level thats why the Fire Brigade fit the ceiling flush ones. But in a small space it soon fills up, I always told people to get their nose to the carpet in thick smoke.
Ours is a fairly big house and I practiced walking round with my eyes shut, to see if I could identfy the position of things, and if I can put my hand on
the door handles first try, I also have door keys in both pants pockets and a set on a hook behind the front and back doors.
When you've seen the things I've seen you can't be too careful.

Retlaw.

Neil said:
I am sure Walter will clear this up for me.

I thought the reason smoke alarms were fitted flush to the ceiling was to do with the way the smoke rises up and then follows the ceiling as it spreads out. By having a smoke alarm hanging 6" from the ceiling it may take longer before it activates.

I know the instructions tell you how close you can fit them to walls and the corner of rooms due to the way the smokes "flows".
Click to expand...
 
Margaret, if and when H.H., rewire and fit alarms with rechargable batteries, make sure the are not cadmium batteries, I wouldn't recommend them, they have a fault, which is referred to as memory, if they are charged up without having been fully used, the life of the battery becomes shorter and shorter, then one day you may have a power cut and the battery is no good. Go for the stand alone with lithum batteries, even 6 years is better than the alkaline battery which only lasts 9-10 months and they are FREE.
Retlaw.

[email protected] said:
I can see that you are genuinely concerned Walter, and I appreciate it.

The hallway is the central point of my flat, and the one bedroom leads directly off it, as do the lounge and bathroom.
The kitchen is accessible from the lounge only and I always close the kitchen door at night.

I have had one of those 10 year battery alarms but it only lasted 6.
This one is less than a year old, so I hope it will last until a mains supply type is put in by HH - I will mail them to ask if it will be done during the rewire which is due this year.

Your expert info on this subject is appreciated -karma due
Click to expand...
 
Smoke alarms should not and do not have rechargable batteries in them for exactly the reason that retlaw states, they are unreliable. I urge everyone to bin dodgy smoke alarms and get free fitted ones from your fire service. As for the light fitting type I wouldn't touch them with a barge poll.

Also if you are hard of hearing or know anyone who is, Lancs Fire & rescue will arrange for special detectors to be fitted free for you, they have flashing lights on and also a vibrating pad under your pillow which will shake you if the alarm goes off
 
My smoke alarms are at the bottom and top of my stairs, should I have one in the kitchen??? from the bottom of my stairs you've to go through the living room to get to the kitchen
 
You don't want one in the kitchen, it could go off every time you start cooking, some are very sensitive, I was soldering a joint on my daughters central heating system, the smoke alarm was 8ft up and 6ft left and the fumes from the flux when the solder melted set the alarm off twice, talk about ginger skid marks, nearly.

You could put one on the living room ceiling about 2 - 3ft from the kitchen door, if the kitchen door was to be closed when a fire broke out, it would be a while before the alarm went off, if it was in the kitchen and all the doors were closed, would you hear it anywhere in the house. If in doubt ring the Fire Brigade its entirely FREE, and Firemen don't bite.

Retlaw.

emzy said:
My smoke alarms are at the bottom and top of my stairs, should I have one in the kitchen??? from the bottom of my stairs you've to go through the living room to get to the kitchen
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I have one in the hallway and one at the top of the stairs, the one in the hallway goes off nearly everytime I use the toaster or open the oven door, I forever wafting it with the tea towel.
 
Kieth Lard makes a great Fire safety officer, i have his number if anyone is interested.(as long as you don`t have a dog) LOL:D:D
 
How many feet away is the one in the hallway from the kitchen. Sounds like you need an extractor fan in the kitchen, or give over burning the toast.

Retlaw.

grego said:
I have one in the hallway and one at the top of the stairs, the one in the hallway goes off nearly everytime I use the toaster or open the oven door, I forever wafting it with the tea towel.
Click to expand...
 
I have one in the hallway and one at the top of the stairs, the one in the hallway goes off nearly everytime I use the toaster or open the oven door, I forever wafting it with the tea towel.
Click to expand...





Put up with it, proves its working.
 
This thread prompted me to have a check done on the house, so, I rang the Fire Service the other day and booked a Fire Safety check. The local station rang this afternoon to appoint a convenient time to do the check. We weren’t going out so they said they would arrive between 2 and 4 o’clock this afternoon.

Two fire officers duly arrived shortly after 2 o’clock, they had no time for a cuppa as they had a few other safety checks to carry out and also pointed out that they may have to leave half way through the check if they were required elsewhere. They installed a new smoke alarm (with 10 years battery life ) pointed out this and that, left a few leaflets and went on their way.

As I let them out of the house, imagine my surprise to see a Fire Engine with the rest of the crew parked a few doors up. I said I thought you would have arrived in an Escort van or something. They said that they do the rounds in the least busy of the fire tenders, even though it only does 8 to 10 miles per gallon.

I can only assume this is the most viable way of doing the checks manpower/vehicle use. Glad I’m not paying the fuel bills though……..yes I know I am in a round about way.

Remember to book your Fire Safety check, better safe than sorry ;)
 
When they came here they arrived in a fire engine - parked up outside my house and visited all the people on the avenue.
 
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