Smoke detectors

C

Cushing H.

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Another somewhat different question…

as I get more settled into this new house ( a slow process 😒) , I turn more and more to thinking how I will set up the new shop. Turns out the builders, in their wisdom, put a smoke detector smack in the middle of the area I have to set up shop (My old shop did not have a detector so close).

now, wood work, mill work, and metal cutting I am not worried about …. But that grinder/steel and its sparks…. ???

the grinder does put out odors … but it is not exactly smoke. Who here knows ( and I am sure there are some 😊) whether residential smoke detectors are activated by the vaporous ”stuff” that comes off of grinders when working steel?
 
Good morning, Cush. Hope the settling is going well, if not quickly.
You might have to worry about it or make some adjustments. The smith I rented a room from when I first moved to Portland had her shop in her garage that was attached to the house and there was a smoke detector in the middle of the ceiling. We did forging and grinding in that garage (not at the same time) and only occasionally had an issue with the smoke detector. I remember taking the battery out once or twice, but I can't remember what the conditions were. I want to say it was only when the wind was coming from the wrong direction and using my wooden stump and hammer to straighten out hot forgings, which creates a lot of smoke. Granted, we did most of the work with the garage door open, but not always.
I think we also made a cloth shower-cap like thing to minimize the grinding dust getting into the detector.
 
I think weo weo has some good advice there. I'm being that without regular cleaning or a filter like he described the build-up of dust would make it go off pretty regularly... Those things defect super fine particulate in the air that's all smoke is really...
 
good morning both of you. William - moving and downsizing, at least in this case after being essentially in the same house (or general location) for about forty years is hands down the most upsetting/stressful thing I have every experienced. for those of you considering it .... be prepared for: damage to belongings from movers (handling/water damage and shove-it-all-into-one-box packing), not knowing where a bunch of stuff is, lack of time to get it all unpacked, and "where-to-put-all-the-stuff" (when downsizing). I've built a bunch of storage shelves in the unfinished area (need to build one more), and is used for "this goes here forever" stuff, "I need a place to put this until I have time to decide what to do with it" stuff, and "I need to use this occasionally, but dont have room in the kitchen for it" stuff. I try to get at least one box dealt with each day, but sometimes get energetic and deal with a number of boxes. There is progress, but still way too much clutter... :-)

As for the smoke detector, this is a hard-wired unit which, if set off, will activate every single alarm throughout the house. I can certainly deal with the wiring to either: bypass it or relocate it to an area in the unfinished space further away from where the grinder will be. The shower cap is a great idea to try, and can hold the rewiring efforts as a backup. Im not sure what the building codes here in KY are: I know back in MN there was no requirement for a fire alarm in either an unfinished basement area, and not even required for a finished area that was not designated as a bed room .... the only requirement (if not a bed room) was a single smoke/CO detector in a hallway on each level of the house.

thanks again for the inputs .... looks like I have to go out and buy a shower cap :-)
 
I had one in my downstairs just outside the kitchen that would go off when I was doing things like searing a roast or other hot cooking tasks. I used a Tupperware elastic cover that looked like a shower cap to cover it when needed. I put a big red X on the cover so I couldn't forget to take it off later.
 
I had a CO detector in my basement due to my furnace and hot water heater. I set it off working with certain chemicals and finishes. I’m sure a smoke detector would definitely go off during grinding, especially micarta and wood.
 
There are two types of smoke detectors. 1 Is photo electric. The principle is there is a photo electric eye (think dusk to dawn eye) that looks for light in a dark chamber with light source it can never see in normal mode. IF dust or smoke enters the chamber the light reflects off the dust or smoke to trigger the smoke. Best for slow and smokey fires. Number 2 is Ionization it uses radioactive material to look for fire. Best used in fast acting fires.They can be sensitive to odors from chemicals. Some smoke detectors work on both principles.
Bottom line is cover the smoke chamber while doing work BUT REMOVE AFTER USE
 
I have 5, yes 5 in my house that were installed when the house was built. Their all connect to a/c with battery back up. One night laying in bed I heard the dreaded beep indicating a low battery. Ok, so which one? I felt like I was on candid camera waiting a few minutes for the beep walking from room to room trying to figure it out. I never could figure which one was beeping because it was just kind of echoing thru the house. So…..I changed all the battery’s and…a few minutes later the beeping continued. I ended up just disconnecting the a/c from all of them, pull the batteries and went and bought a battery powered smoke detector and put in the kitchen near an open area of the whole house.
 
One of mine did the same recently. After much reading I learned that they have an expiration date and they will chirp when they reach the end of their useful life.
 
Yes, I have replaced them for that exact reason. Many new smoke detectors come with a 10-year battery and are supposed to be replaced when they start chirping.
CO detectors and many other devices with a sensor have a shelf life. We tend to forget them beyond changing a battery every year or two ... or like most folks, when it starts chirping. People get far too confident with the newer permanently wired units installed by builders. They think that as long as the lights work the fire alarm is good - forever.

A smart homeowner makes a "plant log" for your home and family with a specific months or years to:
Change all batteries in alarms, clocks, remotes, flashlights, etc. every year or two.
Alarms and detectors should be replaced every ten years.
Hot water heaters need to be flushed yearly in most areas.
Well pumps and hosed need to be disconnected or protected from freezing before the first hard freeze.
Plants need to be moved inside, etc.
Fertilizer, grass seed, etc.
Certain yearly bills, dues, fees, taxes, licenses, etc.
Vaccinations, checkups, eye exams, blood tests, etc. for all household members.
On-line orders that you make at certain times of year or periodically.
And many more that you will think of that apply to your home and family.
 
I guess I,m the odd one I dont have a smoke detector too many chemicals dust and and will the forge it would go off constantly if I put one in.
they are good to have and safer then not you might move where it is mounted some where more accessible like on a wall just make sure it is high enough to do its job and like other have said use a cover or take the battery out when doing tasks that are likely to set it off
 
Another option is a temperature sensitive alarm. You could build one with a $10 temperature controller/PID and a type J TC. You can probably buy a commercial one to replace the smoke alarm.

In my old forge grinding room I had an old Vulcan/Vanguard fire alarm. It was a wind-up type with a fusible link to set it off. When it got to the melting point of the wax plug, the gong went off until the spring ran down. I just looked and they are readily found on eBay for between $15 and $30. The idea was that it didn't rely on power or batteries to go off. Good idea, but better batteries and cheap smoke detectors made them obsolete for homes. Commercial fire suppression systems still use similar technology.
 
It always seems like those darned smoke detectors always start beeping in the middle of the night. Well … that is not your imagination … if you turn your thermostat down at night, when the temperature in the house lowers, the voltages of the batteries goes down, and if they are at the lower threshold, the temporarily reduced voltage pushes them below the smoke detectors acceptance level and they start beeping. Design for maximum irritation…
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Another option is a temperature sensitive alarm. You could build one with a $10 temperature controller/PID and a type J TC. You can probably buy a commercial one to replace the smoke alarm.

In my old forge grinding room I had an old Vulcan/Vanguard fire alarm. It was a wind-up type with a fusible link to set it off. When it got to the melting point of the wax plug, the gong went off until the spring ran down. I just looked and they are readily found on eBay for between $15 and $30. The idea was that it didn't rely on power or batteries to go off. Good idea, but better batteries and cheap smoke detectors made them obsolete for homes. Commercial fire suppression systems still use similar technology.
Click to expand...
didn't know these were a thing thanks I might pick one up
 
Amazon -

First Alert Hardwired Heat Alarm with Battery Backup, BRK Brands HD6135FB​

 
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