Hello Everyone,
FYI >> ca1900 period property, owner occupied, so regs/alarms in theory not required.
Regardless, I am looking to improve on this for my family's safety. My property currently has one heat detector in the loft (where I also store my PV batteries) and one interlinked smoke alarm in the closest hallway. They are fed by a nearby lighting circuit, which is in constant use. This has been installed by an MCS registered electrician. I also have a CM detector next to my gas boiler. The previous owner stated they had 3 battery operated smoke alarms, but I could only find one! So either they made a mistake or they had some non wall/ceiling mounted ones they took with them... no idea.
Anyway, I am looking to add one to each floor (+extra heat alarm in the kitchen) and have mapped some potential wiring routes. Hardwiring them all together is going to take some effort, but potentially doable without massive re-decorating. I am now facing two options:
1. If wiring permits, wire all onto the same existing lighting circuit using 3 core+cpc, which would also allow for hardwirde interconnection. Seems like the most stable/safe/cleanest route but most work to find routes across 3 floors. All linked to a frequently used lighting circuit so any circuit failures will be noted quickly.
2. Mains wire from separate lighting circuit of each floor and interlink all wirelessly. Probably a little less work, less disruptive, but might need to spend more and get a new set of alarms that can do wireless interlinks. Are these wireless interconnected ones reliable? Any downsides of "spreading" smoke alarms over different circuits?
Which one would you choose?
FYI >> ca1900 period property, owner occupied, so regs/alarms in theory not required.
Regardless, I am looking to improve on this for my family's safety. My property currently has one heat detector in the loft (where I also store my PV batteries) and one interlinked smoke alarm in the closest hallway. They are fed by a nearby lighting circuit, which is in constant use. This has been installed by an MCS registered electrician. I also have a CM detector next to my gas boiler. The previous owner stated they had 3 battery operated smoke alarms, but I could only find one! So either they made a mistake or they had some non wall/ceiling mounted ones they took with them... no idea.
Anyway, I am looking to add one to each floor (+extra heat alarm in the kitchen) and have mapped some potential wiring routes. Hardwiring them all together is going to take some effort, but potentially doable without massive re-decorating. I am now facing two options:
1. If wiring permits, wire all onto the same existing lighting circuit using 3 core+cpc, which would also allow for hardwirde interconnection. Seems like the most stable/safe/cleanest route but most work to find routes across 3 floors. All linked to a frequently used lighting circuit so any circuit failures will be noted quickly.
2. Mains wire from separate lighting circuit of each floor and interlink all wirelessly. Probably a little less work, less disruptive, but might need to spend more and get a new set of alarms that can do wireless interlinks. Are these wireless interconnected ones reliable? Any downsides of "spreading" smoke alarms over different circuits?
Which one would you choose?
