Found new product that enables fire alerts for EVL3 etc.

[gnolivos]

I just wanted to share a recent find of mine. I have a Honeywell system but the fire alarm system in my home is not connected to the panel in anyway. It is just a set of wired first alert fire alarm modules across the house.

Then I came across this awesome simple inexpensive solution that connects the fire alarm system to my honeywell panel. Not sure it it works with DSC. It is a small module that detects the siren audio from the existing fire alarm system when triggered, and sends a signal to the panel. I tested it today and works perfectly. The envisalink just sees it as a standard fire alarm from the panel, and worked flawlessly.

Product info here:
http://www.encorecontrols.com/products.php

This YouTube video helped perform a blind programming!
http://youtu.be/EusU1BnGKCw

Keywords: encore fire alarm adapter

[NonTech]

IMHO, I think the FireFighter is a kludge and not something I think is 100% reliable. Your system has to have some form of Wireless Receiver and the addition of one (~$45/60) or two Wireless Smoke/Heat Detectors can cost less than $100 and is completely 100% connected to your Alarm System.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-ADEMCO-HONEYW ... 1648900933

The other issue is that in most homes, the smoke detectors are older than 10 years and their functionality is suspect. If I was in your position I spend the $120 for an Alarm Compatible smoke detectors instead of relying on some Mickey Mouse intermediate solution such as the FireFighter.

[gnolivos]

With my Mickey mouse solution, I get a panel alarm no matter which of my 8 interconnected smoke alarms senses the smoke. I would need to spend $500 to get this level of redundancy with a Honeywell wireless integrated solution like you propose.

Also, those Honeywell alarms themselves will also need to be replaced after 10 years. I'd much rather replace at $18 a pop.

I like my solution better in every aspect. But the beauty is people have a choice.

[Jonathan]

Relying on the Firefighter to alert you of a fire is a big mistake.

1. The device does not supervise the interconnected smoke detectors. All alarm panels supervise the smoke detectors programmed into the panel, this includes hardwired and wireless smokes. If a problem were to occur with one of the detectors, the system would go into trouble and alert you of the issue, it would also send a message to the central station (assuming you have monitoring).
The alarm panel may supervise the "firefighter", however the "firefighter" does not supervise any of the interconnected smoke detectors, thus making the supervision useless. If a problem were to arise that would prevent the interconnected smokes from sounding, you wouldn't know until it was too late.

2. Power outages- Based on my previous experience with 110v interconnected smoke detectors, if the power goes out so do the smokes. Yes they do have a 9v battery backup, however the interconnected part of them will no longer function. For example, you have the "firefighter" on the main floor of the house installed next to a 110v smoke. The power goes out and a fire breaks out on the 2nd floor. The smoke detector on the main floor doesn't know the smoke detector on the 2nd floor is sounding because of the power outage, by the time the smoke reaches the detector on the main floor, its too late.

3. It doesn't actually detect a fire!! 110v smoke detectors were not designed to interface with a monitored alarm system, and from my personal experience, 110v smokes false alarm more frequently than system connected smokes (especially if they’re ionization). This will raise the false alarm rate. Do a youtube search of "photoelectric vs ionization smokes". All of the Honeywell smokes are photoelectric. My preference would be photoelectric smoke with a built in rate of rise/ fixed temp at 135 degrees. This covers you for slow smoldering fires and fast flaming fires.


I wouldn't trust the "firefighter" to protect a dog house, but if that's what you want to rely on, that's your choice.

[gnolivos]

All valid points, however I think you're missing the point. For someone like me who already has a fully interconnected smoke alarm system installed in their house, $50 is the difference between having some connection to my panel, and not having anything at all.

$500 would be the ideal solution. I don't have $500, but for those who do, you have the better option.

Good day.

[NonTech]

Ideally, you should have 1 Smoke Detector in Each Bedroom and one outside each hallway servicing these bedrooms. You also need 1 Smoke Detector per level. From what I have seen, most Alarm System, Fire setups has just one Smoke Detector per level or at best, one outside each hallway serving a bedroom. I don't think you need 8 smoke detectors to get adequate Fire Protection and need to spend $500.

There was a kitchen fire at my ex-wife's house and it was the Smoke Alarm attached to the Alarm System on the Second Floor that went off, not the 110V system (don't know why, since there was a 110V smoke detector about 5 feet from the kitchen opening on the First Floor) and the monitoring company call the City Fire Station. The house only has 1 Smoke Detector attached to the Alarm System and it is located on the 2nd Floor.

All valid points, however I think you're missing the point. For someone like me who already has a fully interconnected smoke alarm system installed in their house, $50 is the difference between having some connection to my panel, I'm not having anything at all.

$500 would be the ideal solution. I don't have $500, but for those who do, you have the better option.

Good day.

[Jonathan]

What started the fire in the kitchen? Also what kind of smoke detector was the 110v (ionization or photoelectric)?

Most people don't know there are two different technologies used in smoke detectors (photoelectric and ionization). Ionization smokes are used in the majority of houses, especially when they are the 110v interconnected kind. Ionization is good for detecting fast flaming fires, but other than that it's performance is poor.

There are numerous cases where ionization smoke detectors failed to go off during a fire and resulted in fatalities because they didn't go off in time.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube about this topic if you're curious.

I also believe you should have heat detectors in the attic, garage, laundry/boiler room on top of the required smokes in the house.

[MANOWAR]

Just use one of these.

http://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/ ... es/sm120x/

and wire it to a zone on your panel

[user17600]

Just use one of these.

http://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/ ... es/sm120x/

and wire it to a zone on your panel

Hmm, interesting. Might I assume that this could also be hooked to a set of linked CO detectors? I have had a number of Potter CO 12-24s crap out and I'm tired of replacing them.

U1

[Jonathan]

That's worse than using the "firefighter" module. Now you're mixing high voltage equipment with low voltage equipment.

If you want to add fire/CO protection on your security system, do it the right way or don't do it at all.