Fire alarms must be hard wired?

[MakGras]

Hello,

I applied for a retrospective completion certificate for kitchen relocation. The work was done about 7 years ago. The building standard surveyor says that I need to install interlinked smoke and heat alarms to comply with the new fire regulations. I got in touch with different electricians and they recommend installing wireless interlinked detectors.

However, the surveyor said that "the smoke detectors are required to be hard wired and interlinked when the works form part of a Building Warrant application. Battery powered alarms are not suitable."

I read the government "Fire and smoke alarms : changes to the law" documents and it says that wireless interlinked alarms are acceptable. I don't understand why the surveyor is insisting on hard wired alarms.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks in advance.

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[littlespark]

Legacy regulations that haven’t caught up with the new products.

Building regs also assume if you’re doing a lot of work that requires building control, there’s no reason NOT to have it hardwired… that doesn’t help retrospectively.

You might be able to get a mains power to the detector, but use radio to link inbetween? That might be acceptable to them?

 

[MakGras]

Legacy regulations that haven’t caught up with the new products.

Building regs also assume if you’re doing a lot of work that requires building control, there’s no reason NOT to have it hardwired… that doesn’t help retrospectively.

You might be able to get a mains power to the detector, but use radio to link inbetween? That might be acceptable to them?

As I said the kitchen work was completed 7 years ago. so there's no building work involved now. just fire alarms. The surveyor seems harch not to allow wireless ones even though the new regulation recommend them.

I thought about hard wiring one then wirelessly linking others to it but the surveyor I think wants every alarm to be hard wired.

 

[MakGras]

Just to help people who might be asking same question.
It turns out that the surveyor is using BS5839(link below) which states that detectors must be hard wired etc. The Scottish government guidelines on website are confusing people like me. I am glad I am not an electrician but through my job, I had my share of confusing initiatives, guidelines and buraucratic nonsense.

Best wishes.

Smoke Alarms to BS 5839 part 6 : Firesafe.org.uk

The Fire Safety Advice Centre

www.firesafe.org.uk

 

[Mike Johnson]

We may be talking on cross purposes here, is it Mains wiring the surveyor is insisting upon, i.e. the type of alarm that requires mains connection to charge the Battery and maintain its 10year life, or is it the interlink that the surveyor is insisting is hard wired?

Your avatar says Manchester, but you are quoting Scottish regulations, where is the property?

 

[MakGras]

Sorry Manchester was along time ago. Now Edinburgh.

The surveyor want hard wired detectors but interlinking can be through RF.

The good honest electrician doing the work said that he installed 100s of grade F alarms and he doesn't understand why the surveyor says this " Unfortunately, the detectors are required to be hard wired, battery detectors do not meet the requirements of BS 5839. There is an option for radio linked alarms but these still require mains power.""

So to make life easy I asked the elctrician to install hard wired Aico EI3014 heat detectors and Aico EI3016 optical smoke alarms. He said he will get in touch with the surveyor to see why grade F are not allowed.

 

[loz2754]

And herein lies the problem. There are multiple sets of standards when it comes to domestic fire detection and alarm systems in dwellings in England. Which leads to some building inspectors insisting on compliance with BS5839 part 6, which is not a statutory document. The only statutory document is the 2015 regulations for smoke alarms in dwellings, which doesn't really go far enough in my opinion, as it only requires that smoke alarms be fitted in certain locations within tenanted dwellings, but does not say mains powered battery powered, not does it say they should be interlinked.
I personally choose to recommend to my landlord clients that they work to BS5839, as fire safety is such an important consideration.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Sorry Manchester was along time ago. Now Edinburgh.

The surveyor want hard wired detectors but interlinking can be through RF.

The good honest electrician doing the work said that he installed 100s of grade F alarms and he doesn't understand why the surveyor says this " Unfortunately, the detectors are required to be hard wired, battery detectors do not meet the requirements of BS 5839. There is an option for radio linked alarms but these still require mains power.""

So to make life easy I asked the elctrician to install hard wired Aico EI3014 heat detectors and Aico EI3016 optical smoke alarms. He said he will get in touch with the surveyor to see why grade F are not allowed.

Why have you not specified Ei3024's?

 

[MakGras]

I really feel sorry for anyone trying to understand the guidelines. They are all confusing and contradicting each other. Just like "Curriculum for Excellence" a load of tosh.

I think safety is the last concern for the people above. Everytime there are new products you get new legislation. Back handers and greed are always involved.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Can't agree with that, legislation is not driven by products its driven by experience and circumstance's arising, product are then produced to fit in with the legislation, not the other way around.