For those in North Carolina, where do I find the details about adding smoke detectors inside and outside bedrooms?
I think it's in the NC Fire Code somewhere, but not sure.
I have a situation where there is a bedroom addition being built on a house. The bedroom will have 2 entrances from the old part of the house. I'm not sure which end of the bedroom to place the smoke detectors. Normally I know to place a smoke detector in the hallway outside of the bedrooms, then have one inside each bedroom, wired with 3 wire so that all come on at one time, but this layout is a little different from the norm. One of the entrances go into another existing bedroom, and the other entrance goes into a covered enclosed porch area. Also, here we have to wire for a carbon monoxide detector when an addition is added. Thanks, I'll still be looking. Just want to know the details. Steve..
Is the enclosed porch area now part of the HVAC building envelope?
(what we call under air). If so I would put the second smoke there. If it is actually still "outside" you probably only need one smoke in the bedroom since the next room is another bedroom with a smoke.
When in doubt, show the floor plan to the AHJ and ask him.
Best advice is as above from Greg, find your local fire AHJ, and go over the floor plan with him.
Basic understanding IMHO, is one in ea BR, one in hallway outside BRs, and a CO on each level. Interconnected, 120 volt, w/BBU. 'Code' is within the adopted NFPA Fire Code.
Found it in NFPA 13.7.7.14.2 thru.....14.7 WOW!! and I thought the electrical code could be confusing. What numbers:)
Anyway according to how I read it I can put a hard wired smoke detector in the new bedroom just inside one of the entrances, and a battery smoke detector in the existing part outside the bedroom, though if possible, I may run wire to the existing part if it is accessible. The carbon monoxide detector is right outside the sleeping area, which in my case it looks like I can use a smoke/carbon monoxide combo to meet this requirement. Thanks again...
My father's smoke detectors appear to be wired as part of the security alarm system. Trouble is, that security alarm system is defective. It kills the battery they use in less than 10 months. I suspect it is not charging it properly. The security system board was replaced twice and the problem persists and they want to charge him more to keep repairing it, now. Since he feels he doesn't need the security alarm (located in a rural part of the county) he simply stopped subscribing to the security service. Now the alarm system is simply dead and none of the smoke detectors work (they did work when a new battery was put in). The current board doesn't even work at all. So basically he has no smoke detectors.
Is this the right way for smoke detectors to be installed today? His was done in 2000. I think he needs to get ones that operate from smaller batteries like 9V just to be safe, even though as I understand it, they are supposed to be hardwired now (but I'm asking if doing it via an alarm system is right).
I'm wondering if they would work if I just supplied 12VDC at the correct polarity on the line to the detectors.
I can tell you that in NJ the low voltage smokes/heat/CO detectors with the security system are considered secondary. 120 volt, interconnected, w/battery BU are required, and have been for a long,long time.
Reasoning by state is about exactly what yoy describe; lack of monitoring/service contract + no smokes.
Personally, the secondary LV smokes are a real good item to have (monitored) to notify the fire dept.
I can tell you that in NJ the low voltage smokes/heat/CO detectors with the security system are considered secondary. 120 volt, interconnected, w/battery BU are required, and have been for a long,long time.
Reasoning by state is about exactly what yoy describe; lack of monitoring/service contract + no smokes.
Personally, the secondary LV smokes are a real good item to have (monitored) to notify the fire dept.