GE Simon v3 Smoke Alarm Failing?

[Billy]

I couldn't believe it when I forgot to draft my fireplace and it started
filling my family room with a generous amount of smoke this past weekend -
my GE Simon smoke alarm did not engage the siren, nor did it transmit a
signal to the control panel.

It does pass the test from the control panel but I think that it to test
transmission, not the sensing of smoke itself. Confirm that, if you would.

I had a friend stand there with a cigarette and blow puffs of smoke at
it....still no trigger.

I have two other identical GE smoke alarms in the house and will test these
tomorrow, but just for curiosity sake.....whats the deal - do I have a bad
alarm, or is this product not very sensitive? I know my First Alert or
Kiddie basic smoke alarms would have been scream'in!

I'm real worried with two kids in the house.

 

[Frank Olson]

I couldn't believe it when I forgot to draft my fireplace and it started
filling my family room with a generous amount of smoke this past weekend -
my GE Simon smoke alarm did not engage the siren, nor did it transmit a
signal to the control panel.

It does pass the test from the control panel but I think that it to test
transmission, not the sensing of smoke itself. Confirm that, if you would.

I had a friend stand there with a cigarette and blow puffs of smoke at
it....still no trigger.

I have two other identical GE smoke alarms in the house and will test these
tomorrow, but just for curiosity sake.....whats the deal - do I have a bad
alarm, or is this product not very sensitive? I know my First Alert or
Kiddie basic smoke alarms would have been scream'in!

I'm real worried with two kids in the house.

First off... cigarette smoke is the worst thing you can use to test any
smoke alarm. Not knowing your installation I can't comment on why the alarm
failed to trigger in this instance. There are several good reasons (one of
which being that the sensor's no good). Check the placement of the detector
itself. Is it in an area where the smoke may actually blow *away* from the
sensor (ceiling fan or vent)? How old are the sensors? When's the last
time they were cleaned and checked? Also make sure the batteries are fresh
(when's the last time they were replaced?).

 

[Nathaniel Lind]

First off... cigarette smoke is the worst thing you can use to test any
smoke alarm.

Correct. Neither is using a lit match, as you could set fire to your house
or alarm. Say you were holing it there, and the alarm went off. It scared
you, you accidently let go of the still lit match, and it landed on the
carpet!

The best thing to use for a true test is a UL certified testing spray
(available thru many major home centers [Home Depot®, Menards®, Lowes®,
etc.]) like Smoke CheckT or Smoke Detector TesterT or Smoke! In a CanT
(latter preferred since the smoke was probably made by InterlogixT, who also
prodiced the spray)