Samuel said:
Well, like they say, "oh, I forget to tell you one thing......" In my
case I'm sick of the CR123A batteries ($$$) and hardwired a 6v D cell
battery pack into the wireless smoke detector. I worked perfectly for
years (as they say) and then just recently, for whatever reason, I get
the Low-Bat message on the keypad. The detector had been used in the
attic for about 7 years. The cold Winter temperatures effected the
CR123a's too much so I put in the D cell pack. The Lithium's would
only last about 1 year.
Did you read the spec sheet on that smoke detector? If the temperature
is too cold for the batteries it is too cold for the device. It is
possible that you have been relying upon protection that wasn't there.
In the two years I have been testing fire alarms I have run across 2
wireless smoke detectors that seemed to work (they went into alarm when
the test button was pushed) but did nothing when I applied smoke-check.
Both these devices were ones that had been exposed to temperature
extremes. Obviously - not every detector exposed presented these
symptoms, but every one that presented these symptoms had been exposed...
If you want protection in the attic then get a standard hard wired heat
detector (in attics I suggest a 190 degree rate-of-rise detector) and
run the wire to a 5817 transmitter (use the supervised loop) in a closet
on the floor below. that way you have a device that can handle the
temperature extremes of the environment and the wireless transmitter is
in a controlled environment. The added bonus is that you don't have to
go up to the attic to clean the detector. (you do clean your detectors
regularly, don't you?)
Folks that don't understand the technology make these mistakes - that's
ignorance and what this newsgroup tries to help correct. Correcting
this sort of misapplication can help keep folks (and more to the point,
your family) safe.
Ignorant can be fixed - stupid is there to stay.
Which are you?
