Fire alarm law change Feb 22
Discussion
mikecassie said:
It's not just the battery powered smoke alarms that need changing every 10 years. Every sensor, wired or battery powered must be changed every 10 years according to the scot gov website. Surely not?! https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-a...
That is utterly daft, seems rather wasteful throwing out perfectly good smoke alarms every 10 years.
It's actually the life of the sensor, they do degrade.That is utterly daft, seems rather wasteful throwing out perfectly good smoke alarms every 10 years.
Heidfirst said:
mikecassie said:
It's not just the battery powered smoke alarms that need changing every 10 years. Every sensor, wired or battery powered must be changed every 10 years according to the scot gov website. Surely not?! https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-a...
That is utterly daft, seems rather wasteful throwing out perfectly good smoke alarms every 10 years.
It's actually the life of the sensor, they do degrade.That is utterly daft, seems rather wasteful throwing out perfectly good smoke alarms every 10 years.
Should probably get this sorted.
What do I need?
I have 4 alarms in the house already
2 mains smoke alarms. 1 at the main door and tge other on the landing
1 battery heat alarm in the kitchen
1 battery CO alarm alsk in the kitchen for tge combi boiler.
Can I mix and match wired and battery systems ?
Do I need an electrician to wire the new alarms in or can I diy it?
Who do I contact to get it all sorted. Im in Edinburgh so anyone got a recomendation for fitters if I cant diy it all.
sherman said:
Should probably get this sorted.
What do I need?
I have 4 alarms in the house already
2 mains smoke alarms. 1 at the main door and tge other on the landing
1 battery heat alarm in the kitchen
1 battery CO alarm alsk in the kitchen for tge combi boiler.
Can I mix and match wired and battery systems ?
Do I need an electrician to wire the new alarms in or can I diy it?
Who do I contact to get it all sorted. Im in Edinburgh so anyone got a recomendation for fitters if I cant diy it all.
If your existing smoke/heat alarms aren't interlinked you will need to replace them & probably add another smoke alarm for the room most used (usually living room). The CO alarm doesn't need to be interlinked.
You can mix & match mains/sealed battery systems as long as they all interlink & trigger together.
I used sealed battery alarms (in my case Fireangel Pro Connected but others are available) which I installed myself simply using 3M Command strips - no screws
Chuck328 said:
The Fourth Reich have decreed that come next Feb all homes in Scotland require interlinked fire and smoke detection alarms.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-a...
I'm a bit miffed about this. For starters, my detached two story house is nothing like a massive high rise in London.
I feel I alone should be the arbiter as to what level of protection my house has. As it stands, already having two smoke detectors and three CO detectors - all of which are plenty loud enough is fine. Having to throw most of it out and start again is a bit OTT.
The detail will be in the future house insurance small print. This will likely be the decider for most. Given our houses are our most expensive purchase the chance of voiding any insurance dictates to me anyway that I'll have to bite the bullet and spend possibly into the hundreds to comply.
That being the case, any recommendations ? Amazon is littered with makes I've never heard of. This time of year is expensive enough as it is, so cost is a factor.
Thanks.
Both Scotland and Wales sound like shttps://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-a...
I'm a bit miffed about this. For starters, my detached two story house is nothing like a massive high rise in London.
I feel I alone should be the arbiter as to what level of protection my house has. As it stands, already having two smoke detectors and three CO detectors - all of which are plenty loud enough is fine. Having to throw most of it out and start again is a bit OTT.
The detail will be in the future house insurance small print. This will likely be the decider for most. Given our houses are our most expensive purchase the chance of voiding any insurance dictates to me anyway that I'll have to bite the bullet and spend possibly into the hundreds to comply.
That being the case, any recommendations ? Amazon is littered with makes I've never heard of. This time of year is expensive enough as it is, so cost is a factor.
Thanks.
t places to live these days. Just as well you have the scenery to look at 
TX.
douglasgdmw said:
Have you tried Screwfix?
I have Nest smoke alarms and Screwfix was the only place I could get them last year
Tried the following without success: - I have Nest smoke alarms and Screwfix was the only place I could get them last year
Screwfix
Toolstation
B&Q
Wickes
Homebase
I am not sure Amazon had any that complied.
Even the reviews of the ones on Screwfix seemed to indicate battery life as being unlikely to get to 10 years, and once they fail you have of course to replace the whole unit.
Fine to introduce this for new builds and perhaps tenanted housing, but for private dwellings it is bonkers.
Allandwf said:
Just been sorting this as I want to rent my house out. Don't think Nest do an interlinked heat, which you need for the Kitchen from February I believe.
If you're renting the house out it'll have needed a heat detector for some time now AFAIK, I had to fit them in my rentals a few years ago. I think the new laws basically just bring residential homes in line with existing rental legislation.If you're letting many companies offer a 'compliance package' which will cover gas safety, smoke/heat detectors, EPC etc - might be less expensive to get a bundle together.
Edited by yellowbentines on Wednesday 19th January 15:18
Heidfirst said:
douglasgdmw said:
Have you tried Screwfix?
I have Nest smoke alarms and Screwfix was the only place I could get them last year
The Nest mains powered alarms might comply with the new legislation but the battery ones don't (removable batteries).I have Nest smoke alarms and Screwfix was the only place I could get them last year
https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Protec...
Google said:
I appreciate everyone’s patience as they’ve shared their feedback and questions regarding the pending Scottish legislation changes. We’re aware of the proposed legislation changes to the fire and smoke alarm standard in Scotland requiring households to have interlinked heat and smoke alarms. Nest Protect cannot function as a heat alarm due to specific hardware and functional requirements of those devices. So, beginning February 2022, Nest Protects will not meet these new requirements due lack of interconnection with a compatible heat alarm.
At this time, there are no current plans to produce a heat alarm and we do understand this is not ideal for many of our Scottish customers, but you can still use your Nest Protect as a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm as an addition to your interconnected system. We understand these options may not be suitable for everyone so we ask if you have any additional questions around next steps for your Nest Protect, you can contact support to get additional details.
Looks like you'd have to purchase interlinked heat-sensing ones to run alongside the Nest Protect to become compliant, or rip out Nest Protect entirely and buy something else...At this time, there are no current plans to produce a heat alarm and we do understand this is not ideal for many of our Scottish customers, but you can still use your Nest Protect as a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm as an addition to your interconnected system. We understand these options may not be suitable for everyone so we ask if you have any additional questions around next steps for your Nest Protect, you can contact support to get additional details.
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