Complete your security system with Monitored Smoke and Heat Detectors
Fire can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. In addition to your monitored security system, monitored smoke and heat detectors can secure your home against the devastation caused by a fire.
Monitored smoke and heat detectors signal Citadel’s Central Station for response by fire authorities when they activate. However, we will call you to verify before dispatching the fire department.
Note that many homeowners moving into a new home erroneously assume that their smoke detectors are monitored when in fact they may be stand-alone. It pays to find out.
Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors detect particles of smoke in the early stages of fire. They should be located throughout the house, at least one per level. They should not be located in dusty areas, or areas that reach temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, such as unheated garages or detached sheds. Nor can they be located in attics where temperatures can reach 140 degrees to 150 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of summer.
Heat Detectors
Heat detectors are installed in areas that smoke detectors would not perform well. They are suitable for unheated garages and dusty areas. Specially designed high temperature heat detectors are available for attic applications and highly recommended if HVAC equipment is located there. Although not as fast-acting as smoke detectors, they provide reliable fire protection.
Smoke Detector Types
Stand-alone smoke detectors operate on 110V AC with a 9-volt battery back-up. They are usually installed by the electrician when the home is built. They are connected in parallel with a trailing wire that enables all of them to sound if any one of them activates. Unfortunately, if they activate accidentally, there is no way to silence the noise until the smoke dissipates from the unit. The 9-volt battery in each detector must be replaced periodically. The smoke detectors emit a loud “chirping” noise when the batteries are low to call attention to their need for service. They are made to stand alone and cannot be connected to any signaling fire alarm system for fire department response.
Monitored smoke detectors from alarm companies are installed in series with an end-of-line supervisory device. This device supervises all the wiring in the alarm system. If any wire to any smoke detector is separated or not connected properly, a “trouble signal” occurs at both the customer’s keypad and the Central Monitoring Station to call attention to the problem. With hardwired smoke detectors, there are no batteries to change because their power and back-up power comes from the control panel’s battery, which is monitored during the weekly communication test to the Central Monitoring Station.