FireAlarm is hypersensitive

Tea_Bag

not sure if this is better suited here or elsewhere, but my fire alarm in my kitchen is supersensitive to smoke (like going off if you toast some bread), so it became impossible to cook. i took out the battery, but it kept going off anyway, so it must be connected to the mains.

resorted to covering it up with tinfoil, but that has bad idea written all over it.

is there some way i can adjust it to be less sensitive?

Playsatan

Im no expert on the subject and you might just be better off buying a new fire alarm, but you could connect a variable resistor onto the smoke sensor.

Keep in mind though, messing with your fire alarm isnt the greatest idea as they are sensitive for a reason.

EvilMonkey

Hoover it! gets dirt etc. trapped in the smoke detector out.

Usually you would have a heat detector in a kitchen though.

10-10-20

Fire alarms use a radioactive element and a detector to monitor smoke particles. A simple resistor won't desensitise it.
They also aren't supposed to be installed in a kitchen area. Move it to the hall or an adjoining room.

Tea_Bag

10-10-20 wrote: »

Fire alarms use a radioactive element and a detector to monitor smoke particles. A simple resistor won't desensitise it.
They also aren't supposed to be installed in a kitchen area. Move it to the hall or an adjoining room.

this thread is very old lol. fwiw, i covered it in tin foil. proably a bad idea, but it worked:)

10-10-20

Tin-foil hat it is then!

Penny1624

Does the tin-foil hat really work?
My smoke alarm goes off everytime I use my oven and I'm sure my neighbours hate to see me coming home from work cos it's usually going off within a few minutes. I was worried about covering it up in case it made it go off when there was no oxygen or something. Is there any chance this could happen?

Tea_Bag

it worked a charm. make sure to wrap it around the base (ceiling) tightly. almost airproof. however, im sure in the even of a real fire, you're gonna be ****** and insurance probably wont cover you.

i dont have insurance and ive another fire alarm nearby.

Tubsandtiles

My alarm is the complete same, but I'm glad, you should be too

sadim

fools

Nonmonotonic

Sorry sadim, you cant argue against science.

2011

Normally a "rate of rise" heat detector is used in a kitchen for just this reason. It looks for a rapid increase in heat. This rapid heat change would be caused by a fire rather than a cooker.

OP, if I were you I would just change the detector type. It will be compatible with the standard smoke detector wiring (domestic type).

SYNERGY_RC

A lot of the main's smoke's have the same base as the heat detectors http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31t3QgL2wcL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Unclip it from it's base and bring it to a electrical wholesaler and they should be able to help you out. If your finding it hard to unclip the base try googleing the brand and I'm sure someone willl have tips up for it.

Nothingbetter2d

Tea_Bag wrote: »

not sure if this is better suited here or elsewhere, but my fire alarm in my kitchen is supersensitive to smoke (like going off if you toast some bread), so it became impossible to cook. i took out the battery, but it kept going off anyway, so it must be connected to the mains.

resorted to covering it up with tinfoil, but that has bad idea written all over it.

is there some way i can adjust it to be less sensitive?

replace the smoke detector with a heat detector... problem solved.

kitchens should never have smoke detectors in them... they should always be heat detectors. that way unless its 100 degrees c or more it wont go off.

Dr Expired

Fook it out and buy a new one.

Capt'n Midnight

put the smoke detectors somewhere else and like others have said get a different type of sensor

optical or heat

Don't forget that normal , ionisation, smoke detectors have a ~ ten year life and should be replaced then anyway.

We used to use the smoke detector to make toast, when the alarm went off the toast was nicely brown