would installing a DVR in attic be a fire hazard?

Mark.. · 28-03-2015 10:53pm #1

as the title says, dusty insulated attic, should i be worried for a fire hazard if i put one up there?

KoolKid · 28-03-2015 11:01pm

Would not be ideal.Why not bring it down into a wardrobe?

Mark.. · 28-03-2015 11:17pm

KoolKid wrote: »

Would not be ideal.Why not bring it down into a wardrobe?

i could do that, still a confined space but obviously less dust! would it be ok to put the power supply up there? and a double socket? should be safe i think but then again not sure... www (dot) beltronics (dot) ie/item.html/id/3446951130

just dont want the house going up in flames.

Del2005 · 28-03-2015 11:22pm

Mark.. wrote: »

as the title says, dusty insulated attic, should i be worried for a fire hazard if i put one up there?

Most of the dust in your home is you. Unless you're living in your attic there won't be that much dust and most attics are designed for air to flow through them to avoid damp. Once it's properly wired and not sitting on the insulation it shouldn't be an issue.

KoolKid · 29-03-2015 9:04am

The temperature extremes are more the issue.
Wardrobe or a press is fine as long as there is not everything packed in against or on top of it.

altor · 29-03-2015 12:12pm

Mark.. wrote: »

i could do that, still a confined space but obviously less dust! would it be ok to put the power supply up there? and a double socket? should be safe i think but then again not sure... www (dot) beltronics (dot) ie/item.html/id/3446951130

just dont want the house going up in flames.

A press would be a better place than the attic, the heat up there in summer months would be a lot hotter than any press. If you did think the press was hot then a fan can also be fitted in there to cool the space down.

PeteK* · 29-03-2015 10:15pm

My parents have an NVR in their attic.. I didn't think about fire hazard.. I must get a smoke alarm for it.. but it's freezing in there!

NIMAN · 29-03-2015 10:49pm

Surely if you had your DVR in a wardrobe it would be a lot easier for a burglar to find, remove and hence take away your evidence against them?

KoolKid · 30-03-2015 6:41am

There are fixed cabinets etc you can buy to secure the unit if you feel that is a risk.

Sequence 365 · 30-03-2015 4:02pm

If you have a concrete gable wall you could bolt the cabinet to it and put your recorder in it. Then it would not be sitting on any timber in your attic and should be well ventilated. You could also put a smoke detector in your attic you can never have enough of them.

Evolution1 · 30-03-2015 9:33pm

Sequence 365 wrote: »

If you have a concrete gable wall you could bolt the cabinet to it and put your recorder in it. Then it would not be sitting on any timber in your attic and should be well ventilated. You could also put a smoke detector in your attic you can never have enough of them.

Smoke detectors would be prone to false activations in insulated dusty attics.

Sequence 365 · 30-03-2015 10:30pm

Evolution1 wrote: »

Smoke detectors would be prone to false activations in insulated dusty attics.

In almost every commerical building smoke detectors are fitted in attics . If you were really worried about the dust you could fit a combi head which would need smoke & heat to activate. I would agree that some cheaper smoke detectors would not be best suited in attics. But nowadays there is a device for every application

Mark.. · 31-03-2015 9:09pm

I went for the DVR and lock box power supply in the attic! Talked to loads of installers and they all fit them to there. Burglars hate being cornered in an attic! Thanks for the advise and I also put in a smoke detector. So far so good

altor · 01-04-2015 9:55pm

Mark.. wrote: »

I went for the DVR and lock box power supply in the attic! Talked to loads of installers and they all fit them to there. Burglars hate being cornered in an attic! Thanks for the advise and I also put in a smoke detector. So far so good

Do you know what type hard drive you have installed in the system?
I would use a solid state one as heat and hard drives dont mix.

KoolKid · 02-04-2015 10:30am

With 1 or 2 TB drives now pretty much standard replacing those with SSDs would cost a packet.

altor · 03-04-2015 10:15pm

Well worth it with the heat that can be in an attic in summer months.

KoolKid · 03-04-2015 11:21pm

That would be crazy money for an nvr. You could spend less time and money moving the location of the device.

altor · 03-04-2015 11:36pm

That is why I advised using a press as the location.

NIMAN · 04-04-2015 12:24am

HDDs are tested to very extreme conditions, including temperature.

I would find it hard to believe that the temp in a summer attic would be too hot for one.

altor · 04-04-2015 12:29am

NIMAN wrote: »

HDDs are tested to very extreme conditions, including temperature.

I would find it hard to believe that the temp in a summer attic would be too hot for one.

Sorry, don't get me wrong, they are tested for temperature.
Its temperature above what the manufacture recommends that counts.

KoolKid · 04-04-2015 8:12am

2 get 2TB (as a minimum) would cost probably more that the machine itself. Not really a viable option IMO. But if someone has that sort of money to spend on storage then it's an option.

altor · 04-04-2015 8:47am

All we can do is advise. At the end of the day its up to the end user what they have installed.

KoolKid · 04-04-2015 10:44pm

Agreed, but for the price of SSDs I would be advising spending the money on a different location and a better machine. For an Nvr you are not really getting all the benefits a SSD has to offer.

altor · 07-04-2015 8:10pm

That is why my first post recommended installing in a different location.
An attic is not an ideal location IMO.

batman2000 · 08-04-2015 3:54am

Evolution1 wrote: »

Smoke detectors would be prone to false activations in insulated dusty attics.

Install a heat sensor alarm instead (~60 degrees to trigger)..?

KoolKid · 08-04-2015 6:37am

That's an option as well. But as has been pointed out. There are plenty of units to suit this environment.

druidhill · 17-05-2015 5:29pm

Mark.. wrote: »

I went for the DVR and lock box power supply in the attic! Talked to loads of installers and they all fit them to there. Burglars hate being cornered in an attic! Thanks for the advise and I also put in a smoke detector. So far so good

Hi, just have a couple of questions for you...

What kit did you end up going for and what was the cost?
Do you mean the DVR and power supply is inside a locked box for better security? If so, what was the cost of this?
How is the system working out for you?

Thanks.

Mark.. · 20-05-2015 5:35am

druidhill wrote: »

Hi, just have a couple of questions for you...

What kit did you end up going for and what was the cost?
Do you mean the DVR and power supply is inside a locked box for better security? If so, what was the cost of this?
How is the system working out for you?

Thanks.

I went for a 4 channel DVR I Apollo HDRT 1tb hard drive. 4 x 1000TVL standard 3.6 fixed lens QVIS camera domes. Lock box power supply. I have the DVR strapped down with sheet metal(lock boxes are dear). System is great, no issues at all, good apps out the for remote viewing also.

would installing a DVR in attic be a fire hazard?

Comments