Rewire fire alarm and co2 alarm regs

Gomango

I've had 4 electricians call for rewire quotes for 1960s house.

1 stated with new regs there must be co2 alarm and smoke alarm linked on every floor and heat detector in kitchen.

Another stated there must be co2 and smoke detector in every room.

Another said regs for detectors in every floor do not apply to existing dwelling only applys to new builds. But gave me an option to include for every floor.

Question is which is correct? I have looked up safe electric website for clarifying but found nothing conclusive.

Risteard81

Not a requirement of the Wiring Rules but is in fact a Building Regulations requirement.

These currently state the minimum standard as a Grade D, Category LD2 system as per BS5839-6 - I.S. 3218 has been updated since then and this may well be reflected in later Technical Guidance Documents. The precise number and location of detectors will depend on the layout of your house, but at a minimum will need them on each floor, and within 3.5m of every bedroom, and a heat detector in the kitchen, and smoke detectors in living rooms.

Carbon monoxide detectors need to be located within 5m of each bedroom and also in rooms with a solid fuel burning appliance, and also rooms with a flue passing through them. Caution should be taken before interlinking smoke/heat detectors with CO detectors as different actions need to be taken for each alarm type.

Also the cheaper ionisation detectors are not appropriate in most locations, and therefore generally optical (photoelectric) sensors should be used. Very often people incorrectly fit ionisation due to price. This is very often the cause of false alarms outside kitchens where the alarms end up being bypassed or removed.

Gomango

Risteard81 wrote: »

Not a requirement of the Wiring Rules but is in fact a Building Regulations requirement.

.

Great thanks for that risteard.

stiofan85

Risteard81 wrote: »

Carbon monoxide detectors need to be located within 5m of each bedroom and also in rooms with a solid fuel burning appliance, and also rooms with a flue passing through them. Caution should be taken before interlinking smoke/heat detectors with CO detectors as different actions need to be taken for each alarm type.

Hey Risteard,

Our boiler is under the stairs, flue out through external wall. The CO detector is in the living room adjacent to the stairs but there's no CO detector upstairs. Should I have one installed upstairs?

Thanks

Risteard81

stiofan85 wrote: »

Hey Risteard,

Our boiler is under the stairs, flue out through external wall. The CO detector is in the living room adjacent to the stairs but there's no CO detector upstairs. Should I have one installed upstairs?

Thanks

I presume there are bedrooms upstairs?

stiofan85

Risteard81 wrote: »

I presume there are bedrooms upstairs?

yes, but the CO detector downstairs would be within the 3.5m since it's such a small house (basically no landing area)

Risteard81

stiofan85 wrote: »

yes, but the CO detector downstairs would be within the 3.5m since it's such a small house (basically no landing area)

Hi Stíofán,

CO - although denser than other gases - is to my knowledge still lighter than air and will rise so I wouldn't be comfortable with that arrangement. (And without searching through the TGD I'm not convinced it would satisfy Building Regulations requirements either.) Typically outside bedrooms they would be mounted at ceiling height although if mounted within bedrooms they may be mounted at sleeping height.

stiofan85

Risteard81 wrote: »

Hi Stíofán,

CO - although denser than other gases - is to my knowledge still lighter than air and will rise so I wouldn't be comfortable with that arrangement. (And without searching through the TGD I'm not convinced it would satisfy Building Regulations requirements either.) Typically outside bedrooms they would be mounted at ceiling height although if mounted within bedrooms they may be mounted at sleeping height.

This is my concern - the CO could rise up through the stairs and not out into the living room and be upstairs without being detected. I can add a CO to the landing easily as there is a smoke detector there already.