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Smoke/Heat Alarms


dougal

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Just received a flyer through the door saying that there are new fire regulations coming into place for Scotland from February 2021. It was from a company that I have never heard of it so I thought that I would check if the information that they were reporting was correct. The flyer states that all homes in Scotland must be fitted with smoke alarms in all hallways or landings and a smoke alarm in the room most frequented for daytime living (so presumably the living room/sitting room/lounge) and a heat alarm in the kitchen. It says you should also have a carbon dioxide monitor too in the vicinity of your boiler etc.  It also states that the smoke alarms and heat alarm should be mounted on the ceiling and interlinked.

 

I currently have three smoke alarms which are all interlinked. Can I use a different brand of smoke alarm and just get it linked to my current 3 or do I need to replace the current 3?? Is it a difficult job for an electrician to mount and wire a smoke alarm to the ceiling??

 

The following link will give you more information if you're not already aware of these new legal requirements with regards to your smoke alarms. It does state that even if you have smoke alarms in all these places that they must be interlinked by law. So just ignoring this seems a no no. I'm assuming that if there was a fire in your home and you didn't have smoke alarms as legally required then your insurance could be null and void, and possibly worse if someone died you could be held legally responsible for the death ie done for manslaughter. 

 

https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-alarms-in-scottish-homes/

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24 minutes ago, dougal said:

Just received a flyer through the door saying that there are new fire regulations coming into place for Scotland from February 2021. It was from a company that I have never heard of it so I thought that I would check if the information that they were reporting was correct. The flyer states that all homes in Scotland must be fitted with smoke alarms in all hallways or landings and a smoke alarm in the room most frequented for daytime living (so presumably the living room/sitting room/lounge) and a heat alarm in the kitchen. It says you should also have a carbon dioxide monitor too in the vicinity of your boiler etc.  It also states that the smoke alarms and heat alarm should be mounted on the ceiling and interlinked.

 

I currently have three smoke alarms which are all interlinked. Can I use a different brand of smoke alarm and just get it linked to my current 3 or do I need to replace the current 3?? Is it a difficult job for an electrician to mount and wire a smoke alarm to the ceiling??

 

The following link will give you more information if you're not already aware of these new legal requirements with regards to your smoke alarms. It does state that even if you have smoke alarms in all these places that they must be interlinked by law. So just ignoring this seems a no no. I'm assuming that if there was a fire in your home and you didn't have smoke alarms as legally required then your insurance could be null and void, and possibly worse if someone died you could be held legally responsible for the death ie done for manslaughter. 

 

https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-alarms-in-scottish-homes/

More nanny state interference!   Sounds like a licence for home security firms and sparkies to print money.

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33 minutes ago, dougal said:

Just received a flyer through the door saying that there are new fire regulations coming into place for Scotland from February 2021. It was from a company that I have never heard of it so I thought that I would check if the information that they were reporting was correct. The flyer states that all homes in Scotland must be fitted with smoke alarms in all hallways or landings and a smoke alarm in the room most frequented for daytime living (so presumably the living room/sitting room/lounge) and a heat alarm in the kitchen. It says you should also have a carbon dioxide monitor too in the vicinity of your boiler etc.  It also states that the smoke alarms and heat alarm should be mounted on the ceiling and interlinked.

 

I currently have three smoke alarms which are all interlinked. Can I use a different brand of smoke alarm and just get it linked to my current 3 or do I need to replace the current 3?? Is it a difficult job for an electrician to mount and wire a smoke alarm to the ceiling??

 

The following link will give you more information if you're not already aware of these new legal requirements with regards to your smoke alarms. It does state that even if you have smoke alarms in all these places that they must be interlinked by law. So just ignoring this seems a no no. I'm assuming that if there was a fire in your home and you didn't have smoke alarms as legally required then your insurance could be null and void, and possibly worse if someone died you could be held legally responsible for the death ie done for manslaughter. 

 

https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-alarms-in-scottish-homes/

I think this should be carbon monoxide. 

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13 minutes ago, Jamstomorrow said:

More nanny state interference!   Sounds like a licence for home security firms and sparkies to print money

Got to be honest here, as someone who's about to be on the dole, anything that might create a bit of work is alright in my book. Hell, I might even see if I can buy a job lot of the long life battery ones and send out some flyers. 

Edited by Normthebarman
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Should bear in mind that they are only required from Feb if you are getting a home report done, so if you aren't looking to sell then you hold off

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manaliveits105
19 minutes ago, Jamstomorrow said:

More nanny state interference!   Sounds like a licence for home security firms and sparkies to print money.

Yep our factors advised us earlier in year and said they could get a firm to do it for just under £300 per house and they are all smallish1 and 2 bedroomed houses !!

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18 minutes ago, trotter said:

I think this should be carbon monoxide. 

Sorry my mistake, you're right.

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5 minutes ago, dougal said:

Sorry my mistake, you're right.

Was it a flyer from the Edinburgh alarm company?

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35 minutes ago, trotter said:

I think this should be carbon monoxide. 

 

More than likely, but this leads into a question I had about previous address. 

 

It was a new build flat, around 18 month old.  We had a carbon monoxide alarm in the living room/kitchen, but we also had a carbon dioxide monitor in the master bedroom.  

 

What was that for?  Never seen one before that, and I never found anywhere that could give me an answer, simply because it always comes up with results for monoxide when I was searching! 

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25 minutes ago, tian447 said:

 

More than likely, but this leads into a question I had about previous address. 

 

It was a new build flat, around 18 month old.  We had a carbon monoxide alarm in the living room/kitchen, but we also had a carbon dioxide monitor in the master bedroom.  

 

What was that for?  Never seen one before that, and I never found anywhere that could give me an answer, simply because it always comes up with results for monoxide when I was searching! 

Very odd. Considering there is a reasonable amount of CO2 in the air anyway? 

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2 minutes ago, trotter said:

Very odd. Considering there is a reasonable amount of CO2 in the air anyway? 

 

Yeah, it was very odd.  Obviously a decent bit of kit, as you could see the effect that leaving windows open or closed made in a real time reading, and especially after 2 people sleeping in the room overnight.  Usual reading would be 400-500 ppm, but overnight it could reach 1800-2000 with the window closed.

 

I just never understood what it was actually for! :lol: 

 

 

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Dougal,

              If your flyer was from the Edinburgh alarm company then you have no worries.

I know the two guys who run this company, one of them very well.

They are both ardent Hearts supporters(this is no guarantee of a job well done), both are heavily involved in youth football in Edinburgh.

The company has a Facebook page but no website as yet( they want to get this spot on before launching). 

Just type in Edinburgh alarm company on the search engine in facebook.

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2 hours ago, Jamstomorrow said:

More nanny state interference!   Sounds like a licence for home security firms and sparkies to print money.

Yip, it will be fire proof sofas next. 

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For those looking to get new alarms installed be sure that the one's you buy are 'scottish 2021 compliant' most supplier websites now have this as a filter for their ranges

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28 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

Yip, it will be fire proof sofas next. 

Fire retardant furniture regs already with us.  Unless you fancy an all metal or glass sofa covered in Nomex, you may struggle with fire proof.

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2 hours ago, tian447 said:

 

Yeah, it was very odd.  Obviously a decent bit of kit, as you could see the effect that leaving windows open or closed made in a real time reading, and especially after 2 people sleeping in the room overnight.  Usual reading would be 400-500 ppm, but overnight it could reach 1800-2000 with the window closed.

 

I just never understood what it was actually for! :lol: 

 

 

 

Hidden camera..................:whistling:

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10 minutes ago, Jamstomorrow said:

Fire retardant furniture regs already with us.  Unless you fancy an all metal or glass sofa covered in Nomex, you may struggle with fire proof.

Ok, resistant. And that was the ‘nanny state’ as well. 

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SectionFJambo

Sturgeon announced today this will be delayed. Bit worrying it took a public outcry to get them to do this though. Who would have thought people might not want to spend hundreds of pounds and having tradesmen knocking around their house at the moment.

 

The average £220 per house was very lowball estimate. A good battery sealed unit was likely to be £50/60 minimum so times that by 4 and if you can fit them yourselves just about on track. 

 

Any one wanting hardwired or a more complex system would have been talking nearer £500. A lot of existing systems may need ripped out as well as no guarantee an existing hardwired or battery alarm will work with a new interlinked system.

 

A  bit nanny state for me. Let people choose their own fire safety, even suggest a standard but let those who choose not to run the risk, let insurers charge an increased premium etc. 

 

It is also likely when it does come around if you don't do it your insurers will void a fire claim on your policy before getting onto a failed home report.

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manaliveits105
4 hours ago, Jamstomorrow said:

More nanny state interference!   Sounds like a licence for home security firms and sparkies to print money.

another snp feck up it seems in the letting people know what the requirements will be  and in plenty time - now resulting in another U turn 

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I got a flyer in through the door last week about it from a company called aico - never heard of them, or indeed of the new regs until then.   There were new regs put into force last year requiring  landlords to provide all that stuff for tenants.   Does the new deadline (now put back) just relate to  owner-occupiers then ?

 

As Mr Gove might say, it's a wonderful "employment opportunity".   :whistling:

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highlandjambo3

So, I got 3 detectors fitted last year with a sealed 10 year battery, they are interlinked and fitted by a qualified electrician.....the invoice said they were fitted to industry standard xyz etc...... are these now to become invalid?

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28 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

I got a flyer in through the door last week about it from a company called aico - never heard of them, or indeed of the new regs until then.   There were new regs put into force last year requiring  landlords to provide all that stuff for tenants.   Does the new deadline (now put back) just relate to  owner-occupiers then ?

 

As Mr Gove might say, it's a wonderful "employment opportunity".   :whistling:

That's who mine was from

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32 minutes ago, highlandjambo3 said:

So, I got 3 detectors fitted last year with a sealed 10 year battery, they are interlinked and fitted by a qualified electrician.....the invoice said they were fitted to industry standard xyz etc...... are these now to become invalid?

No, but depending on where they are and your house, you may need additional ones. If you do need additional ones, as long as you get the same model as your existing, it should be fairly easy. 

 

From what I can tell, having hard wired ones that are interlinked, but not enough of them, might be a pain in the arse. From a very cursory glance, it doesn't appear that I can get some battery ones to go with the hard wired ones I have. So the added expense of getting a sparky to fit them will need to be included. 

 

The funny thing is, we had an electrical fire in the house 2 days before this was announced. After some slight pant soilage and a 999 call (luckily it burnt itself out before they got there) the firefighter did a quick reccy of the house afterwards. 

 

We got a pat on the back for our set up, a mains one on the landing interlinked with mains one upstairs in the kids room. Another battery powered one outside the kitchen and a monoxide one for the boiler. But it now appears we need two more, one for the living room and one for the bottom entrance. 

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5 hours ago, John Findlay said:

Was it a flyer from the Edinburgh alarm company?

Nope it wasn't.  I'm down in Ayrshire and it was a Glasgow based company.

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highlandjambo3
19 minutes ago, Normthebarman said:

No, but depending on where they are and your house, you may need additional ones. If you do need additional ones, as long as you get the same model as your existing, it should be fairly easy. 

 

From what I can tell, having hard wired ones that are interlinked, but not enough of them, might be a pain in the arse. From a very cursory glance, it doesn't appear that I can get some battery ones to go with the hard wired ones I have. So the added expense of getting a sparky to fit them will need to be included. 

 

The funny thing is, we had an electrical fire in the house 2 days before this was announced. After some slight pant soilage and a 999 call (luckily it burnt itself out before they got there) the firefighter did a quick reccy of the house afterwards. 

 

We got a pat on the back for our set up, a mains one on the landing interlinked with mains one upstairs in the kids room. Another battery powered one outside the kitchen and a monoxide one for the boiler. But it now appears we need two more, one for the living room and one for the bottom entrance. 

The guy that fitted them sent me a pile of legislation as I had asked to ensure the fit was compliant (we are a b & b).....I recall from our conversation, we have one smoke/heat detector downstairs in the kitchen....another in the hall about 3 meters from the one in the kitchen and, a third on a landing upstairs just outside 3 bedroom doors (that’s all the rooms we have), I think he said so long as there was a detector within 3 meters of the bedroom doors there was no need to have one in the rooms, hence the one only needed upstairs sits within 3m of all our rooms.......all tested monthly and recorded in the diary.

 

p.s.  I do electrical appliance testing as a side job.....all legit of course.

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3 hours ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

Hidden camera..................:whistling:

 

Well I hope whoever was watching got the therapy they needed :lol:

 

:oohmatron:

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I got a flyer last week as well and wasn’t aware. Currently have 3 smoke alarms (hall, landing, attic room) and one smoke/carbon monoxide one (boiler which is in a cupboard in the attic) and will now need another alarm plus the heat alarm -  none are interlinked so will need to replace all. 
 

Can’t wait for them all to go off when I burn my toast

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12 minutes ago, fbjambo said:

I got a flyer last week as well and wasn’t aware. Currently have 3 smoke alarms (hall, landing, attic room) and one smoke/carbon monoxide one (boiler which is in a cupboard in the attic) and will now need another alarm plus the heat alarm -  none are interlinked so will need to replace all. 
 

Can’t wait for them all to go off when I burn my toast

 

However you wont,cause its being knocked back a few years. 

IGNORE all flyers that come through yer door.

Unless its Beer and Food 🙂

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4 hours ago, highlandjambo3 said:

So, I got 3 detectors fitted last year with a sealed 10 year battery, they are interlinked and fitted by a qualified electrician.....the invoice said they were fitted to industry standard xyz etc...... are these now to become invalid?

Is your house not a B&B?  This thing's about domestic properties, so there might be different guidelines for you.  If there is, I'm sure the SG will get round to telling you...eventually.

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highlandjambo3
5 hours ago, Lemongrab said:

Is your house not a B&B?  This thing's about domestic properties, so there might be different guidelines for you.  If there is, I'm sure the SG will get round to telling you...eventually.

Yes it is.......The rules are a bit different for me, auto door closures in each room (recommended but not required yet) a closed corridor door if you have a hallway longer than X meters (can’t remember) but not required by me, hard wired detectors but not required so long as your interlinked sealed units have a 5/10 year expectancy and you tested them regularly.  There was a fair bit legislation to go through so, I handed it over to a qualified professional, he fitted the appliances to the current requirements at the time.  My only concern is that I am currently up to standard but, that standard may change because some landlords etc can’t be bothered to provide an adequate level of safety for their tenants so, everyone then everyone gets dragged into changes, a wee bit like septic & the sheep breaching the COVID regulations and hearts being ordered to stop training. 

Edited by highlandjambo3
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  • 4 months later...
On 20/10/2020 at 16:19, John Findlay said:

Dougal,

              If your flyer was from the Edinburgh alarm company then you have no worries.

I know the two guys who run this company, one of them very well.

They are both ardent Hearts supporters(this is no guarantee of a job well done), both are heavily involved in youth football in Edinburgh.

The company has a Facebook page but no website as yet( they want to get this spot on before launching). 

Just type in Edinburgh alarm company on the search engine in facebook.

Thanks for recommending the Edinburgh Alarm Company @John Findlay just had them fit smoke, heat and Co2 alarms, very professional job.

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1 hour ago, Jambo314 said:

Thanks for recommending the Edinburgh Alarm Company @John Findlay just had them fit smoke, heat and Co2 alarms, very professional job.

Good. Im glad they've done a very professional job for you.

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