We just saw a TV show about smoke detectors that was of great interest. We have been using combined ionization & photo-electric for many years and now we know why. We also have several detectors, some on ceiling and some next to electronics in cabinets and under couch.
FOLLOWING ARE SHOW INTERNET LINKS:
Sunday, March 24, 2013 An urgent word to any readers of this page.
Tonight Dateline NBA aired a story that questions the effectiveness of many common smoke alarms. Their investigation indicates that many of the most common types of ionization smoke alarm, though effective at detecting some types of fire are NOT effective in detecting slow burning smoky fires such as those from smoldering furniture. This type of fire is one of the most common and most deadly, yet it may not be detected until too late by many smoke detectors. The suggestion of the investigative team is that ionization smoke detectors be replaced by the newer photoelectric type, or at least supplemented with one of this type on each floor of the home.
<title>URGENT ALERT ! Smoke alarms may not work. (http://www.marcellusfd.com/news/fullstory/news/Smoke%20alarms%20that%20may%20not%20function)
NBC.com - News & Sports - NBC Official Site (http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/2012/10/rossen-some-smoke-detectors-may-not-go-off-in-time/)
Consumer Reports of which I am a member rated the following combination alarm at 87/100. This is a combination ionization / smoke type alarm that would work both types of fire.
Kidde PI9000
Be careful as some alarms sold as combination alarms are CO2/smoke alarms.
Keith
If you already have an ionization type alarm, and want to supplement (rather than replace) it with the photoelectric type, Consumer Reports recommends the BRK Electronics model 7010B.
So...How can we tell what kind of smoke detector was installed in the various vintages Foretravels...(read vintages as fine wine... ;D )
Pat, I just looked up the BRK and it shows to be a 120V AC hard wired detector. What does Consumer Reports list as a good battery powered photoelectric unit?
Like tires most MFG's erecommend that alarms be replaced at no less then 10 years from date of manufacture. When we first got our rig I replaced all the alarms. Never know how old or how abused better technology.Gam
And 7 years for propane and carbon monoxide monitors.
Kent, the ratings for non-combination units drop (from the 87 for the dual sensor Kidde PI9000) to the mid 50s for either ionization or photoelectric.
The highest rated BRK 7010B rates 55, but as you pointed out, is is hardwired. Here are the remaining photoelectric-only units (none are hard-wired) rated in descending order:
53 - First Alert SA501CN (smoke; battery; wirelessly interconnected)
53 - First Alert SCO501CN (smoke/CO combo; battery; w/voice)
51 - First Alert SA720 CN (battery; w/escape light)
46 - Kidde PE9N (battery - not available on Amazon)
Glad to help.... I needed to look into this further too, since - after posting - I also discovered the top rated BRK 7010B was hard-wired with battery backup (OK for the wineter sticks-and-bricks, but we also have that rolling summer home to think about, too! :)) )
I e-mailed my son reference that. He did a special report for the International Association of Fire Fighters/Pennsylvania on the subject comparing the two different types of smoke detectors. And sure in his research he has some reviews also. Will post it when I hear back.
We have 4 of these battery detectors:
First Alert - Dual Sensor Photo/Ion (http://firstalert.com/detectors/battery/dual-sensor-photoion) that we purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot.
These detectors have a great feature to help locate which detector is low battery beeping. It is a "latching" low battery & alarm LED that stays on for 15 minutes.
I would guess that for all smoke detectors sold over the years, it is 1,000 ionization to 1 photoelectric. Always assume an old detector is ionization. Remember you can't have too many of a good thing. Just buy a new detector and install it in addition to an old detector.
We never use a combined smoke and CO detector as they each need to be installed at different heights.
He referred me to this: http://www.firesafetycouncil.com/pdf/review_on_best_sensor_type_for_kitchens.pdf (http://www.firesafetycouncil.com/pdf/review_on_best_sensor_type_for_kitchens.pdf). Says it is the best he has seen on the subject. He also said that with RV fires, there is always heavy dense smoke and that he would prefer photoelectric sensor type smoke detector. The photoelectric detectors respond slightly faster to smouldering fires, while ionization alarms respond slightly faster to flaming fires. If you were to place a smoke detector in the LP reefer compartment, you might prefer the ionization detector.
The most important thing is to insure that the detectors, either type, are in conformance to a recognized standard such as CAN/ULC-S531. If it is Underwriters Laboratories marked, it should be tested that that standard.