check your smoke detectors

[twowheels]

My 22 yr old son and his girlfriend awoke a couple mornings ago to a fire in her bathroom and 2 feet of acrid smoke on her ceiling. Within 2 minutes, the smoke was 4 feet thick. Within 5 minutes, the apartment was engulfed in flames and the windows were blowing out from the heat. If Sharon hadn't woken up to the roaring of flames, I'd be planning a funeral. Her smoke detector didn't work.

Check your batteries!

[ergott]

I had my boiler back up into my house (pipe to chimney opened up). We rewired the whole house and code is smoke and CO detectors hardwired in the house. The whole house was ringing real loud! I'm confident that I'd know about a fire real quickly.

Yes, test those batteries.

-Eric

[Shinomaster]

Oh wow. I'm glad that are ok! That happened to us in high school when my brother caught our attic on fire with a cigarette. My dad woke up when he smelled smoke and ran up to the attic with a pail or water... saved the house.

[WadePatton]

Can't have a smoke detector.

I heat with wood.

And I cook.:eek:!

[false_aesthetic]

Can't have a smoke detector.

I heat with wood.

And I cook.:eek:!

Me thinks that it's not called cooking when your smoke detector goes off.

Unless you're grilling inside... but that'd be called something weird, like.... grilling inside.

:D

[M_A_Martin]

Good to hear that they made it out.


Wade Wade Wade.

We heated with wood for years and you *can* have smoke detectors. Just because you're occasionally inconvenienced by them going off when you stoke your stove matters little. The one time they go off when they need to go off? Worth any inconvenience.

Besides, it doesn't get cold enough to really need to run the furnace much down there.

:)


I have a neighbor who has done arc welds in his living room...looks like an alien spaceship landed in there.

[WadePatton]

I guess I could but I'd be breaking 44 years of tradition. Never had anything but wood heat in this joint...they used to cook on wood here.

Yeah, I don't need heat until 50's but we see much lower than that for a few days at a time--sometimes.

beep beep beep. I have fire extinguishers and everything.:D

[Dekonick]

FWIW - there are two main types of smoke detectors

Ionizing, and non-ionizing.

If you have problems cooking, or with your fireplace, then don't use the ionizing type. These are the most common, and cheapest. They work - but are sensitive to the above.

The non-ionizing use a sensor that detects ambient light. When smoke blocks light, it triggers.

The ionizing type usually detect a fire before it gets going as it detects products of combustion early in a fire state - why it also triggers to cooking and fireplaces...

You have to block enough light to make the non-ionizing type trigger. Good thing is smoke rises and will block that light if you have a fire.

There is no preference given to either type by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) or by UL as they both work and save lives and property.

Personally, I have heat sensors in my house tied to a central alarm company, as well as ionizing detectors - 2 tied to central company, all others hardwired with battery back-up but no monitoring.

A heat sensor costs ~ 10 bucks or less and any alarm company can install them. I never understood why they aren't more common. They simply are fuses that melt.

anyhoo - when you change your clocks, change your batteries in your detectors. Also - here is the hard part - clean them once in awhile with your hoover... dust will interfere with proper operation. You should have them replaced every decade or so...they don't last forever.

Have an escape plan (Sound stupid? Try this - from your bed try to get to the front door with your eye's closed. I'll bet you can't do it in under 5 minutes... and thats all it takes to kill you. Now try it with poison gas and smoke...)

Practice the escape plan - try to have 2 ways out.

OK - I rant. If anyone really wants information on any of the above, ask at your local fire department - preferably from the fire prevention division.

[Blue Jays]

Wild story. Glad to hear that everyone is essentially fine. Was the residence a total loss?

[twowheels]

Wild story. Glad to hear that everyone is essentially fine. Was the residence a total loss?

her apartment and everything in it is toast.

the kids say that none of the adjoining units burned.

i'm amazed that the landlord did not hard wire in the detectors or rent the unit with an operational detector.

[Dekonick]

her apartment and everything in it is toast.

the kids say that none of the adjoining units burned.

i'm amazed that the landlord did not hard wire in the detectors or rent the unit with an operational detector.

I believe it is law that to rent is has to have a working detector..at least where I live and work it is. If you remodel, you are also required to meet fire code.

Glad she is ok

[Shinomaster]

HOw did the fire start?

[Blue Jays]

Hardwired smoke detectors to a central station coupled with battery-operated dummy units would be cheap insurance for a landlord.
Not to mention the right thing to do.