NFPA gets it wrong and confuses public and fire officials when they say replace smoke alarms after 10 years.

Yes it never cease to amaze me how UL and NFPA screws with the public and fire officials. take the
whole ideal you must replace smoke alarm / detectors after 10 years ..

I had a corporate customer call me other day all worried he had to change everyone of his 154 smoke detectors in his complex  he was relieved to know he did not have to after I explained to him the differences between smoke alarm and smoke detector 

Smoke detectors must be changed after 10 years
This is 100% false statement what you should be replacing is Smoke Alarms  not Smoke Detectors so whats the difference?

A Smoke Alarm is a single or multi connected unit either using Ionization or Photo Electric  or both technologies  which has a built in sounder and is powered by 120 vac or 9 volt battery or both .
these are found primarily in residential settings  and only units utilizing ionization need replaced if it is straight photo electric and passes tests it is still safe to use

 Kidde Battery powered smoke alarm

as you can see from date smoke alarm is past 10 years old needs replaced

A Smoke Detector is a unit which is connected to a Fire Alarm or combination Burglar/Fire Alarm
some times has a built in sounder and  is powered and supervised by  the panel .
These units only need replaced when they no longer pass sensitivity tests I have customers with smoke detectors going on 30 years and they still work as good as day they where installed but I highly recommend they change them when they are that old and most do few at a time when annual testing is done.  thou these units where at one time sold with ionization features they have not been made by manufacturers in many years  still same rule if they pass testing they do not need replaced only smoke alarms after 10 years.

 commercial hardwired smoke detector with optional sounder

So should you be concerned if a smoke detector or smoke alarm needs replaced after 10 years absolutely if they are smoke alarms of ionization type and a smoke detector which fails sensitivity testing.

This is why Fire Alarm systems require annual testing of detectors to make sure they are working
and records should be avalable upon request of the building owners representative .

You should also know you could have both types of units particularly in apartment buildings . Generally the units in hall ways are smoke detectors  tied to a system but not always some smaller buildings use daisy chained smoke alarms which need changed after 10 years  if they are ionization and usually inside the individual apartment you will find a smoke alarm which needs replaced  after 10 but again not always as some units inside the apartment are actually smoke detectors which have a local sounder in apartment  which sounds and heat which activates main fire  panel this help prevents false alarms while cooking  etc.
 So yes it can be very confusing and uninformed fire officials on the matter does not help.
It also does not help that unscrupulous alarm dealers are telling customers they need to replace there combo fire/ burg systems  smokes after 10 years when they only need tested.

Unsure what you have protecting your home or apartment building ask a professional  alarm technician or fire official..

Below is 2 examples of correct and incorrect wording of Public Service Announcement PSA adds 

Example of PSA with wrong incorrect  wording 

PSA with correct wording 

Home Fire Sprinklers a good Idea . The question is will they even work when you need them 20-30 years from now ? Is this whole home sprinkler thing nothing more than a panacea ?

Lets face facts . Yes home sprinklers do save lives.

Lets also face the fact that sprinkler systems require proper maintenance if not they do notwork properly

Yes the NFPA banters about the fact there has never been a multi fatality in a proper maintained building with sprinklers the main words being proper maintained.

Well In the 40+ years I have been working in buildings which have sprinklers systems I have seen both well maintained and poorly maintained systems and even in buildings properly maintained the amount of corrosion and mold  in pipes even plastic pipes is amazing .

I have seen systems put in 15 years ago where they went to add heads to a system and watched them open up piping and the water comes out like maple syrup to point the sprinkler installer  has to use a coat hanger to clear the pipe.
and these are systems well maintained and corrosion checked .I just worked in a building with 3 year old piping and you should already see the corrosion starting in that system.

http://www.buildings.com/article-details/articleid/20594/title/safety-corroded-why-your-fire-sprinkler-system-may-be-at-risk/viewall/true

The problem is the hard water we have in the Tri-state area. To add to the problem systems where pressure or storage tanks are used which is many of them also have significant mold and slime  issues in the tanks if additives are not put into the tanks.

So if we see these issues in commercial systems you will see them in plastic or copper piping used in residential systems as well.

Lets face it even thou today's lighter construction does not hold up as well in a fire like older construction today's homes from a fire safety stand point are safer than ever .

Codes mandate Daisy chained smoke alarms and Arc Fault Breakers AFCI and Ground Fault Circuit  Interrupters GFCI and solid 2 point grounding systems so electrical fires are greatly reduced. walls are foamed or insulated and there is blockage in the walls to stop fire spread unlike old homes which are balloon constructed.

So chances of having a fire are greatly reduced but what about 20 to 30 or more years down the road when you may have a real need for that sprinkler system will it work ?

See thats the problem all this lets put in sprinklers for saving lives and not telling you all the issues of having sprinkler systems in your homes and the responsibility to make sure they stay operational.

Believe me I have seen 20 year old plastic piping and what it looks like inside when water is sitting in it and not moving from all the years of work I have done around swimming pools and in the oil industry and working on water wells. .

In commercial buildings  piping can be easily removed and replaced for the most part but a home that means tearing open walls   if the piping can not be properly flushed and cleaned.

Now yes we can filter and treat water before putting it in the system or add nitrogen etc to get PH up or down but that adds to the cost  and that also means testing system to make sure water is still treated.

You see its real easy to say put in sprinklers but no one wants to talk about the downfalls of it and complications lets talk about it.

In some cases putting in sprinklers your insurance goes up due to the water damage potential and while some states have passed laws to keep this from happening some have not .

You may be required to put in a separate metered line to house this can cost thousands

You may have to add a storage pressure tank which needs to be kept heated  this means in the basement and mold prevented and monitored for pressure loss  all of a sudden the myth that sprinklers cost no more than good carpet just exploded.

The cost of some one annually coming and testing your system if you want to make sure its working any where from $150-300  each time.

Having to keep your house above 40 degrees  at all times to keep sprinklers from freezing even when your away for extended periods and now having to worry pipes do not burst

Having to have either a small stand alone fire panel or combo burglar panel to monitor your system and  monthly monitoring fees $30-60 a month

Plus eventually you need to replace the heads after so many years they loose sensitivity just like heat detectors on a fire system  also which how many places i go in they have not been changed on 30 or more years.

Yes sprinklers are a great idea if your willing to take on the responsibility to maintain them if not they are just as useless as the smoke with out a battery. All these model community's with sprinkler rules lets see what they look like in 20-30 wont that be interesting

You should be able to get 15 Amps out of a 120 volt 15 Amp Wall outlet WRONG UL and NFPA once again cause confusion for public

I have a customer who  distributes and delivers various oils and fluids to customers such as repair garages and industrial users of oils.

One of the products they deliver is DEF or Diesel Exhaust Fluid used in modern diesel vehicles to keep soot down.
 They have a pump which draws 14.5 amps so there maintenance man who looked at it and see it draws 14.5 amps would think OK I can plug it into a 15 amp electrical outlet and be OK
except when he does he keeps tripping the breaker . Thats when they called me in and I had to explain to him the idiocy of the NFPA and National Electrical code and show him where he was wrong
 because 99% of the population  who are not electricians would get it wrong  as well Because when NFPA and UL sat down and designed 15 amp Outlets they designed those circuits to only be used at 80% of its rated name plate . so that means no more than 12 amps continuous can be drawn thru the outlet not the full 15 which is for short bursts when a motor starts up.

In realty this motor must be run on a 20 amp circuit using number 12#gauge wire instead of 14# guage which is used for 15 amps.

because of this confusion the NFPA and  UL has blood on its hands by not fully explaining to the public that 15 amps from a receptacle can not be used continuously and it gets plenty of people killed yearly when they plug in electric  space heaters.

So why all the confusion good question you would think when an organization publishes safety standards they would take into account the general public's safety and NFPA and UL have failed miserably doing so. Just Like with the new close your bedroom door which if you do not have daisy chained smokes will get you killed.

Of course NFPA and UL blows off the whole code thing with its for professionals to use and educate the public. Wrong you make the code you should be the one informing people.

Before you shut off your 24/7 Security System Professional Monitoring to save money . Does it effect your Homeowners Insurance ?

OK so you put in a burglar alarm 3-5 years ago your contract for monitoring and or maintenance is over and you want to not be monitored or you want to self monitor using something like Eyezon.
before you do this and make a major mistake which could cost you thousands of dollars in grief

Better check with your insurance carrier before shutting it off.

Why your insurance rate you pay is discounted on the fact you have a monitored system  turning off monitoring means

1# you have to pay the higher rate which could be more than what you pay for monitoring

2# If you have an intrusion and because you failed to maintain your 24/7 monitoring you are in violation of your insurance agreement which means the insurance company could ruse to pay anything or reduce what they will pay. 

So what are my options ?

Look around and find a small independent alarm dealer like myself(sorry not taking new customers)  who offers discounted monitoring. which is some times half or less what you pay the big company's.
Just make sure its a legitimate company and insurance approves.

it takes effort but there are cheaper alternatives out there .