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+-- Thread: Wired smoke detector circuit question (/showthread.php?tid=7321633)
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Wired smoke detector circuit question - Pirate - 08-12-2016
Our new to us house, has a wired smoke detector, on a vaulted ceiling.
The breaker box doesn't identify the circuits.
The detector is in an area, that could use a light, and the place where the smoke detector is, would be ideal for a light, with a pull chain.
So, the question is, is it any special kind of circuit? Any reason not to remove, and replace with battery ones, and hang a light there?
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - chips ahoy - 08-12-2016
My hard wired smoke detectors are not labeled in the panel either. It is done so that they cannot be turned off, which would be against code here.
Mel
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - Bob10 - 08-12-2016
Here they have to be on their own breaker and have a lock out type thing to keep people from switching it off
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - crokett™ - 08-12-2016
(08-12-2016, 04:36 PM)chips ahoy Wrote: My hard wired smoke detectors are not labeled in the panel either. It is done so that they cannot be turned off, which would be against code here.
Mel
I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to track down what circuit they're on. They have to be on one of the breakers. I can't imagine it's code to not have a breaker for them. Where I live the breaker is labeled. If it weren't I'd be spending some time figuring it out just so I knew where they were.
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - chips ahoy - 08-13-2016
(08-12-2016, 07:41 PM)crokett™ Wrote: I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to track down what circuit they're on. They have to be on one of the breakers. I can't imagine it's code to not have a breaker for them. Where I live the breaker is labeled. If it weren't I'd be spending some time figuring it out just so I knew where they were.
You are probably right, I am going to have a look, actually think I may know which one it is, so will make a note.
Mel
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - fredhargis - 08-13-2016
I've got a separate thread going on about hard wired detectors. I'm replacing mine and didn't give a thought to how they were wired...I had guessed they were just on the room circuit. I'll have to give this a look over to make sure I can shut the power off for replacement.
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - crokett™ - 08-13-2016
(08-13-2016, 05:42 AM)chips ahoy Wrote: You are probably right, I am going to have a look, actually think I may know which one it is, so will make a note.
Mel
(08-13-2016, 11:53 AM)fredhargis Wrote: I've got a separate thread going on about hard wired detectors. I'm replacing mine and didn't give a thought to how they were wired...I had guessed they were just on the room circuit. I'll have to give this a look over to make sure I can shut the power off for replacement.
They'll be on a breaker somewhere... I can't imagine they wouldn't be. I'm not sure it's possible to attach a hot for a branch circuit directly to the breaker bus. I've never seen a a panel that has the lugs to do that, at least not for branch circuits. My outside panel is a combination meter base and 6-circuit panel. It has an extra set of of lugs on the bus that feed the panel in the mudroom. I'm not sure it's code to put a branch circuit on these lugs.
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - Cdshakes - 08-14-2016
(08-12-2016, 04:36 PM)chips ahoy Wrote: My hard wired smoke detectors are not labeled in the panel either. It is done so that they cannot be turned off, which would be against code here.
Mel
Well, that seems dangerous-- how do you change out a defective unit if you can't kill the circuit?! I wouldn't want to do that live...
Colin
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - chips ahoy - 08-15-2016
(08-14-2016, 05:16 PM)Cdshakes Wrote: Well, that seems dangerous-- how do you change out a defective unit if you can't kill the circuit?! I wouldn't want to do that live...
Colin
These have a plug in on the back of the unit. Simply unplug old one and plug in new one. No messing with live wires.
Mel
RE: Wired smoke detector circuit question - Admiral - 08-15-2016
(08-15-2016, 07:00 AM)chips ahoy Wrote: These have a plug in on the back of the unit. Simply unplug old one and plug in new one. No messing with live wires.
Mel
Depends on the age of the detectors; when I switched out mine, which dated from 2001, they changed the style of the plug so you had to pigtail in new plugs that came with the new detectors. I must have cut the power, as I don't recall doing it with live voltage.