Helpful tips on your fire alarms! This blog will help you distinguish between our smoke detectors to those installed by the builder (to meet local code). In addition, this will give you an insight into how our smoke detectors work to give you a deeper & better understanding of how your system works.
We hope to inform our customers, friends and family on the issue of distinguishing our smoke detectors to those that are installed by the builder to meet code.
If we installed your system, our smoke detectors will either have one or two LED lights. The newer models have two LED lights, and the green LED light flashes every 15 seconds to indicate that the unit is powered successfully. The older models have one red LED light that flashes every 15 - 30 seconds depending on the specific model. When the smoke detector(s) is(are) tripped, you will see a RED LED light that is locked on - once this event occurs, your fire alarm will activate and your panel will send a fire alarm to our Central Monitoring Station. Keep in mind that our smoke detectors NEVER make any noises - even when there is an active alarm or a low battery.
On the other hand, the smoke detectors installed by the builder (typically a electrician installs them) generally produce a high pitched, piercing sound when activated. The smokes installed by the builder generally have a 9V back up battery to ensure that the smoke will work in the event of a power outage. When the 9V battery becomes weak, the builder smoke will emit pulsating beeping sound to alert the homeowner of a battery issue.
In summary, here are the differences between smoke detectors installed by us and by the builder:
Builder Smoke Detector:
- Powered by the electrical wiring at your home
- Always makes noise when in alarm or in trouble
- Is not connected to the alarm control panel
Smoke detectors installed by us:
- Smoke detector is powered by the alarm control panel (the box, not the keypad)
- When in alarm, the RED LED light locks on
- When in trouble, the GREED or RED LED light will not flash OR the keypad will display fire trouble
Below are pictures of the smoke detectors to help you distiguish between the ones installed by us and the builder!
Builder Smoke Detector Commonly Found in New Construction
Common Smoke Detector Installed by Design Security (2 LED Lights- 1 Red, 1 Green)
Another Common Smoke Detector Installed by Design Security (1 RED LED Light)