Heat detector driving me mad

Jeepers_Creepers

Yes, it's ok to leave it like that.

But better if you replace it with one that works  

58oC is quite warm, and heat is concentrated at the ceiling in any case, so it will be the hottest part of a room. But it's hard to think that the celing reaches 58oC during normal use, especially if just making toast - summat is surely wrong?

Either it's faulty - in which case replace it - or else that area does get to 58oC+, in which case that's in the wrong place.

If you want to try, you can usually pick up replacements - new - from around £20 on t'Bay. I have the same make - Aico - set up in our house, and deliberately chose a 'heat' type when an additional detector was required due to our extension, and it was posiitoned just outside the kitchen which doesn't have a door. I knew that a 'smokie' would be set off every time I made toast, 'cos I like it well crisp... The 'heat' one has never been triggered, and I don't expect it to be 'falsely' either.

Having it above the cooker is clearly nuts, but i don't understand why it should be triggered by making toast - do you do this under the grill? Even so...

Anyhoo, if the presence of an alarm in that location - the kitchen - is a requirement, then you need to get on to your LL and have them shift it away from the cooker.

fenwick458

I wouldn't recommend heat detectors anywhere other than a kitchen. they are the worst type of detector, quite slow to detect a fire, by the time the room gets to 58 degrees it's game over. Optical and Ionisation smoke detectors can detect the fire before it's even started
they make a multi fire detector too, it's basically a smoke and heat combined, it's the best of both worlds but they are over twice the price

grumbler

I think, the unit can be tested in a fan oven. Mine can be set to 50 and 55C.

And if it's not faulty and the ceiling is joists+plasterboard, any electrician or even a handyman will be able to move it away from the cooker to another position between the same joists (or even to any random position with some extra work required)

Sotts

thanks for the good ideas and suggestions everyone.   
I don't have a LL as I own the property.
There are 3 smoke alarms in the vicinity of the kitchen - 1 in the living room and 2 in the hallway  (its a large open plan kitchen/living room with no doors, and no doors from the kitchen to the hallway) .   The smoke alarms have never been set off, other than by the heat detector. 
It's definitely in the wrong place, but I have removed it for now - the tension every time I cook is killing me!   And its roast dinner tomorrow which always sets it off :-) 
I've also been in touch with the manufacturer to send a replacement one.    I'll hover this one over the oven door and see what happen.

fenwick458

I don't think they work unless fitted to a base, theres a 2 contacts that are closed when it gets fitted to a base

Sotts

fenwick458 said:

I don't think they work unless fitted to a base, theres a 2 contacts that are closed when it gets fitted to a base

I've removed the heat detector. Tested the smoke alarms and they still work fine 

grumbler

fenwick458 said:

I don't think they work unless fitted to a base, theres a 2 contacts that are closed when it gets fitted to a base

What is the backup battery for then?

Sotts

grumbler said:

fenwick458 said:

I don't think they work unless fitted to a base, theres a 2 contacts that are closed when it gets fitted to a base

What is the backup battery for then?

I don't want it to work now I've removed it. I've removed the unit which has the battery in.

fenwick458

grumbler said:

fenwick458 said:

I don't think they work unless fitted to a base, theres a 2 contacts that are closed when it gets fitted to a base

What is the backup battery for then?

it powers the detector when the mains supply fails, but only when it's fitted to a base

Sotts

Thanks everyone.  All sorted now