Date on fitted smoke alarms

Coco00

Hi, I live in leasehold flat and earlier this year, got an alarms specialist to come and replace and upgrade my smoke alarm as I wasn’t confident getting them linked up myself, and also wanted the fire safety certificate. 
I now have a replacement mains smoke  alarm, and a new battery heat alarm in the kitchen. 

The thing is, I realised that I didn’t have any instructions, and he took all the boxes away, so I got up there to see if I could find the model number. I then noticed the date written on there was only for next year! (It says 10 year on the bottom, but you can’t read the small print on the sides from standing height) 
The alarm with the date is the smoke alarm- it’s a two part one by EI, non battery replaceable, and there are two dates. The bit wired in says ‘replace by 2028’ and the bit you can slide off to replace says ‘replace by 2026’. 

I’m worried that I’ve been given an alarm that isn’t brand new, maybe even two unmatched parts from old stock? Am I totally missing something obvious here that professionals routinely do? 

My parents moved into a new build house in 2016, and their EI alarm (not linked or two part) says 2026 for the battery, so am I wrong to think I should have at least 9 years on mine? 

I just thought I’d ask on here before I get in touch with the guy to check. 

Thanks. 

eddddy

Coco00 said:

so am I wrong to think I should have at least 9 years on mine? 

Did you agree any particular lifespan / spec, etc for the alarms with the installer before hiring them?

If nothing specific was agreed, in legal terms, it's a case of "what would a reasonable consumer expect?". (And I suspect that a "reasonable consumer" would expect a lifespan of more than 1 year.)

Maybe you could also argue that the alarms aren't "fit for purpose".


But probably the first step is to contact the installer, explain that you're confused by the dates on the alarm, and ask why the dates are so soon. And see what they say.

Coco00

Thanks Eddddy for your comment. 

No, I didn’t even think to ask about the lifespan. I suppose I just assumed it would be new or at least no older than a year or so. 

Good point about being fit for purpose, I agree most people would expect more than a year!

Luckily my neighbour used the same person, so they’re going to check theirs too asap, which will help us decide how to proceed. 

bjorn_toby_wilde

Just checked mine which are all mains supplied and were installed in 2020.

The heat alarm has just one expiry date - 2030

The smoke alarms have two dates as you say. The base expires in 2026 and the body in 2031.

I’m glad you posted this as I’d only noticed the 2031 date on one side of the smoke alarms.

Owain_Moneysaver

The date on the wired in base is irrelevant really - it's only a connection plate.
The date on the detectors should be 10 years from current. Even 2024 stock would be 2034.

Get alarm person back as he has almost certainly fitted second-hand detectors that he probably took out of the last job!

bjorn_toby_wilde

Owain_Moneysaver said:

The date on the wired in base is irrelevant really - it's only a connection plate.

If you say so. Although my electrician said the baseplates are also radio links to the other alarms in the house. I don’t know why the manufacturer would put an expiry date on them for no reason.  Personally I wouldn’t ignore any expiry date on a safety critical product.