Tag: wireless interconnected smoke alarm

Ever wondered how to physically attach our ZEN smoke alarms onto your ceiling? You’ll be amazed at how simple it really is! A major advantage of wireless 10-year battery powered smoke alarms is that there is no electrical hardwiring involved – this means they can be installed by property owners without an electrician. ZEN smoke alarm bundle packs will even arrive to you already interconnected together as a group – no need to pair them up as we’ve done it for you – just switch them on and they’re good to go – how easy is that!

Checklist:

  • ZEN smoke alarm and its mounting bracket
  • Screws and anchor plugs (included with our ZEN smoke alarms)
  • Screwdriver or a cordless drill with 5mm drill bit
  • Pencil

STEP 1: Twist the mounting bracket to remove it from the back of the smoke detector.

STEP 2: Locate the mounting bracket in your chosen position on the ceiling. Use a pencil to mark the location of the two mounting bracket slots on the ceiling as per above.

STEP 3: Use a 5mm drill bit to drill a pilot hole at each location marked on the ceiling. Now insert an anchor plug into each hole and use the two screws to attach the mounting bracket to the chosen position.

STEP 4: Attach the smoke alarm to the mounting bracket and firmly turn clockwise to lock it into place.

STEP 5: Press the surface of the ZEN smoke alarm (the test button) to ensure you smoke alarm is working properly. If you have more than one interconnected smoke detector, then the others in the same group should also activate within approximately 10 (this is normal). Allow all the smoke alarms to finish their full test cycle without pressing any other buttons – don’t worry, they will all stop automatically after approximately 10-15 seconds.

Where Should I Install

Wireless Interconnected Smoke Alarms?

Queensland smoke detectors should be placed inside every bedroom and the interconnecting hallway outside the bedrooms. If there is no common hallway outside the bedrooms, then install a smoke detector on the nearest exit route or travel path from the dwelling. If it is a multi-story property, then at least one smoke alarm must be installed on every level of the property.

Additionally, smoke detectors should not be installed within 30cm from the edge of a wall, within 30cm from a light fixture, 40cm from an air conditioner vent and also not within 40cm from a ceiling fan blade. It is preferable to install smoke detectors on the ceiling, as opposed to the wall.

Don’t forget, if replacing a 240V hardwired smoke alarm in QLD, the Queensland smoke alarm laws state that it must be replaced with another 240V hardwired smoke alarm (requires an electrician to do so).

WARNING! – do not use these products

when installing your smoke alarms!

Be wary using adhesive mounting kits or drill-free magnet mounting kits with your smoke alarms – we do not recommend using these products as they do NOT last. Although Australian Standard 3786:2014 doesn’t specify how smoke alarms should be attached to the ceiling, if you use the aforementioned products your smoke alarm will fall from the ceiling after a period of days, weeks or months, and it will become broken when it smashes onto the floor. How do we know this? – we stopped selling the adhesive kits / drill-free magnetic mounts several years ago. Consumer feedback indicated the products were unreliable and in good conscience we could not continue selling them – we’d rather have happy satisfied customers at the expense of profits any day. Spend a few extra minutes and use the included screws to affix your smoke alarm to the ceiling – this is the best way to install your wireless smoke alarms.

Want to know more? Watch our ZEN quick-start video or call us on 0478 596 402

We love talking smoke alarms!

ZEN Interconnected Smoke Alarms

These new laws were introduced in Queensland due to several house fires which resulted in multiple fatalities.

Had each dwelling been fitted with functioning interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in all the newly prescribed locations, the victims may have stood a chance of surviving.

Early detection = early alarm = early escape from a burning building. When the fire occurred, it was not only the flames themselves which presented as a hazard – most victims were first overcome by breathing in fumes and thick smoke.

Palace Backpackers Fire – Childers 2000

In June 2000 a resident of the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel maliciously lit a fire inside. The fire quickly spread throughout the timber building. Unfortunately the hostel did not have working smoke detectors or alarms and fifteen young people died as a result. The arsonist was captured by police and sentenced to life imprisonment. The after effects of this tragic event are still evident on the local township to this day.

Slacks Creek House Fire – Brisbane 2011

A few minutes before midnight on 23rd August 2011, a  fire tore through a house in the suburb of Slacks Creek, South Brisbane.

This fire caused the greatest loss of life in a domestic house fire in Australian history, with eleven people (including many children) dying due to inhaling toxic smoke.

A finding from the 2014 Coronial Inquest stated that;
‘Once this particular fire started, it is likely that some or all of the deaths would have been prevented if the sleeping occupants had been quickly awoken and had realised that they needed to leave the house as quickly as possible … smoke alarms were either not present in the dwelling or were not maintained’.

Many prescriptive requirements and recommendations from the Coronial Inquest were subsequently incorporated into the QLD Building Fire Safety (Domestic Smoke Alarms) Legislation Amendment Regulation 2016.

The legislation can be read here;
https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/sl-2016-0221

Russell Island House Fire – Brisbane 2023

Just after 6am on 6th August 2023, Emergency Services were called to a raging house fire on Russell Island, a small community just off the southeast coast of Brisbane, QLD. This house fire tragically resulted in the loss of six lives – that of five young children and also their father who had returned inside the inferno to rescue them. Whilst the exact cause of the fire is undetermined, what is known is that the dwelling did not have legally compliant smoke alarms installed as per QLD’s smoke alarm legislation for rental properties.

The landlord / owner of the rental property was subsequently charged and fined for failing to comply with Queensland smoke alarm legislation.

Want to know more? Watch our ZEN quick-start video or call us on 0478 596 402

We love talking smoke alarms!

ZEN Interconnected Smoke Alarms

Nothing is more annoying than a smoke alarm going off for no reason (especially at 3am in the morning!). But why is your smoke alarm beeping without smoke being physically present? There could be several reasons for false alarms. The good news is that you don’t have to go on living this way – our ZEN wireless interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms provide reliable and trustworthy protection for you and your family.

The basic operating principal of a photoelectric smoke alarm is that it activates when the light beam inside the smoke alarm chamber is broken or disrupted – typically by tiny smoke particles. However these foreign particles can also come from sources other than real smoke – below are some of the most common examples and how to rectify them.

High Humidity Affecting The Smoke Alarms

High humidity can occur naturally as the air carries dense moisture particles that your smoke alarm confuses for smoke particles. Although brands can differ, smoke alarms should be designed to work up to 93% relative humidity (RH) as per the Australian Standard 3786:2014 – however anything over 85% RH range and air could potentially become dense enough to scatter the light beam of a photelectric sensor. Extreme tropical weather conditions in the Northern Territory and far north Queensland can sometimes produce these high humidity conditions.

High humidity can also be artificially created by steam from a bathroom shower or the clothes dryer running inside a laundry room. If your smoke alarm is positioned outside a bathroom entrance or inside the laundry, consider moving it further away or out of that room altogether so that escaping shower steam and humid air doesn’t trigger a false alarm and start your smoke alarm beeping and going off for no reason.

Dust Particles Inside Your Interconnected Smoke Alarms

A build-up of dust in the air can also affect your smoke alarm. If dust particles enter the internal chamber they will interfere with the photoelectric light beam and trigger nuisance alarms. We recommend cleaning your smoke alarms regularly by gently vacuuming around them with a soft brush attachment from your vacuum cleaner. Cleaning smoke alarms in this way may remove any cobwebs which could also prevent pests from entering the alarm. Be aware of any activities in the home which may create excess dust – for example renovations or shaking out old dusty blankets or doonas in a room which has a smoke detector installed.

Insects Inside Your Interconnected Smoke Alarms

Section 4.17 of Australian Standard 3786:2014 requires smoke alarms to have protection against foreign bodies, so that a sphere of diameter larger than 1.3mm cannot pass into the sensor chamber – this protection is provided by way of an internal mesh screen. Despite this requirement it is still possible that very tiny insects (smaller than 1.3mm) could enter the smoke alarm and by doing so interfere with the photoelectric sensor. One tip to reduce this likelihood is to wipe the ceiling perimeter around your smoke alarm with surface insect spray (be sure not to allow the insect spray itself to enter the alarm as this could affect its sensors which, you guessed it, could create false alarming).

Cooking Vapour Affecting Your Smoke Alarm Sensors

It is true that whilst many house fires start in the kitchen, installing an alarm in the kitchen can induce frequent nuisance alarms. Irrespective of what smoke alarm brand you have, if it is installed too close to the kitchen stovetop or oven it will activate and start beeping when smoke particles are emitted from the food cooking process (after all, the smoke alarm is doing what it is designed to do). When cooking, always be sure to switch on the rangehood or oven exhaust fan to draw smoky air particles away from your smoke alarm. If the problem continues, try repositioning the fire alarm further away from the cooking appliance.

Summary

Beeping smoke alarms that are going off for no apparent reason can be both frustrating and stressful. Worse, an ongoing beeping smoke alarm may generate a ‘boy who cried wolf’ effect, reducing home occupants reaction to a real life fire event.

Fortunately, our ZEN wireless interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms undergo strict quality control measures at an ISO 9001 quality accredited facility, are manufactured in adherence to Australian Standard 3786:2014, and are independently tested which means the likelihood for nuisance alarms is greatly reduced. Using the tips outlined above and below, your ZEN interconnected smoke alarms will provide many years of stress-free and reliable fire protection for you and your loved ones.

Want to know more about the potential causes of beeping smoke alarms and why they may start going off for no reason? Please refer to our helpful smoke alarms diagnostic checklist below!

Want to know more? Watch our ZEN quick-start video or call us on 0478 596 402

We love talking smoke alarms!

ZEN Interconnected Smoke Alarms