Linked mains fire alarms advice?

robodelfy

robodelfy

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Hi

I'm renovating my house and only have battery powered unlinked fire alarms. The loft room has mains power.

I would like to get radio linked alarms, so they don't have to be wired to each other. But I need them to be mains powered

If I was to run them off the lighting circuit, what is the best way to do this? Considering I'm just a DIY guy! Just cut a hole in the ceiling a couple of feet from the light? Then try and get my hands in to split off from the lighting wires?

Is this legal? I read it's a good idea because you'll know if the lighting circuit goes down.

Trying to do anything else would be a lot of hassle

Photos of the downstairs hall and upstairs hall attached.

20200812_110222.jpg
20200812_110345.jpg
 
Best way is to take the power for the alarms from the lighting pendants. Power from lighting circuit is the usual way!
You’ll be able to access them easily.
Post a pic of the wiring at each & we can advise where to connect.
 
Taylortwocities said:
Best way is to take the power for the alarms from the lighting pendants. Power from lighting circuit is the usual way!
You’ll be able to access them easily.
Post a pic of the wiring at each & we can advise where to connect.
Click to expand...
Thanks, is there a way to do this without having to cut out a big section and re plasterboard it? Something clever I'm not thinking off possibly!
 
Yes, you can access the upstairs pendant from the loft and the downstairs one by lifting the floor above the pendant.

If thats no do-able, a set of cable rods should llow you to pull a length of 1mm vcable from the pendant position to the alarm point. Depends on where the joists are..
 
Taylortwocities said:
Yes, you can access the upstairs pendant from the loft and the downstairs one by lifting the floor above the pendant.

If thats no do-able, a set of cable rods should llow you to pull a length of 1mm vcable from the pendant position to the alarm point. Depends on where the joists are..
Click to expand...

Yeah I can't get down from the loft unless I lift the carpet, but I probably can get down from above to the downstairs hallway. I didnt know about cable rods, so you just make a hole where you want the alarm, then wire up to the lighting pendant and use the cable to rod to get it to the alarm hole? Sounds easy enough, unless as you say you hit a joist!

I've just used Aicos online tool for choosing what alarms you need. I went for LD2 as LD1 seems overkill for my situation. LD2 says you should have one in the main inhabited room, normally the lounge, but I rarely spend time in the lounge. Will this matter as far as regulations are concerned? Or do you just have to put one in the lounge. Image attached of what they recommend for my house

Screen Shot 2020-08-12 at 15.52.12.jpg
 
Taylortwocities said:
I would have heat alarm in kitchen and smokes only needed in hall & landing. For a standard house LD3 would be adequate. More guidance here
https://professional-electrician.com/technical/changes-to-domestic-fire-alarm-standards/
Click to expand...
You wouldn't have Co2 alarms?
Yeah I read that article. I also read that in Scotland and Ireland they require LD2 as a minimum, and when regs are updated England will probably follow suit, which is why I considered going that far
 
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