Whether you are looking for a battery powered smoke alarm, a radio-interlinked smoke alarm system or mains-powered smoke and heat alarms we have smoke detectors that will meet your needs. We offer Grade F and D smoke and heat alarms.
Ideal for rooms like garages, kitchens, and lofts where dust or fumes would cause false activations of smoke alarms, the UltraFire ULLH10 features a sealed 10 year battery and 10 year manufacturer's warranty.
This Firehawk FHN450BB mains powered heat alarm features replaceable alkaline battery backup, and interlinks with other 250BB/RB smoke and 450BB/RB heat alarms in the FHN range.
230V mains with AAA alkaline battery backup
6 years manufacturer's warranty
Hardwire interlink up to 12 Firehawk FHN smoke and heat alarms
UKCA marked, CE marked, and Kitemarked
Also suitable for both the Welsh and Scottish 2022 legislation
Mains powered smoke alarms are powered by the electrical circuit of a building, are interconnected and are mainly used in residential new builds, rented accommodation and smaller commercial applications. They should always contain a backup battery to ensure that if a fire is started by an electrical fault which cuts the power supply, the alarm will still detect the fire. These backup batteries can be of a replaceable type (eg alkaline) or of a sealed-in, re-chargeable type (trickle charging). The power supply, if retro-fitted, is usually taken from the nearest light fitting.
These smoke detectors have integrated RF senders and receivers. If one smoke alarm detects a fire, it passes this information to all other alarms within the same group of alarms to raise the alarm in the entire building. Perfect for larger houses and smaller commercial applications. Some of the RF smoke alarms have sealed longlife batteries as the only power supply, making them an alternative to mains powered smoke detectors (Building Control might have to be asked for a clarification first)
Ionisation Smoke Alarms detect changes in the electrical charge of particles in the air within their sensor chamber. They were particularly well suited for 'invisible' or fast-flaming fires, such as paper or dry wood fires, which can give off very little smoke despite having an active flame. They were sadly also very sensitive to burnt toast, which is why they should not be installed near kitchens. Historically, ionisation smoke detectors have been recommended for landings and office spaces, but the technology behind optical smoke alarms advanced to the point that they are interchangeable.
Ionisation smoke alarms are being phased out across the entire fire safety industry, from standalone domestic alarms to detectors in the largest commercial panel systems. This is because they use radioactive material in the sensor to detect the presence of smoke particles in the air, making them dangerous to manufacture, awkward and costly to transport, and an environmental hazard if disposed of incorrectly.
Safelincs has stopped selling ionisation smoke alarms, and we would encourage all of our customers to purchase optical smoke alarms instead. Optical smoke alarms are not potentially hazardous like ionisation technology, due to not using radioactive elements.
Heat alarms, as the name suggests, measure temperature rather than detect smoke. They raise an alarm if the temperature rises above a certain point or if the temperature rises rapidly. They are suitable for kitchens and garages as they will not cause false alarms. It is important to know that they only cover small areas and a kitchen or garage might require several heat detectors for full cover.
Optical or photoelectric smoke detectors 'see' smoke when a very small permanent light beam within the alarm is affected by smoke. They are ideal for smouldering fires producing smoke rather than heat, such as burning soft furnishings and electrical equipment. They are less prone to false alarms from burnt toast, so can be used near kitchens (not in kitchens, though). We recommend optical smoke alarms for hallways, dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms.