-
Contact
Sales & Customer Service
0800 612 6537 support@safelincs.co.uk Live ChatDelivery Enquiries
0800 077 6149 - Resources
A battery smoke alarm is the simplest level of fire detection. At a very basic level, there are standalone units with no interlink capabilities, whereas with more advanced models including a tamper-proof battery and radio interlink technology provide a little more coverage and warning to the event of a fire in your property.
These alarms are available as optical smoke detectors (detects slow smouldering fires), suitable for hallways, bedrooms, and living rooms, or as heat alarms (detects rapid increases in temperature), designed for kitchens and garages, or where lots of dust, fumes, steam, or other contaminants may cause false alarms.
Some battery-only powered alarms have a battery compartment to replace the depleted batteries every 12 to 18 months, throughout the alarms 10-year lifespan. Others have a sealed battery, which lasts the lifespan of the alarm.
All of our battery smoke detectors and heat alarms are suitable for Grade F installations, and meet the requirements for Grade F1 or F2. Please see our guide to BS 5839-6: 2019 for more information on Grades of alarms.
Battery operated smoke alarms are the entry-level of fire detection, typically powered by a single 9V PP3 battery or two 1.5V AA batteries – or by sealed long-life lithium cells which do not need replacing for the full lifespan of the smoke detectors.
Battery-powered smoke alarms are further divided into ionisation,optical and heat alarms. Ionisation alarms are suitable for landings and hallways. However, these have been phased out and have been replaced with the advanced optical technology. Optical smoke detectors are suitable for all the locations ionisation alarms would have been fitted and also for bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways. Heat alarms are designed to be installed in the kitchen and garage, along with other rooms in which optical or ionisation sensors would suffer false alarms due to dust, fumes, steam, or other contaminants. If you have one of these older units, and it has reached the end of its life, visit our smoke and heat alarm replacement page to find a suitable substitute.
Within our range of battery-operated detectors, there is a gradual improvement from simple standalone AA-powered smoke detection to thermally enhanced alarms with 10-year sealed batteries, which are capable of interlinking with mains-powered alarms via radio frequency. Interlinked smoke alarms have the advantage that if one alarm detects a fire, all other smoke alarms get notified as well and will sound. This is particularly important if, for example, the bedrooms are far removed from the kitchen, or if specialist equipment is required, such as strobe lights and vibrating pads for individuals with hearing and visual impairments.
Our range of battery-only powered smoke detectors comply with Grade F requirements under BS 5839-6: 2019. These alarms provide the lowest permissible level of fire protection in the home.
F1 requirements can be met by sealed long-life lithium battery powered smoke and heat alarms. Replaceable 9V alkaline battery-operated units only fulfil F2 criteria. If your building requires F1 coverage, it is therefore essential that you fit sealed units with long-life lithium batteries.
It is worth noting that you cannot fit a grade of detector which is ‘too high’. The higher the alarm grade, the better protected your home will be. Therefore, even if your property only requires Grade F detectors, you should consider investing in mains powered alarms with back up batteries, and radio or hardwire interlinks to provide the earliest possible warning to a fire and keep your loved ones safe.
All smoke alarms have batteries: low level alarms (Grade F) are powered by batteries only; higher level alarms (Grade D) are mains powered with back-up batteries.
In Grade F alarms and Grade D alarms, there are units available with replaceable alkaline batteries, and long-life sealed lithium batteries. Lithium battery powered units offer a ‘fit and forget’ solution, as they have a tamper proof battery, which does not require replacement throughout the lifespan of the alarm. Whereas alkaline options require the batteries to be replaced every year or so.
All smoke and heat alarms provide audible warnings when the battery requires to be replaced or if the alarm is coming to the end of its life. The audible warning is usually an intermittent beep, which in some cases can be silenced temporarily by the test/hush button, until the battery or alarm is replaced. If a sealed unit beeps like this, this means that it has reached the end of its life, and needs to be replaced. When replacing alkaline batteries, check the ‘replace by’ date on the back of the unit to ensure that it is still within its lifespan, and to be aware that it may be reaching the end of its life. This is important because the sensor of any type of alarm, optical or heat, becomes less effective over time. So, an out-of-date alarm may offer little or no protection in your home. If your unit has reached or is nearing this date, visit our smoke and heat alarm replacement page for a suitable replacement.
If you are sure that your battery or unit is not out of date but find that it is beeping, read our blog for additional support.