Heat Alarms

Do I Need a Heat Alarm or Smoke Alarm?

Heat alarms are recommended for installing in kitchens and garages, where smoke or cooking fumes could cause false alarms in traditional smoke alarms. Heat alarms detect heat, rather than smoke, which makes them ideal for areas where dust, steam, and 'normal' smoke fumes (such as during cooking) are present, and would ordinarily cause a smoke alarm to falsely activate.

Smoke alarms are recommended for installing in most rooms of the house, including bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways (general living areas). Optical smoke alarms are designed to quickly detect smoke from all sources, and are also able to detect smoke from slower, smouldering fires.

How do Heat Alarms work?

Heat alarms work by detecting a rise in temperature, rather than detecting smoke particles in the atmosphere like traditional smoke alarms. This is why they are most suited to areas where smoke alarms falsely activate. Most commonly, these areas include kitchens and garages. For more accurate detection, some heat alarms also measure the rate at which temperature rises so they can provide an earlier warning of danger.

Where do you put a Heat Alarm?

Heat Alarms can be installed in areas where traditional smoke alarms would falsely activate due to 'normal' smoke fumes (such as during cooking), vapours, dust, and damp. Heat alarms are recommended for kitchens and garages. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions for your alarm for detailed alarm placement guidance.