Update: A firefighter in Omaha asked me a question that made me check my own work.

I was finishing a panel install at a small office building last week when the local fire crew came through for their yearly check. One of the guys, an older captain, pointed at my new smoke detector runs and asked, 'You test every single one of those with actual smoke, or just the button?' I told him I always use canned smoke, but he just shook his head and said, 'I've seen three systems this month where the button test passed, but the unit was clogged with dust and didn't alarm with real smoke. The button only checks the electronics, not the chamber.' He was right. I got back to the shop and pulled a detector from our test stock that was about a year old. The button beeped fine, but a quick blast of test smoke took almost twice as long to trigger it. I've been telling customers their systems are good based on a button press for years. How many of you are doing full smoke tests on every detector during your annual checks, or are we all just pushing buttons to save time?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.nancy1mo ago

That Omaha fire captain is probably right about the dust, but come on. How many buildings actually burn down because of a slow smoke detector? I push the button on mine at home and it beeps, good enough for me. Most of these yearly checks are just for insurance paperwork anyway.

smith.parker1mo ago

Remember hearing a similar story from an HVAC guy.

juliarodriguez1mo ago

Was that about the guy who found old money in a wall? I read a news article about a contractor finding a stack of bills from the 1930s. Those stories make you wonder what's hidden in your own house.