Domestic fire alarm regs change???

[NozSpark]

Just been talking to a building inspector today about a job that I'm doing..

He said that alarms can now be up to max 7.5m away from bedroom doors!!

I thought it was max 3m from bedroom doors and max 7.5m between detector!

 

[ian932]

Just been talking to a building inspector today about a job that I'm doing..He said that alarms can now be up to max 7.5m away from bedroom doors!!

I thought it was max 3m from bedroom doors and max 7.5m between detector!

Optical and Ion's have a radius of 7.5m and Heat has 5.2m always have, maybe they have only just read 5839 for the 1st time :^O

 

[ian932]

One thing you need to be careful of is any beam or ceiling obstruction deeper than 10% of the floor to ceiling height is to be classed as a divide and a detector would be needed either side of the beam/obstruction.

When setting out detectors use a compass set to radius and draw a circle from the detector position and make sure the whole room is covered on big rooms you need to make sure they overlap. From memory its something like 10.6m between smokes on large rooms with multiple detectors to give the correct over lap.

 

[NozSpark]

Yes, but I though they still had to be max 3m from bedroom doors??

 

[ian932]

Yes, but I though they still had to be max 3m from bedroom doors??

Just checked document B and its 7.5m and that was 2007 (page 19, 1.14)

 

[SteveRoss]

I'm probably a bit late to offer my two penny-worth, but I think that the 3m originated from BS5839 Part6:2004, clause 11.2, recommendation c) "Where smoke alarms are fitted, no bedroom door should be further than approximately three metres from the nearest smoke alarm"

 

[green-hornet]

This is not a smoke or heat detection requirement, its all about noise.

The dBl levels if not measured could be way off the requirements, so a distance of 3m was taken as a guide that the required headboard sound levels would be adequate.

Spacing between detectors has always been the same, and I think your building inspector is a little confused over the requirements.

Providing you can test sound levels, the sounder can be above or beyond the 3m distance.