Here's what I'm looking for - and where someone might be able to help out: I'm looking for Wi-Fi interconnected CO/Smoke detectors. Battery backup with 10 year backup batteries.

I just pulled one of my 10 year smoke detectors down for chirping (low battery alarm). Three units were all installed in February 2017. One would expect 2 more years of service. But upon opening the chirping unit the battery has a date code of 4415. That would be Mid October 2015. So if it lasts for 10 years, four months short is no big deal. Not happy about getting 8 years service, and I will be contacting Kidde to let them know of this. Two more are not yet complaining, three units bought all at the same time. So I'm going to guess on the safe side and say they probably need to be replaced as well. They are all "Third Wire Interconnected". Sure, I could still go that route but I'd like to add 2 or 3 more detectors but not run wires all over the place. Detached garage, secondary garage and a wood shop.

Help me find an interconnectable CO/Smoke detector, preferably Wi-Fi enabled interconnected. Or if you know of another solution - one I'm not aware of.

 

Note that there are multiple product recalls for millions of Kidde smoke/CO alarms, in the past 10 years or so (search for "kidde smoke").
Also check Kidde Product Safety Notices

I'm not happy with Kidde constantly changing the features - All the AC mains-powered detectors require batteries. They've added voice alert talking ability. Gone is the 9V battery, now they are all using AA batteries.

Looking at the cost of ownership, do you look at Energizer AA lithiums or vanilla alkaline (not Duracell leakers!) batteries or the long-life 10 years ones, instead of just buying new ones every 5 years etc. Lithium batteries are so expensive nowadays.

I don't think you can get over 5 years out of smoke alarms due to dust buildup in the ionization chamber, cob webs etc. they need to be vacuum cleaned.
Mains-powered ones the circuit board gets cooked and burned up, a capacitive dropper makes heat and gets hit by mains transients. I had a big beef with UL over the BRK chinese imports smoke alarms, well the resistor smoking made the smoke alarm go off by itself. LOL except at 3AM. Apparently that is not a problem at all- only concern is if the alarm fails to detect smoke. What about the hot running parts on the PCB? No tests in the UL smoke alarm standard for that. Sigh.

 

The Smoke/CO detector is not under recall. It has a manufacturer date of July 3, 2015. 10 years old. It's due for replacement. The model number is i12010SCO. If you can find a recall on it - let me know.

The other three are i12010S Ionization Smoke Alarm(s). The wife likes the ionization detector because it doesn't go off every time she cooks. SHE wants a smoke detector that can be canceled by simply yelling "I'M COOKING!" This detector has no recalls.

As I said before: Help me find an interconnectable CO/Smoke detector, preferably Wi-Fi enabled interconnected. Or if you know of another solution - one I'm not aware of.

 

Smoke alarms have a 10-year lifetime regardless of the battery type, and that time starts at date of manufacture, not start of use.

Personally, I would never trust my life to a Kidde product after experiencing their crappy fire extinguishers, I always go with First Alert.

 

Mis-spoke: I have 3 units, one Smoke/CO and two Smoke.
Working from a flawed memory versus working from actual "In Hand" information:

 

Smoke alarms have a 10-year lifetime regardless of the battery type, and that time starts at date of manufacture, not start of use.

Personally, I would never trust my life to a Kidde product after experiencing their crappy fire extinguishers, I always go with First Alert.

We've all made mistakes. Learned some hard lessons along the way. Thanks for your viewpoint on this subject.

But if 10 years starts from DOM then that should be stated and clearly marked on the packaging. I still have the S/CO detector box. As you can see from my (created today) spreadsheet; 1.65 years on the shelf ? ? ? That shortens lifespan whereby a home owner may think "I'm protected until mm/dd/yyyy when they're not. That's 7 months, 24 days. Wonder how Consumer Protection Organizations would look at that.

 

Here's what I'm looking for - and where someone might be able to help out: I'm looking for Wi-Fi interconnected CO/Smoke detectors. Battery backup with 10 year backup batteries.

I just pulled one of my 10 year smoke detectors down for chirping (low battery alarm). Three units were all installed in February 2017. One would expect 2 more years of service. But upon opening the chirping unit the battery has a date code of 4415. That would be Mid October 2015. So if it lasts for 10 years, four months short is no big deal. Not happy about getting 8 years service, and I will be contacting Kidde to let them know of this. Two more are not yet complaining, three units bought all at the same time. So I'm going to guess on the safe side and say they probably need to be replaced as well. They are all "Third Wire Interconnected". Sure, I could still go that route but I'd like to add 2 or 3 more detectors but not run wires all over the place. Detached garage, secondary garage and a wood shop.

Help me find an interconnectable CO/Smoke detector, preferably Wi-Fi enabled interconnected. Or if you know of another solution - one I'm not aware of.

I use the now google home devices in the house.
Nest protect
https://store.google.com/product/nest_protect_2nd_gen?hl=en-US

 

use the now google home devices in the house.

Sales of Nest Protect alarms have been discontinued. First Alert's Smart Smoke & CO alarm is a compatible replacement for your expiring Nest Protect. Click here to learn more (on the linked website - you can't click on a screen capture)

 

View attachment 350467

Sales of Nest Protect alarms have been discontinued. First Alert's Smart Smoke & CO alarm is a compatible replacement for your expiring Nest Protect. Click her to learn more (on the linked website - you can't click on a screen capture)

My originals are good until they die.

https://www.theverge.com/news/638234/first-alert-smart-smoke-alarm-google-nest-protect-replacement
I'll try one when I get the chance.

 

Just requested a quote for five of these.
Their website quotes $49.88 per unit (for 1 unit). Requested a quote closer to the amazon quote

 

My originals are good until they die.

They all are. But I'm sure you're just being cheeky.

 

They all are. But I'm sure you're just being cheeky.

It's early and I'm on the first cup.

I'm likely now to just to design and build my own detectors, with exactly the capabilities I want without the cloud BS. I've done a few before but they were mainly for HAZMAT stuff that can kill you in the PPM level. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphine

" Phosphine is a highly toxic respiratory poison, and is immediately dangerous to life or health at 50 ppm."

 

Just got an email from Kidde. They're sending a replacement for the failed unit.

And I just edited post #5

 

SHE wants a smoke detector that can be canceled by simply yelling "I'M COOKING!"

She has a future as a product design engineer!

 

Note that there are multiple product recalls for millions of Kidde smoke/CO alarms, in the past 10 years or so (search for "kidde smoke").
Also check Kidde Product Safety Notices

I'm not happy with Kidde constantly changing the features - All the AC mains-powered detectors require batteries. They've added voice alert talking ability. Gone is the 9V battery, now they are all using AA batteries.

Looking at the cost of ownership, do you look at Energizer AA lithiums or vanilla alkaline (not Duracell leakers!) batteries or the long-life 10 years ones, instead of just buying new ones every 5 years etc. Lithium batteries are so expensive nowadays.

I don't think you can get over 5 years out of smoke alarms due to dust buildup in the ionization chamber, cob webs etc. they need to be vacuum cleaned.
Mains-powered ones the circuit board gets cooked and burned up, a capacitive dropper makes heat and gets hit by mains transients. I had a big beef with UL over the BRK chinese imports smoke alarms, well the resistor smoking made the smoke alarm go off by itself. LOL except at 3AM. Apparently that is not a problem at all- only concern is if the alarm fails to detect smoke. What about the hot running parts on the PCB? No tests in the UL smoke alarm standard for that. Sigh.

Very true, I would not trust the reliability of the Ionization chambers after this time. 10 years is a pretty good life to cost ratio for electronics nowsadays.

 

I pulled the ion detector chamber apart. It was pristine. No accumulated dust, no sign of tarnish or rust. Looked like Stainless Steel construction. Pulled it apart because of a cat's curiosity. KNOWING it was not one of those old models with Americium (radio active element) opening it was safe. One thing for certain; KIDDE has excellent customer service. They're replacing a unit that operated after installation for 8.27 years. If they were going on the basis of DOM (Date of Manuf.) its lifetime existence was for 9.52 years. Either way it didn't last the full promised 10 years.

Few years back they DID replace one that was in service approximately 2 years. That's a pretty good track record for customer service.

However, I'm still interested in detectors that are Wi-Fi connected. I've found some but not real excited about replacing 2 AA batteries every year. I know - I know - not a big expense for the convenience I want. But the 2 AA units are not being ruled out at this time. If I haven't mentioned it before, I have a detached garage with a wood shop over it. The whole reason for going Wi-Fi. At present it's an unoccupied space except when in operation. But if something metal should get sucked up into my dust collection system, something like a nail fragment, it could generate a spark. That spark could then fall into the dust bin and smolder for hours without being noticed or discovered. I'm diligent at watching for metals in the wood I'm cutting. Two reasons; one - it can dull the blade. Two - it can spark a fire either in the cabinet saw or in the dust collector. I'm not unmindful of the possibilities, so putting an additional set of detectors in the garage and shop makes good sense. Even though life doesn't hang in the balance, property does. Spent over $120,000 on the shop alone. Factor in two cars - eh - it's worth it. 2 AA batteries or a 10 year battery, either way, it makes good sense.

 

I also think that using smoke detectors past the warrantee, or suggested use period may make your insurance company disavow your coverage, if a fire is not detected properly. So you are literally playing with fire. Im not an expert at this, Im just throwing my hat into the ring.

 

I'm just throwing my hat into the ring.

You have a valid hat for sure. Thanks for the opinion.

 

Oh, and I am aware of watching dates on my detectors. Knowing their replacement was coming soon, I wasn't a bit surprised when the chirper began chirping. But having looked closer into manufacture dates and installation dates has revealed a lot of useful information. But that still doesn't dissuade me from looking into a newer technology. The KIDDE replacement is a newer model since the older model was built to [cut n paste from email] "They were compliant to 6th edition standards and the new UL standards went into effect July 1st and those 6th edition models are no longer compliant so they have been taken out of production. The hardwired combo model you will receive as a replacement is model 30CUA10-V, also with 10-year sealed battery." [end email C&P]. The agent didn't state what year the standard changed, only the month.

However, and this is interesting; the 10 year battery is not warranted for 10 years service. Someone above mentioned that batteries are not guaranteed for 10 years.

Notice that last bullet point. I guess they've had to replace detectors before with other customers.

 

One question remains: CO is heavier than O2 (atmosphere). I've heard that CO detectors should be mounted down low but smoke detectors are mounted high. So where do I put the new sensors? Ceiling? Wall at floor level? It's all so confusing.