Kitchen: Photoelectric Smoke or Heat Alarm

Can I get some feedback on this?

Everything I read states to not put a smoke alarm in the kitchen (false alarms), but if you're going to have one make it the Photoelectric type...then I read something about using the Heat alarm for the kitchen. Now I'm baffled...

Smoke detectors come in two flavors: ionization and optical. One looks for the ions created by a hot fire; the other looks for smoke from fires. The optical ones work faster on a smoldering fire, the ionization ones work faster on hot fires that give off ions. Either fire type will eventually set off. A heat detector goes off if the heat exceeds the set point, sort of like a thermostat.

Cooking in the kitchen often produces smoke, so that type of detector should be avoided in the kitchen.

jadnashua said:

A heat detector goes off if the heat exceeds the set point, sort of like a thermostat.

Click to expand...

My house is wired for both, the heat detector is wired through the alarm. The heat detector is set to read a certain temperature rise before going off, not a specific temperature.

"Cooking in the kitchen often produces smoke, so that type of detector should be avoided in the kitchen."

When you say that type, which type are you referring to? Also, when you say "optical" are you referring to Photoelectric?

Are you suggesting a heat detector?

Thanks

When installing alarm systems we would never place a smoke detector in the kitchen, and always used a photo at the closest one to the kitchen. Keeping the closest as far as possible from the kitchen. One thing you do not want, especially if the system is being monitored, is false alarms from kitchen smoke. If you want fire detection in the kitchen use a rate of rise thermal detector.

Yes, optical and photo are the same.

Got it. Thanks!