Ademco Vista 20P - FireX smoke detectors

[Kelly]

Maybe you all can help me,

I have a new home with 11 interconected smoke detectors.
They are 120 volt with 9 volt backup. This setup is required
by the county code.

I have installed a Ademco Vista 20P and it works great.

Question:

Is there a device i can hok up to the existing smoke detectors
that will trigger the Ademco system so it will send a fire signal to
the central station once i get monitored?

Thanks for your help.

Kelly
kan...@erols.com

[Scott]

It won't be easy nor do I think you should do it!! Typical residential
smokes will usually false or in the case of a real fire, sometiems they
don't sound at all. They are not of the quality you want connected to your
alarm calling central station. Heaven forbid they false one day and the
fire department come for a little visit to find your shades down. In some
municipalities if the fire dept. cannot see inside they are told to enter
the premises with their saw, axe, whatever it takes. This is especially
true if you live in a condo or house what is connected to your neighbors.
Stick with an alarm approved quality smoke detector and don't install it in
the kitchen. You want a heat detector for the kitchen.

Another reason not to do this is because the residential smokes are not
supervised. If you have a fire that causes a break in the smoke detector
wire you'll want the supervision.

"Kelly" <any...@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns91CEE06D3FBE...@207.172.3.55...

[Kelly]

Thank you for the reply.

Let me ask this....
Do they make wireless smokes that are 120 volt? If they do, can I simply
replace a few of the existing smokes with the wireless ones and not
use the interconnect wire in the existing electrical box.

Another option would be to replace all 11 smokes with 2 or 4 wire
smokes and disconnect the 120 supply and use the existing 14 ga.
3 wire plus ground that daisychains from smoke to smoke.

Thank you,
Kelly

kan...@erols.com

"Scott" <lo...@headersfor.emailaddress> wrote in
news:eBfj8.44878$Yd.24...@e3500-atl1.usenetserver.com:

[Michael Thomas]

"Scott" <lo...@headersfor.emailaddress> wrote in message news:<eBfj8.44878$Yd.24...@e3500-atl1.usenetserver.com>...

> It won't be easy nor do I think you should do it!!

OK. lets grant that it's not a good idea to wire existing residential
grade detectors to the alarm.

This leaves me in the same position as the poster who started the
thread.

I've got a home with 8 interconnected AC/batery backup smoke detectors
which are required by code. The current interconnection is via a
single 16ga stranded wire. The AC power to the detectors is on the AC
lighting circuts.

The local code autority says that a wireless system is not acceptable
- that these MUST have a hard wire interconnection, and MUST be able
to operate independently of any other alarm system.

Is there some sort of more reliable commerical grade detector I can
use to replace the existing units which can utilize the existing
wiring and which would allow connection to a VISTA panel? Or am I
stuck with installing a few supervised wireless detectors as a
redundent system?

- Thanks

[Ratchet]

120 volt smokes can be hooked to an alarm system. I however agree with
Scott, as the smokes are not supervised. I don't mind the 120 volts
being hooked in as long as they are in ADDITION to alarm manufacturing
quality smokes and not instead of. Additonal being the case you can
simply have an electrician wire in a 120volt/12 volt relay. Then hook
the 12 volt side to the panel. The company I work for has 1, and only
1 customer, in this branch anyways; that they do this for and it is
because it is in addition to alarm smokes and they have about 400
units.

On 12 Mar 2002 08:29:26 -0800, mdtka...@yahoo.com (Michael Thomas)
wrote:

[Kelly]

I prewired the whole house during construction, but i
did not prewire for alarm smokes becouse our code reads
the same way.

Unforunatly i have never owned or operated a alarm
system so i was kinda in the dark about all the options.
I AssUmed that there would be a way to connect the 120
volt detectors required by code.

(BTW i have been working on the relay idea, only i have been
playing with the 9 volt interconnect wire as the trigger.)

Kelly

[Robert L Bass]

There are some 110/9V smoke detector models that offer a relay as an
optional module or as a built-in part of one or more of the detectors.
These would be the ideal choice as they are UL listed "Life Safety" devices.
A home-brew rig may be just as effective, but it won't meet code
requirements (testing and certification).

Just some thoughts...

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
The Online DIY Alarm Store
http://www.Bass-Home.com
2291 Pine View Circle
Sarasota, FL 34231
877-722-8900 Sales & Tech Support
941-925-9747 Fax
rober...@comcasst.net
=============================>

"Kelly" <any...@home.com> wrote in message

news:Xns91CFB69426B5...@207.172.3.55...

[VSS DOUG]

ESL makes AC powered photoelectric smoke detectors with aux relays and battery
back up.

320A/350* 120VAC, photoelectric alarm with pigtail connector

320ACC/350CC* 120VAC, photoelectric alarm with pigtail connector, Form A and
Form C relays that do not operate
from the tandem circuit; they must detect smoke

320ACX/350CX* 120VAC, photoelectric alarm with pigtail connector, Form A and
Form C relays that operate
from the tandem circuit and when smoke is detected

* All 350 models include a battery backup

Doug L

Michael wrote

[VSS DOUG]

Firex makes a relay module, you'd have to check to see if its compapatable with
the model you are using. I'd give some serious thought to upgrading the smoke
detectors before connecting them to a monitored alarm system.

Doug L

Kelly wrote

[Marten Peterson]

In a word, yes. Firex makes a pigtailed relay module that will do what you
want..

Marten

"Kelly" <any...@home.com> wrote in message

news:Xns91CEE06D3FBE...@207.172.3.55...