Smoke Detectors in one and two family dwellings

[kevkar]

Can smoke detectors be fed from the panel with an arc fault breaker? Where do you locate this in the code?

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Can smoke detectors be fed from the panel with an arc fault breaker? Where do you locate this in the code?

Its required to have 1 smoke in each bedroom.It is an outlet.So since its an outlet in a bedroom it is required to be on afci.

 

[kevkar]

So it does not need to be fed from the bedroom branch circuit? Where do you find this in the code?

 

[kevkar]

All I found is 210.12

 

[cowboyjwc]

You can feed them off of the bedroom branch circuit or you can run a seperate circuit. Either one is fine, but as Jim said they are required to be AFCI protected.

 

[racerdave3]

So then how do you wire your smokes in a new house? Do you just have a separate circuit for them and supply it from an AFCI breaker to satisfy the requirement?

 

[kevkar]

Thank you for the help. Can you direct me to the place in the book that talks about smoke detectors?

 

[stickboy1375]

Connecticut does not require Smokes to be AFI protected, but I always feed the basement smoke so its always a homerun...makes sense to me,...

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

So then how do you wire your smokes in a new house? Do you just have a separate circuit for them and supply it from an AFCI breaker to satisfy the requirement?

You could have dedicated circuit (afci) but by doing so it is still a bedroom circuit simply because it feeds atleast 1 outlet in that bedroom.Most simply feed the smoke from the bedroom circuit.You can have outlets from other rooms on that same bedroom circuit.

Personally i dont like smokes on dedicated circuits.Master bedroom will notice a triped breaker fast.

 

[kevkar]

If Connedicut does not require smokes to be afci then its not in the NEC

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Thank you for the help. Can you direct me to the place in the book that talks about smoke detectors?

Actually that is not in nec but is in the building codes.

 

[kevkar]

But yes I put the smokes on a circuit by themself and fed it from an afci breaker

 

[bphgravity]

The NEC does not require smoke alarms in dwellings. Your local building and fire codes will provide this requirement. For example, section R313 of the IRC specifies requirements for smoke alarm installation in dwellings and references the NFPA 72 for specific requirements. See Chapter 11 of that standard.

 

[stickboy1375]

Nope smokes are building codes ... and any state can still have a supplemental code change...check your state website

 

[kevkar]

Thank you Jim W

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

But yes I put the smokes on a circuit by themself and fed it from an afci breaker

As far as nec you did it to code.A few local ahj might not permit it.Think what happens if it trips and nobody is home for a few days.Batteries go dead and now no alert.You could still fix this easy by just putting this circuit on a bedroom afci .Splice them in the panel.And get your $40 breaker back.

 

[racerdave3]

Jim, Are you saying that you put all of the dectectors in the entire house on the bedroom circuit?

 

[stickboy1375]

I used to do that also... just found it easier to feed from the last smoke in the basement...

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Jim, Are you saying that you put all of the dectectors in the entire house on the bedroom circuit?

Yes.How else will they be interconnected ?

 

[JohnJ0906]

For some reason, I seen to recall the international electrical code requires residential smokes to be on a circuit with other outlets, but I could be wrong. As Jim and others have said, if the circuit trips, someone will notice, and if the smokes are by themselves, it may not be noticed for a while. (Until the exterminators are called in to get rid of all the crickets that got in the house!)