how to wire 120 smokes in Duplex rental to provide common alarm

[tld38]

Hello everyone. Am in Ohio. Question: Have purchased a duplex residential unit (up&down) with common back porch and basement. Have security and fire panel which is monitored. 1 smoke located in each dwelling. and carbon monoxide in common basement. Want to take out security panel and hardwire 120V. smokes. My understanding is that all smokes must go in to common alarm when activated so all tenants can get out. Have existing 100 amp electrical service with 2 meters. How should I make this happen. Dop i need a third house panel service. Thanks much.

 

[benaround]

tid38,

I would recomend having a chat with the local Fire Marshal.

 

[TT009]

tid38,

I would recommend having a chat with the local Fire Marshal.

I would second that. You could use a set of relays instead of a new panel, so that if one trip they all trip, but at normal operation they would use separate panels.

 

[RICK NAPIER]

You need to speak to your local officials. The interconnect relays I have seen are not monitored or battery backed and as such do not conform with NFPA 72. Also a common alarm panel should conform with NEC 210.25(B).

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

What you want to do is not a normal installation. Most 120v smoke manufacturers do not permit that many smokes tied together. As Rick mentioned, NFPA, and your local fire Marshal and EI will have a lot to say about this type of installation.
I do not know your local requirements, so I cannot be more specific. 210.25 may have some bearing on what you would like to do.

 

[construct]

'Ditto'.....what Rick and Pierre said.

 

[Regularkevin]

Funny, I had read this thread topic as '...wire 120 smokes in duplex rental...'

I thought, that would be quite a bit of overkill as far as smokeys go. I wasn't thinking 120V smokes at first. :grin:

 

[K8MHZ]

If the issue revolves around the common area, the solution is simple.

All you have to do is place two alarms in the same proximity of the common area, one for each interconnected system. The two alarm systems are not connected together.

 

[dbuckley]

Funny, I had read this thread topic as '...wire 120 smokes in duplex rental...'

Thats what in read too, and not being a local, I assumed (for a while) I'd misunderstood the type of premise being discussed

 

[pdmtn]

smoke alarms in a duplex

smoke alarms in a duplex

I guess this will muddy the water but the IRC requires a smoke alarm in each bedroom in a dwelling, Right? and any outlet in a bedroom must be AFCI protected. Which duplex panel do you feed the circuit out of and what feeding a circuit from one unit to the other with no access to the overcurrent protection. I may be over thinking this .. Thanks

 

[e57]

Why would they need to be tied together - that said if I'm smoking chicken in my oven - I don't want the neighbors getting upset, nor should I if their wok sets it off too...

 

[tld38]

how to wire 120 smokes in Duplex rental to provide common alarm

Thanks much to everyone. Will contact local fire department to get specific requirements for this city

 

[Paelectrician]

Also if im not mistaken, if the tenants each have a meter you would be required to run this off of it's own meter paid by you. You can't have something that both units use and run it off of one persons electric.

 

[pj424]

Idea

Idea

When will someone invent smokes that communicate wirelessly...

 

[cowboyjwc]

I'm with e57 on this one. A duplex is technically two seperate buildings so I wouldn't see where they would need to be tied together. One set of smokes for one unit and one set for the other.