Brown smoke detectors
- Thread starter arnettda
- Start date
- Status
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
have you considered paint?
JDBrown
Senior Member
- Location
- California
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
Are you allowed to paint them? It's been a while since I looked at mine, but I thought they said "DO NOT PAINT" right on them.
texie
Senior Member
- Location
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Occupation
- Electrician, Contractor, Inspector
I think you're right. It would be kind of cool though to have resi smokes available in various colors like trim plates and devices.
ron
Senior Member
- Location
- New York, 40.7514,-73.9925
I haven't seen a detector other than white or baeige, but you can use a guard to hide it. The guard can be painted.
http://www.sti-usa.com/Products/Smoke-Detector-Damage-Stopper-F-STI-8100-BK.htm
Although it is only listed / approved for use with certain detectors.
http://www.sti-usa.com/Products/Smoke-Detector-Damage-Stopper-F-STI-8100-BK.htm
Although it is only listed / approved for use with certain detectors.
ron
Senior Member
- Location
- New York, 40.7514,-73.9925
Another option, but not UL listed
http://www.connox.com/categories/technique/smoke-detectors/jalo-kupu-smoke-alarm.html
http://www.connox.com/categories/technique/smoke-detectors/jalo-kupu-smoke-alarm.html
Why on earth would anyone want a dark color Smoke? Aren't ceilings white (with some exceptions)
mjf
Senior Member
Wooden ceiling?
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
I finally took one down in my house because it crapped out. It was a light brown but I don't see those in the stores/supply houses anymore.
dhalleron
Senior Member
- Location
- Louisville, KY
I've never seen a choice for different color smoke alarms and I installed my first smoke alarm around 1981.
When you get into system type smoke detectors there are some options. System Sensor sells a black kit for the older style detectors. http://www.systemsensor.com/pdf/SPDS13801.pdf
The reason smoke alarms say do not paint on them is to keep people from clogging up the screen and preventing smoke getting inside the chamber.
It might not be exactly code compliant, but I have seen people take apart the smoke alarm and use a plastic compatible spray paint to paint the plastic, then put it all back together. The object is to keep the paint out of the screen, chamber and electronics.
When you get into system type smoke detectors there are some options. System Sensor sells a black kit for the older style detectors. http://www.systemsensor.com/pdf/SPDS13801.pdf
The reason smoke alarms say do not paint on them is to keep people from clogging up the screen and preventing smoke getting inside the chamber.
It might not be exactly code compliant, but I have seen people take apart the smoke alarm and use a plastic compatible spray paint to paint the plastic, then put it all back together. The object is to keep the paint out of the screen, chamber and electronics.
JDBrown
Senior Member
- Location
- California
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
Unfortunately, that's where it turns into a liability issue. I tend to be of the opinion that if an individual wants to do something like disassemble their smoke alarms, paint the outside cover, and reassemble them in order to get a certain "look", they just need to understand and accept the fact that their insurance company may use it as an excuse not to pay if their house burns down. Still, it their home and nobody's really going to be able to stop them.
In my opinion, it becomes much dicier if a Contractor offers to do this for the homeowner, or if an Engineer puts instructions for painting smoke alarms on a set of drawings. Now, when the insurance company doesn't pay after a fire, the homeowner can go after the Contractor and/or Engineer. That's not a situation I would want to touch with a 10-foot pole.
Then again, maybe living in the People's Republic of California has just made me paranoid about lawsuits.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Your detector likely started life white. Over time the plastic will discolor, especially if there are/were smokers in the house.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
:thumbsup:
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
Smokes are not always mounted on ceilings. Sometimes a wall mounting is necessary, and if the spacing is done properly it is compliant.
Now a mirrored ceiling would pose a real problem.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
To some people our work is all smoke and mirrors anyway.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
Just tape off the 'DO NOT PAINT' part and you should be fine.
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
Nope, I put it up myself right out of the box. It was brown going up and brown coming down. My wife never liked it on the white wall of the hall.
Can't remember for sure, but I think it was a Sears unit.
gadfly56
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Well, learn something new every day.
goldstar
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I think that applies to heat detectors. Painting them would have an adverse affect on the rating and functionality of the unit. You can take smoke detectors apart, remove the electronics and spray paint the housings. Or, you can try darkening them with shoe polish. The down side of doing this is that if the unit ever becomes defective it's not a simple change out. You have to go through the dis-assembly re-assembly process all over again.
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