branch circuit for smoke alarms?

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swpetty

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Hello, Thank you for taking the time to read this post. With the code book on the jobsite, I cannot cite specific sections, however I have scrolled back through several smoke alarm posts, and learned quite a bit. A question I have is concerning feeding the interconnected smoke alarms. I read in the code where the detectors need to be fed by an individual branch circuit, yet I also read a few times here that some feed it off the lighting circuit? My interpretation is to give it it's own AFCI circuit, but would much rather take it off a lighting circuit, for the reasoning of the ease of noticing if the detectors lost AC power. I am in Lackawanna county, PA if that matters. Thank you
 
Aside from any local issues that I may not know about in your area. There is no reason why you can not put them on a circuit with something else. That is always the way that I do them.
 
Every body I know pulls them off a bedroom lighting circuit.
Other wise if the breaker trips. With out batterry back up, no one would know it.
 
individual branch circuit

individual branch circuit

The reason I am asking for the advice is the phrase shall be powered by an individual branch circuit. I cannot cite the specific section becasue the book is still on the job, but I remember reading it in the non power limited section...am I completely off base here?
 
You may be thinking about 760.41 for Fire Alarm circuits... I don't believe that can be used for residential smoke alarms.
 
augie47 said:
You may be thinking about 760.41 for Fire Alarm circuits... I don't believe that can be used for residential smoke alarms.
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And that section speficially states not to use AFCI protection.


You can certainly put them on a dedicated circuit. But it's not required.

FWIW, "smoke detector" only appears once in the NEC, in 645.2.
 
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