hardwired smokes res.

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ronnie-matic

ronnie-matic

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bucks county, pa.
looked in nec -branch circuits and art 760 cant find . im told smokes can be tied into bedroom lighting branch circuit on arc fault 15amp breaker. was also told smokes have to be on dedicatied circuit no other taps. big question---can you steal power from smoke to land a ceiling fan or other device. still learning, want to make sure i do it code. :?
 
Smoke alarms installed in a dwelling are permitted to be on their own circuit or from any other general lighting and power circuit. (don't forget the afci requirement). And yes, you can extend a branch circuit from a smoke alarm outlet to serve other loads. Article 760 does not apply to single station alarms installed in a home.
 
Re: hardwired smokes res.

ronnie-matic said:
looked in nec -branch circuits and art 760 cant find . im told smokes can be tied into bedroom lighting branch circuit on arc fault 15amp breaker. was also told smokes have to be on dedicatied circuit no other taps. big question---can you steal power from smoke to land a ceiling fan or other device. still learning, want to make sure i do it code. :?
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Depends on if that fan will be in the bedroom,if so then it must be afci protected.The dedicated circuit might be a local code.Ask your boss on this one as he will know local codes.
 
Unless a local requirement the why question is a valid one.Big $$ for an extra afci breaker and it must be afci protected.Have never been required to lock out a SD system but then again that can/might be a local situation so yes check with local AHJ.
 
Too much generalization going on here. The NEC does not say much about residential smoke detectors. This is generally governed by local authorities. You can not go by the answers you get here.

In Massachusetts the smoke detectors are required to be fed from a general purpose branch circuit per building code.
 
Talked with the fire marshal here and he said they require smoke detectors to NOT be on an AFCI. He mentioned that is a common rule among FM's.

Since I design apartments and don't always know the local "rules," I put a note on the drawings to cover feeding smokes either way. The dedicated smoke breaker is just under the lighting circuit AFCI's so it's only a mater of moving one wire in the panelboard to cover myself either way.

I do understand their concern.

My "problem" is finding out about the various "rules" that the various AHJ's have. Even minor ones can really bite you when there are 250 apartments in a complex, that 250 multiplier can HURT! :shock:
 
I am not sure how the local "rules" could be a "problem" for you.

The local "rules" should be a written ordinance citing NEC references readily available to the public. IMO this is the only way they could be legally enforceable.

I am not a lawyer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.....
 
inspector23 said:
I am not sure how the local "rules" could be a "problem" for you. ...
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I think the problem arises when the local rules vary from city to city or county to county. Here in Mass the rules are statewide so it is pretty easy to keep track of what needs to be done and where. In many other areas this is not the case which makes things far more difficult then they need be.

I could not imagine having to read a new set of code rules every time I enter a new town.
If you are not familiar with the different rules in all the places you are working you could get a royal screwing on a job.
 
The whole term "National Electric Code" is a misnomer. We do not have a National Code. We have a code that may be accepted, rejected, and modified by each jurisdiction. One of the major responsibilities that an electrician has is understanding the codes that are in effect in each jurisdiction in which he works. This is becoming a major headache, but I don't foresee the local officials relinquishing their power and conforming to a true National Code. AFCI is a perfect example. As stated, many jurisdictions are prohibiting the installation of smoke detectors on an AFCI protected circuit, others are requiring it. My thoughts are; if the AFCI trips, it is because there is an arc-fault on the circuit. Is it more important to prevent a fire, or sound an alarm when a preventable fire takes place? This seems like a no-brainer to me, I would much rather prevent the fire. If the smokes are on a non-dedicated circuit with other devices, the homeowner should notice that the circuit is inoperable (a good argument for NOT installing smokes on a dedicated circuit). The only argument that I have heard that makes sense is that AFCI's are not reliable. If that is true, then the code should be changed and they should not be required anywhere. Otherwise, the code says what it says and smoke detectors located in bedrooms should be on an AFCI protected circuit.
I will now yield the soapbox to someone else.
 
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