Who has smoke detectors installed in there property investments?
For $20.00 sounds like a very cheap investment.
With the spate of house fires over the last month with a number of smoke related deaths the NSW government past legislation that all houses must have smoke detectors installed by May next year and any house built or being sold/bought from now on must have a smoke detector installed.
Cheers,
GeoffBHi geoff
it suprises me that NSW hasn’t had this law already, South Australia and Victorian have had it for ages, at least 5 years i would think. I have a stong impression its law in NZ also.
Its a wise law.
regards westan
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Its not quite law here in NZ, but it might as well be, I know with the local council, any work you get done on the house, the permit wont get signed off when work has been completed unless enough smoke detectors are installed in the house.
We discovered this when we added to an un-attached garage and they would sign it off unless we added another smoke detector in the front of the house.
We couldnt understand why he want to check the house when the garage was out the back….cheers
Hi GeoffB,
My understanding is that the government is referring to hard-wired smoke alarms. That is – the smoke alarm is wired into the electrical circuit of the house, and has a battery backup incase the power goes off.These are much more reliable than the $10 – $20 battery only models. I recently had a hard-wired one installed for just over $100. Still an excellent investment at that price.
Regards,
Sharon
Hi sharon
that sounds more right. In South Australia its been the law to have these wired smoke detectors, mine cost about $100 also, when i put them in 5 years ago. In Victoria you only need the $10 battery operated ones.
Regards westan
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Agreed they are great life saving devices.
However, the hard wired ones can give maintenance problems. I replaced 4 last year in Qld units. Their cost including labour was about $120 $150 each and some properties have two.
Ensure you factor in replacement costs.
hrm
Do some further research and it seems the NSW government hasn’t decided to which type to legislate, battery operated or hard wire type smoke detectors. The NSW fire bridge are pushing for the battery type.
The hard wired type smoke detectors are available from the hardware stores for $50.00 (NSW), you still have to install the thing though….
Weston, are battery type smoke detectors readily / widely available in NZ as they are in Australia?
Cheers,
GeoffBhi geoff
yes they are, i’d ask your managers to check if they are installed.
regards westan
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You can get either hard-wired or battery operated smoke alarms which are linked into an alarm system. i have mine monitored back to base for $1 a day & means if the place ever has a fire while vacant, the fire brigde can be there to put out the blaze-useful for me as I am 1000km away from the property!
$20 is a no brainer. Your tenants would appreciate it, and if they are good ones will retain them for longer.
Cheers,
FPLAlso if you have the battery one you should consider writing into the next rental agreement that the tenants are not to take out the battery (has been known to happen.
There should be agreement as to who checks and replaces the battery and when I guess. Does anyone know of any legilation about this? Is it the responsibility of the landlord or tenant to ensure battery replaced anually for example?
We have wired in detectors in IPs and also at home. In our two previous PPOR we had them linked to back to base alarm systems but this time we were advised not to (by the alarm company). Apparently there are so many false alarms that the fire brigade has the option of charging for the false alarms. Charge could be several hundred dollars per callout, if imposed.
We weren’t prepared to pay that, especially seeing that a timber house will probably be too far gone within several minutes to make a difference in the case of a real fire.
Our most pressing concern and reason for the detectors (both PPOR and IPs) is to alert sleeping inhabitants and save lives. You can rebuild a house, traumatic as that would be.
Regards, Wylie
Yes, our IP has a hard-wired smoke/burglar alarm, and in our own home we have battery-operated smoke detectors which are, apparently, invisibly wired to the toaster. [whistle]
We also have fire extiguishers installed near the kitchen of own home and IP, and a fire blanket.Does anybody know whether smoke alarms are relatively safe? There was some hype surrounding the radio-active nuclear waste in smoke alarms some years ago, and I haven’t really heard any follow-up on that.
I’d be interested, too, Endless Summer, to find out about legislation about who is responsible for replacing the battery in smoke alarms of our IP’s.
Celivia
I think that they are only a problem when it comes to disposing of them.
ToolsYes, and I think also when they are leaking, or being damaged in a fire or crushed.
I think there should be strict rules/legislation set for the disposal of these smoke alarms.
But…how do you know if your smoke alarm is leaking?
Is there a device that can detect it?It only needs to be a little bit damaged, have a little crack inside, and this sensitive cancer-causing radio-active waste is leaking into the environment every day.
Am I being paranoid?[fear]
Celivia
Originally posted by Wylie:We have wired in detectors in IPs and also at home. In our two previous PPOR we had them linked to back to base alarm systems but this time we were advised not to (by the alarm company). Apparently there are so many false alarms that the fire brigade has the option of charging for the false alarms. Charge could be several hundred dollars per callout, if imposed.
I work in the security industry, if your security company told you that I would ask them to put it in writing. What a joke, telling you that something they sell isnt going to work as its designed to!!!
The best way to have smoke detection in a residential property is to have a Photoelectric Smoke Detector installed, and connected to your alarm system which is monitored back to a Grade A1 Monitoring Centre.
Why take a chance? A battery operated smoke detector (should) if you remember to replace batteries, wake you up in the event of a fire.
Having a smoke detector connected to your alarm system will ensure the smoke detector is not only monitored, but also running on mains power and has a battery backup also. In the event of a fire, it will not only set off the siren sound from the detector itself, but will also sound a pulsing sound from your sirens on the alarm system (much louder) and will have a pulsing sound to advise neighbours.
Hopefully this will save you and your familys lives, but if you are NOT there, it may save the house (or most of it) if the fire brigade can attend fast enough after your security company advises them.
The reason the fire brigade ‘may’ think twice about coming out is because YOU (the general public) havent maintained the system and it now false alarms all the time.
For a few bucks on a decent alarm system and a good monitoring company you could save you, your family and your house.
As for your IP’s, install a basic alarm system for your tenants. Install a smoke detector and have it connected to the alarm. You wont have to worry about who replaces batteries, and the option to have the system monitored is up to the tenant (at their expense). A decent system should cost you around $1000 – $1500 (though there are cheaper, less reliable systems out there!). Your tenants will love the security and will be happy they have a ‘decent’ smoke detector installed.
Sorry, but my company does not do residential alarm systems so I cant help with getting an alarm installed, but if you have any questions feel free to ‘fire’ away so to speak…. [grad]
Dev* [kid]
Originally posted by Celivia:Does anybody know whether smoke alarms are relatively safe? There was some hype surrounding the radio-active nuclear waste in smoke alarms some years ago, and I haven’t really heard any follow-up on that.
Battery operated smoke alarms are TOTALLY safe.
I dont know about raidioactive ‘waste’, but there is definately a radioactive component in them.
However, the amount of radioactive material in a smoke detector is about the same as what you would find in an LCD watch. Dont stress. Unless you enjoy smashing things ap to find out how they work you have nothing to worry about.
Dev* [kid]
They said mobile phones were totally safe yet we are seeing a major increase in headaches and stick cancers!
I remember asbestos was also once considered safe!
TMA
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First Home Buyer Website“I work in the security industry, if your security company told you that I would ask them to put it in writing. What a joke, telling you that something they sell isnt going to work as its designed to!!!”
Devilcv8 – I didn’t say that. I said in Queensland, apparently the fire brigade has the option of charging for false alarms, if they wish. More false alarms from business I hear, rather than private residences. My parents have had false alarms on their monitored system and not been charged, but I think it will happen when more and more people have alarms monitored.
My alarm company are lightening quick, but a fire is much quicker. A timber home will possibly be gone within five to ten minutes. As long as my family is safe, I couldn’t give a rats about my house.
I do like the wired system because I don’t have to bother with batteries as my main power source, only as a back up.
Regards, Wylie
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