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Post by SweetieBugs on Sept 24, 2023 19:50:40 GMT
My house has 8 smoke/carbon monoxide alarms. Most of them reached their "end of life" in late 2021 so I bought 5 new ones. Now, the others need replacing and I'm finding that you can no longer buy regular battery operated smoke detectors if you live in California. Due to a new law, they have to be hardwired or have a special "10 year" battery. I don't want to deal with hiring someone to do the wiring and I can't find ANY retailer that has the special battery type either.
I'm at a standstill right now, but was wondering if when I go to sell my house if all my detectors have to be wired or have the special "10 year" battery?? Any CA realtors here that can chime in?? Has your state adopted this type of law as well?
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MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,538 
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Post by MerryMom on Sept 24, 2023 19:55:50 GMT
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Post by Lexica on Sept 24, 2023 20:09:49 GMT
I bought the ten-year battery type at Home Depot, both in California and here in Oregon. I went ahead and got the kind that will also detect carbon monoxide for just a few dollars more, mainly because I couldn’t remember how many of those were legally required. I figured it was better to just install the better ones than to make another trip to the store. I went ahead and installed them myself both in the California house I just sold and the new house here in Oregon. It takes less than 5 minutes each to put them up. It took me longer to drag the ladder around than to screw the base plate up. I personally love the idea of not having the darned things need new batteries all the time. Mine never did the low battery chirp during the day, it was always in the middle of a good dream, and once you realize what woke you, it is very hard to ignore so you have to get up and change the darned battery.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,946
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Sept 24, 2023 20:16:03 GMT
I'm not 100% sold on hardwired devices. If lightning hit the house it could zap the electrical, then your devices are not going to go off. At my previous residence, we had hardwired and I always worried about that because my house did get hit, but luckily we had a lightning rod and it didn't do anything other than crack a light fixture and cause the car battery to go dead.
We have the 10 year ones that we bought at Lowe's. I think this type was a result of many people forgetting to change their batteries out annually and many times would fail when there was a fire.
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Post by SweetieBugs on Sept 24, 2023 20:25:47 GMT
I can't find the 10 year battery (non-hardwire) type on Amazon. If someone can provide a link I would be grateful. I do find the regular battery style but when you go to purchase them, a message comes up that the seller is unable to ship the product to my address.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,982
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Sept 24, 2023 20:27:37 GMT
I'm not 100% sold on hardwired devices. If lightning hit the house it could zap the electrical, then your devices are not going to go off. At my previous residence, we had hardwired and I always worried about that because my house did get hit, but luckily we had a lightning rod and it didn't do anything other than crack a light fixture and cause the car battery to go dead. We have the 10 year ones that we bought at Lowe's. I think this type was a result of many people forgetting to change their batteries out annually and many times would fail when there was a fire. We have hardwired detectors in our current house and almost every house we’ve had. They always had battery backup for power outages, so we still had to change the batteries when they got low and started chirping. |
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,872
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Sept 24, 2023 20:37:00 GMT
I have the 10 year battery type here in the midwest. I did not want the hardwired type because if we lose power, those smoke detectors would be useless.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Sept 24, 2023 20:51:10 GMT
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Post by Clair on Sept 24, 2023 20:51:10 GMT
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Post by hop2 on Sept 24, 2023 21:00:10 GMT
In NJ the 10 year SEALED detector law does not apply to hard wired detectors. It only applies to solely battery operated. You can’t just get 10 year batteries for regular detectors it has to be the sealed unit. Also in NJ you can’t remove hard wired smoke detectors and replace with unwired 10 year detectors. NY & NJ passed similar laws in 2019.
If you were to order them online make sure they are ones that are legal in the US as Amazon sells several untested un listed ones that are not legal.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Sept 24, 2023 21:09:20 GMT
Check Costco if you have membership. That is where we got ours.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Sept 24, 2023 21:17:13 GMT
I'm sure any and every hardware store in CA has the correct smoke detectors. I bought them 2-3 years ago at Home Depot when they were still optional in CA. They're still optional in my state and they're still probably 99% of the inventory at all the big box stores. Or put "10 year smoke detector" in the amazon search and 100 will pop up.
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Post by compeateropeator on Sept 24, 2023 21:29:02 GMT
I live in a condo and have to have hardwired and they also have a battery pack, for those that worry about hardwired.
I don’t think I have seen any in my area that aren’t the 10 year batteries. I see them at Lowes, Home Depot, etc and all areThe 10. Year batteries. These batteries make it so you can’t just take the battery out, the battery compartment is not accessible/does not open. It seems strange that a state that requires this type of battery doesn’t require stores to stock that kind. Good luck with your search, I hope you can find what you are looking for.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,454
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Sept 24, 2023 21:39:45 GMT
We just replaced all of our smoke detectors a.couole of months ago and Costco had both types available. I'm in OC.
DH said that "hardwire" doesn't mean they are connected to power, they still have a battery (that lasts longer). But they connect to each other and will trigger each other. But obviously if you don't already have this set up I doubt most people would go through the effort unless they were doing other work.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,454
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Sept 24, 2023 21:43:04 GMT
I live in a condo and have to have hardwired and they also have a battery pack, for those that worry about hardwired. I don’t think I have seen any in my area that aren’t the 10 year batteries. I see them at Lowes, Home Depot, etc and all areThe 10. Year batteries. These batteries make it so you can’t just take the battery out, the battery compartment is not accessible/does not open. It seems strange that a state that requires this type of battery doesn’t require stores to stock that kind. Good luck with your search, I hope you can find what you are looking for. I'm guessing there have been too many instances of people NOT replacing batteries and not realizing they don't have a working smoke detector. |
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Post by compeateropeator on Sept 24, 2023 21:48:49 GMT
I live in a condo and have to have hardwired and they also have a battery pack, for those that worry about hardwired. I don’t think I have seen any in my area that aren’t the 10 year batteries. I see them at Lowes, Home Depot, etc and all areThe 10. Year batteries. These batteries make it so you can’t just take the battery out, the battery compartment is not accessible/does not open. It seems strange that a state that requires this type of battery doesn’t require stores to stock that kind. Good luck with your search, I hope you can find what you are looking for. I'm guessing there have been too many instances of people NOT replacing batteries and not realizing they don't have a working smoke detector. I agree. I completely understand why. I am just surprised that a state that requires a particular kind doesn’t require stores in that state to sell those types and that you can’t find them everywhere. |
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Post by compeateropeator on Sept 24, 2023 21:54:50 GMT
We just replaced all of our smoke detectors a.couole of months ago and Costco had both types available. I'm in OC. DH said that "hardwire" doesn't mean they are connected to power, they still have a battery (that lasts longer). But they connect to each other and will trigger each other. But obviously if you don't already have this set up I doubt most people would go through the effort unless they were doing other work. This is actually correct (I was not aware that they did not also some how use power in addition to the battery, youlearn something everyday 👍😄) but they are all connected and it can be a pain. Hahaha. It can sometimes be a pain if you have a malfunction which makes them sound and you have to figure out which one is the culprit. 😄 |
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Post by elaine on Sept 24, 2023 22:05:34 GMT
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Post by katlady on Sept 24, 2023 22:37:00 GMT
I'm guessing there have been too many instances of people NOT replacing batteries and not realizing they don't have a working smoke detector. I agree. I completely understand why. I am just surprised that a state that requires a particular kind doesn’t require stores in that state to sell those types and that you can’t find them everywhere. Just checked Target, and the three stores near me all have the 10-year battery smoke detectors in stock, in different models. Now, apparently the carbon monoxide ones are only good up to 7-years. Maybe that is why she can’t find a combo one good for 10-years, since you need to replace them before 7 years. |
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Post by SweetieBugs on Sept 24, 2023 23:05:25 GMT
Sorry if this wasn't clear from my post. I've got the combo smoke and CO detectors so that was what I was looking for. I'm still no seeing any combo smoke/CO ones with the 10 year battery (only hardwire linked options).
Maybe I don't need them all to be CO.
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Post by elaine on Sept 24, 2023 23:07:56 GMT
Sorry if this wasn't clear from my post. I've got the combo smoke and CO detectors so that was what I was looking for. I'm still no seeing any combo smoke/CO ones with the 10 year battery (only hardwire linked options).
Maybe I don't need them all to be CO.
Or you can get separate CO detectors. Ours are separate from our smoke detectors. |
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,946
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Sept 24, 2023 23:16:46 GMT
I'm not 100% sold on hardwired devices. If lightning hit the house it could zap the electrical, then your devices are not going to go off. At my previous residence, we had hardwired and I always worried about that because my house did get hit, but luckily we had a lightning rod and it didn't do anything other than crack a light fixture and cause the car battery to go dead. We have the 10 year ones that we bought at Lowe's. I think this type was a result of many people forgetting to change their batteries out annually and many times would fail when there was a fire. We have hardwired detectors in our current house and almost every house we’ve had. They always had battery backup for power outages, so we still had to change the batteries when they got low and started chirping. I was thinking if the electricity went through your home and fried the wiring of the detector like it can and does to your tv's and other appliances. |
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Post by busy on Sept 24, 2023 23:52:38 GMT
Also bought ours at Home Depot.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Sept 24, 2023 23:53:10 GMT
Yes and we have hard wired ones snd buy ones with ten year batteries but there are different mounts and it was almost impossible to find the same mounts so they didn’t have to be completely changed out. I think I have the terminology right. My husband was not a happy camper trying to find some that would work with how ours were set up and that could be purchased in California. I’m assuming we will need an electrician in a few years to switch out the wiring. It’s also frustrating having to replace them completely in the same state that’s trying to get rid of things like straws and plastic gift cards due to the plastic issue. They also don’t last ten years it’s sort of like the LED light bulbs that were supposed to last 23 years but need to be replaced after 3. Well they aren’t that bad but I have heard they don’t last that long but closer to seven.
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Post by katlady on Sept 25, 2023 0:43:53 GMT
Sorry if this wasn't clear from my post. I've got the combo smoke and CO detectors so that was what I was looking for. I'm still no seeing any combo smoke/CO ones with the 10 year battery (only hardwire linked options).
Maybe I don't need them all to be CO.
Or you can get separate CO detectors. Ours are separate from our smoke detectors. As I mentioned above, carbon monoxide detectors are only good for 5-7 years. The sensor, not the battery, wears out. We have a hardwired smoke detectors, but separate carbon monoxide detectors. |
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Post by candleangie on Sept 25, 2023 6:16:02 GMT
They should be separate anyway. Carbon monoxide detectors are more effective when they’re placed low on the wall.
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Post by dewryce on Sept 25, 2023 6:23:53 GMT
I'm not 100% sold on hardwired devices. If lightning hit the house it could zap the electrical, then your devices are not going to go off. At my previous residence, we had hardwired and I always worried about that because my house did get hit, but luckily we had a lightning rod and it didn't do anything other than crack a light fixture and cause the car battery to go dead. We have the 10 year ones that we bought at Lowe's. I think this type was a result of many people forgetting to change their batteries out annually and many times would fail when there was a fire. Ours are hardwired with battery back-up. Or do you mean you think the lightning strike would kill the alarm completely? I like them being hardwired because a company can monitor them remotely, which made me feel better with our cats home alone, and because when one goes off the others do as well. So if a fire started downstairs we’d hear it upstairs at the same time instead of the alarm not going off upstairs until smoke reached the second level. For those that have combo fire/carbon monoxide alarms, are they hung on the ceiling? I ask because when we built our house 15 years ago we were told the carbon monoxide detectors were best placed around 5 feet because that’s where it was best concentrated. I’m wondering if that guidance has changed. |
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,946
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Sept 25, 2023 13:56:19 GMT
I'm not 100% sold on hardwired devices. If lightning hit the house it could zap the electrical, then your devices are not going to go off. At my previous residence, we had hardwired and I always worried about that because my house did get hit, but luckily we had a lightning rod and it didn't do anything other than crack a light fixture and cause the car battery to go dead. We have the 10 year ones that we bought at Lowe's. I think this type was a result of many people forgetting to change their batteries out annually and many times would fail when there was a fire. Ours are hardwired with battery back-up. Or do you mean you think the lightning strike would kill the alarm completely? I like them being hardwired because a company can monitor them remotely, which made me feel better with our cats home alone, and because when one goes off the others do as well. So if a fire started downstairs we’d hear it upstairs at the same time instead of the alarm not going off upstairs until smoke reached the second level. For those that have combo fire/carbon monoxide alarms, are they hung on the ceiling? I ask because when we built our house 15 years ago we were told the carbon monoxide detectors were best placed around 5 feet because that’s where it was best concentrated. I’m wondering if that guidance has changed. Wow, I never thought about advanced technolgies when I wrote about my hardwired ones I had years ago. I can understand if they are tied to a monitoring system which would elminate my fear of the problem. |
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,454
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Sept 25, 2023 14:39:59 GMT
Ours are hardwired with battery back-up. Or do you mean you think the lightning strike would kill the alarm completely? I like them being hardwired because a company can monitor them remotely, which made me feel better with our cats home alone, and because when one goes off the others do as well. So if a fire started downstairs we’d hear it upstairs at the same time instead of the alarm not going off upstairs until smoke reached the second level. For those that have combo fire/carbon monoxide alarms, are they hung on the ceiling? I ask because when we built our house 15 years ago we were told the carbon monoxide detectors were best placed around 5 feet because that’s where it was best concentrated. I’m wondering if that guidance has changed. Wow, I never thought about advanced technolgies when I wrote about my hardwired ones I had years ago. I can understand if they are tied to a monitoring system which would elminate my fear of the problem. Hardwired ones are only hardwired to each other, not to your electricity. They still have a battery. |
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Post by katlady on Sept 25, 2023 14:53:24 GMT
Hardwired ones are only hardwired to each other, not to your electricity. They still have a battery. we have two smoke detectors, one upstairs and one downstairs, that are hardwired directly to electricity and connected to our alarm system. They are not hardwired to each other. They have a battery for backup if the electricity fails. |
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