What smokes should I use? Not sentrol, right?

I've got hundreds of ESL, System Sensor, and Hochiki smokes out there, never had problems with any. I like the Hochiki's because you can clean them in a bucket of water.

Personally I prefer two wire smokes, I don't have to muck around with end of line power supervision relays that way...just put an eol on the last smoke of a 2 wire smoke loop and yer done.

Thanks for the info.

Do all of these support the "clean me" feature that the P9600 supports?

John

I would like a good smoke detector, together with a rate-of-rise or heat detector.

John

I like either the

521-BXT Smoke Detector: 2-Wire, CleanMe, Rate-of-Rise $37

2WT-B Photoelectric Smoke Detector: 2-Wire with 135-Degree Thermal (BK-2WTB) $38.75

I don't think the 2WT-B has "clean me", though.

Is the 521-BXT my best choice? What's the deal with the recall?

John

Hi John,

There are several good brands from which to choose. Napco makes their own smoke detectors and they seem to perform well enough. I've sold several hundred of them to DIYewrs and so far none have been returned for warranty service.

ESL has had a few recalls though the current models are probably stable enough. Every manufacturewr has occasional recalls.

System Sensor is another popular line. I've sold literally thousands of their 2- and 4-wire smoke detectors over the years. I've also installed and serviced a many more. I like their appearance -- lower profile and less industrial looking than Napco and Edwards IMO.

Performance differences among the various major brands are minor. You can pretty much make your choice based on price and appearance.

The P9600 can handle up to ten 2-wire smoke detectors on each of the first eight zones. I prefer 2-wire smokes. They're simpler to wire since no power supervision relay needs to be installed at the end of each zone like with 4-wire models. Also, DIYers sometimes mistakenly homerun the smoke detector cables. If the cables are 4-wire it's a snap to solve the problem with 2-wire smokes.

Some years ago one of the other old-timers in this newsgroup expressed concern about 2-wire smokes remaining compatible with future control panels. However, almost all new panel models now support 2-wire. It appears that his concerns were unfounded.

The 521-BXT is a good detector. So much so that Edwards (one of the biggest fire alarm manufacturers in North America (if not the world) chose a similar model to replace their 6249 and 6250 series detectors. For residential applications we use the System Sensor line. The "42TA-B" model incorporates everything you're looking for (although by the time the thermal sensor kicks off, you've probably already evacuated the house because the smoke detector will have already alerted you to the problem).

As for dealing with "BBA", I'd suggest you have a look at the "BBB" first. You may wish to pick an online company that doesn't have so many unresolved complaints. The fact that he's also out of the country for the next two months could mean additional interruptions/disruptions in service. You've gotta give him credit for trying though....

There are several other companies out there that provide superior (to Bass at least) customer service. If you stick around in this forum long enough some customer is guaranteed to wind up posting more "why won't Robert respond to my email or phone call" messages.

Good luck!!!