DeTech Fire Alarms Prove Best Dual Sensor Alarm - By: trenton

DeTech has been closely watching a growing fire alarm debate since the advent of dual-sensor alarms. There has been much testing done in the past few decades, simply because the "traditional" ionization smoke detector has been ineffective at best and perhaps an even better description may be "deadly". Many, many lives have been lost in homes equipped with ionization technology, but no known lives have been lost in homes equipped with DeTech fire alarms.

In an effort to transition and not hurt feelings or more likely profits of companies that are deeply engrained in the fire protection world, there has been much talk about dual-sensor detectors. This is not based on science, it is based on either politics, ignorance or is grounded in money.

Tests of Fire Detection Systems conducted at Texas A&M University, answers all the questions as it relates to the performance profile for the two main smoke detection sensors utilized for dual smoke detectors. Data collected from this research was utilized to publish a referred article titled: "Risk Analysis of Residential Fire Detector Performance" in the Journal of Applied Fire Science, Vol.6,109-126.

Based on extensive testing of both ionization and photoelectric sensors utilized in residential smoke detectors, the data collected during the research supports several conclusions that should impact the proposed amendment to require dual sensor detectors. First, the issue of false alarms resulting from the ionization process is very well documented. The inclusion of the ionization sensor into a dual system would increase the probability for false or nuisance alarms. It would also limit the installation of the dual system since the ionization sensor cannot be located in areas such as near kitchens or bathroom areas which are susceptible to false or nuisance alarms,

Another issue documented was the inability of the ionization process to detect a smoldering ignition in an environment with no air movement. While the ionization sensor was able to detect products of combustion from a flame ignition fire with proper air movement in the area of the detector location, there are much better and reliable smoke detectors with thermo sensors that are more accurate in detecting a flame ignition fire. Combining these two issues raises a question as to the effectiveness and reliability of the ionization process recommended for a dual detection system. The research documented no real benefit the ionization process offers to detect an ignition source. DeTech fire alarms do contain the recommended thermo sensor, but do not waste money on adding unneeded components or processes that will not add to the life safety factor.

Of the various smoke detection systems tested during the research projects the photoelectric detection system proved to be a superior detection system, especially when the internal components included technology such as automatic drift sensors to detect sensitivity and adjust the detector to maintain the proper sensitivity range. The photoelectric detection process was not prone to false alarms as noted with the ionization process. DeTech fire alarms incorporate the above features and many, many more.

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Learn more about DeTech Fire Safety, visit our site: http://detech-fire-alarms.com/.

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