General FAQ's
The Smoke Alarm is an electronic fire security device that will early sense smoke to warn occupants with a loud siren so they can get out before being intoxicated by smoke (80% of fire deaths are due to inhalation of toxic smoke).
Put simply, a Heat Detector – or Heat Alarm – is a device that’s used to detect any substantial increase in temperature which may indicate a fire is about to break out.
If there is a fire in the vicinity of the alarm, the convected thermal energy from the flame raises the temperature of a heat-sensitive element in the heat detector. Once this occurs, the element triggers an alarm which then sounds, alerting anyone within ear-shot of the interlinked devices.
The Carbon Monoxide Alarm is a device that detects the presence of Carbon Monoxide (CO) gas in order to prevent Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, colourless gas formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels. When people are exposed to CO gas, the CO molecules will displace the oxygen in their bodies and lead to poisoning.
Smoke Alarm or Heat Alarm – what’s the difference? Smoke Alarms detect smoke – fit them in all rooms where a fire might start. But in smoky or steamy rooms like your kitchen or bathroom, a Heat Alarm is more suitable. These alarms go off when the room reaches a certain temperature. Heat Alarms are best suited for kitchens, garages and lofts.
Yes, they do!
The alarms we stock for this are the AJ-718R Heat Alarm and the AJ-762/AJ-763 Smoke Alarm.
They are interlinked and fully compliant with the new Scottish Regulations.
Instead of your Smoke or Heat Alarms operating independently of one another, interconnected smoke alarms work as one system.
It enables smoke alarms to be connected to each other without the need for cabling between the alarms. Instead, a Radio Frequency (RF) signal is used to trigger all the alarms in the system.
If one alarm goes off, the rest of the alarms will also go off. This creates an entire alarm system to help provide you and your family with an early warning of an emergency.
Please go to this page, where we have downloadable User Manuals and Video Guides explaining how to pair up the alarms.
For more information, please go here.
We cannot guarantee that other brands’ alarms are compatible with ours.
It may have the same or similar product code and look the same, but we cannot guarantee that they are the same alarms as ours or have the same electronics inside.
Only the alarms that we sell, we guarantee, are compatible with each other.
At a minimum, you should have one Heat Alarm in your kitchen and one Smoke Alarm in the room you occupy the most (e.g. Living room) and one in every hallway (downstairs and upstairs)
In a home with several bedrooms, it is advised to install an alarm in every bedroom.
Every Scottish home will need to have:
1 x SMOKE ALARM in the room you spend most of the day, usually your living room, or it could be your office if you work from home.
1 x SMOKE ALARM in every circulation space on each story, such as hallways and landings.
1 x HEAT ALARM in the kitchen.
All smoke and heat alarms should be mounted on the ceiling and interlinked.
If you have a carbon-fuelled appliance, like a boiler, gas fire, or gas hob you must also have a CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR. This does not need to be interlinked with the fire alarms, but to be compliant with the legislation, these alarms need to come with long-life tamper-proof batteries, which means you can’t remove the batteries for the lifetime of the product.
Each alarm must comply with the following standards:
Smoke Alarms: BS EN14604:2005
Heat: BS 5446-2:2003
Carbon monoxide: British Kitemark EN 50291-1
Other BATTERY POWERED ALARMS must be sealed and tamper-proof units and have long-life lithium batteries which can be up to 10 years. If you also need a carbon monoxide alarm and it is battery-operated, it must also have a sealed, tamper-proof battery for the duration of its lifespan.
Most of our products are provided with 2 years warranty as standard. Our current fault rate is less than 1 in 6000 units. For specific products, please read the product information included in the packaging or read the information on our official website.
Unfortunately not. But you can download the user manual in PDF format and zoom in on the screen to enlarge it. Please click this link for User Manuals.
No, the pairing process locks the alarms into one closed, encrypted circuit which will not interfere with another nearby group of alarms, even if they are bought from us.
Only in the very rare situation that they were paired at the same time and they were in close proximity when doing so, it could happen.
However, this is a very unlikely situation in realistic terms.
Technical FAQ's
After installation, you can test your alarm by pressing the Test/Silence button. This will trigger the alarm on all the interlinked alarms. Give a couple of seconds delay for the other alarm to trigger. Press the Test/Silence button once again on each alarm to silence them, or they will silence automatically after 10 seconds.
If you have a Remote Controller, you can use this to test the alarms.
To maintain your alarm, vacuum around the alarm chamber regularly, as dust may accumulate inside the mesh even if it looks clean outside.
Yes, you can.
If you press the test button on each alarm to silence them. They will however silence themselves after about 10 seconds.
To make sure your alarm is in good working condition, you should test it once a week by pressing the Test/Silence button until the alarm/alarms sound. If you have a Remote Controller, you can use this to test them. The LED indicator flashes green once every 60 seconds, indicating it is operating normally.
First, you can silence your alarm by pressing the Test/Silence button. This will silence the alarm for about 9 minutes, which will allow you to find the source of the alarm. Humidity or dust particles in the smoke chamber can cause false alarms, so you may need to relocate your smoke alarm if it is too close to the kitchen, bathroom, air-conditioning units, or any other source of humidity.
If it repeatedly gives false alarms it may have developed a fault and should be replaced.
Alert young children and seniors.
Leave the house following the escape route. Every second is important, do not lose time collecting valuable objects.
Stay close to the ground if the air is charged with smoke. Do not breathe completely and cover your mouth with a wet cloth if possible.
Once outside your house, call emergency services.
Keep calm and immediately move to fresh air.
Open all doors and windows to increase the rate of ventilation.
Stop using all fuel-burning appliances, ensure that they are all turned off and isolate the emergency control valve.
Telephone the appropriate appliance serving and/or maintenance agency.
Normally this is self-evident, but in some cases, it may not be.
If you have time, and only if you have time, you can press the test button and only the alarm that triggered the alarm will still sound.
Please note, that in a real fire, you should exit the property using any of your designated escape routes.
In the unlikely event that one of the alarms has developed a fault and triggers the alarm, this will be the way to identify which unit triggered the alarms to go off.
You will find them on the User Manual for the alarm and also on the label inside the fixing plate of the alarm.
Each alarm complies with the following standards:
Smoke Alarms: BS EN14604:2005
Heat Alarm: BS 5446-2:2003
Carbon Monoxide Alarm: British Kitemark EN 50291-1
A Relative Humidity greater than 95% will affect its sensitivity, and it can give false alarms.
Will it stop working or have a reduced performance?
If the temperature is less than -10°C, the product will still work but with reduced performance.
When the temperature goes back to normal (above -10°C) It will return back to its normal performance.
All our devices are provided with the Batch number(manufacturing date), blank areas to fill in the installation date, and replacement date.
The unit’s replacement date is calculated from your installation date(10 years) or if the battery is drained or it has developed a fault.
All features are the same.
The AJ-763i is just a newer model which has a different casing and a bigger test button.
Our radio-interlinked smoke detectors have a Radio Frequency (RF) range of about 25 meters in buildings. This means that as long as the detectors are all within 25 meters of each other, the interconnection should be achieved.
e.g if you have a distance of 40 meters with three units installed equally distanced, they are interlinked.
By simply pressing the ‘Test’ button, all interlinked alarms should sound. If one, or more alarm does not sound, they need to be added to the group.
Most of our products come with batteries or built-in Tamper-proof batteries.
Yes, most of them are.
You cannot change or replace the battery if it is sealed. The built-in & sealed battery is designed for greater safety and less fault rate. Our current law requires fire alarms to be replaced every 10 years(maximum).
Some smoke alarms are only designed for 2 years of battery life. For more information please read the user manual for the product in question.
Please note that replaceable batteries do not comply with the new Scottish Regulations.
Switch On the alarm, Press and Hold the control/test button. Release the control/test button When the Green Light Have Flashed 4 Times.
Please take care not to release the button too early or too late!
Most likely is that the alarm you are testing is not paired with the others. Do test all your alarms to check that they are interlinked and add the ones that are not interlinked in the group.
Use one of the alarms from the group to be the main device by pressing and holding the button. Release the control/test button. When the Green Light has flashed 3 Times, then press and hold the button on the alarm you wish to add. Release the control/test button When the Green Light has flashed 2 Times. After that, go back to the main device and press the button once only.
Then test that all alarms are interlinked.
Make sure all the alarms are switched on. Then clear the pairing on the one you wish to add to the group.
Use one of the alarms from the group to be the main device by pressing and holding the button. Release the control/test button. When the Green Light has flashed 3 Times, then press and hold the button on the alarm you wish to add. Release the control/test button When the Green Light has flashed 2 Times. After that, go back to the main device and press the button once only.
Then test that all alarms are interlinked.
Installs and Setup
Install your alarm by using the mounting bracket with the screws and plugs provided.
If an alarm cannot be installed in the middle of a ceiling, install at a distance of 20 inches (50 cm) away from the corners of the room. If an alarm is installed on a wall, it should be at a distance of 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) below the ceiling.
You should install a heat detector in any location that is not suitable for a smoke detector. There are some areas of the home where installing a smoke detector may result in false alarms. Such areas are better suited for heat sensors.
Some of the most popular locations to use heat detectors instead of smoke detectors include bathrooms, attics, garages, kitchens and designated smoking areas. Using a smoke detector in any of these areas could result in a false alarm due to excessive dust, moisture or smoke in the room. By using heat detectors, you can still monitor these areas for a fire, without having to worry about a false alarm.
A carbon monoxide alarm should be centrally located outside of each sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of all bedrooms. For added protection, install additional CO alarms in each separate bedroom and on each level of your home.
Yes, we recommend that you link up the devices before installation, but first, we also recommend that you clear any pre-existing pairing before linking them up. During the pairing process, it will create a closed and encrypted channel for your alarms so that when you complete the pairing no other alarms will be able to connect to your alarms.
Test the system before installation by pressing the ‘Test’ button. All linked alarms should sound.
Make sure the alarm is switched on.
Press and hold the control/test button. Release the control/test button When the Green Light Have Flashed 4 Times. Please take care not to release the button too early, or too late!
You need to do this for each unit you want to clear the pairing for.
Use one of the alarms from the group to be the main device and press and hold the control/test button. Release the control/test button when the green light has flashed 3 times.
Then, for each of the other alarms, press and hold the button on the alarm and release the control/test button when the green light has flashed 2 times.
When you have connected all the units, go back to the main device and press the button once only.
Then test the alarms by pressing the test button on any of the alarms. All alarms should now go off.
We have user manuals, a quick guide, and a video explaining how to connect them.
Yes, you can.
Use one of the alarms from the group to be the main device by pressing and holding the button. Release the control/test button when the green light has flashed 3 times, then press and hold the button on the alarm you wish to add. Release the control/test button when the green light has flashed 2 times. After that go back to the main device and press the button once only.
Do also read the Quick Start Guide that we provided or download it from this link.
No, WiFi is not required for our interlinked smoke alarms, unless it is a WiFi type Smoke Alarm. Please check the product information page before purchasing and installing it.
Currently, we do not stock Wi-Fi-enabled alarms.
Our Interlinked Devices can be set up and paired with or without a remote control.
No, you may be able to fit these types of alarms yourself and they do not need an electrician to connect them up. They are battery-operated and will not need to be connected to the main power.
If you do choose to use Mains Powered alarms, they must be fitted by a qualified electrician and must be replaced every 10 years. You may also need to redecorate the wall/ceiling after fitting them.
We do not recommend using a sticky pad to mount them on the ceiling, as the risk of them falling and damaging the devices increases.
If you decide to use a double-sided sticky pad, it must be a good quality one, and you need to ensure that the surface is clean and dry before installation. However, this is entirely at your own risk!
The Smoke Alarms and the CO Detector can be wall-mounted. Smoke alarms can be ceiling mounted as well (recommended). The heat alarm must be ceiling mounted. You’ll find more detail in the user manual included in the packaging.
When choosing your installation location, make sure you can hear the alarm from all sleeping areas. If you install only one smoke alarm in your home, install the alarm near all bedrooms where possible and not in a basement or furnace room.
You should first install an alarm in the bedroom and walkways. In a home with several bedrooms, install an alarm in every bedroom.
Install an alarm above the stairway and on every floor of the house.
Smoke, heat and anything burning will spread horizontally after rising to the ceiling, so install the alarm in the middle of the ceiling where possible. Ensure the alarm is within working distance of all corners of the room.
If an alarm cannot be installed in the middle of a ceiling, install at a distance of 20 inches (50 cm) away from the room’s corners.
If an alarm is installed on a wall, it should be at a distance of 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) below the ceiling.
If the length of a room or hall is beyond 30 ft (9 m), you will need to install several alarms in the same space.