Smoke detectors dont detect cigarette smoke?

[JEDI]

i was at a friends place. he smokes.

i noticed that he has a semi-full ashtray on the living room table, and above it is a smoke detector. There was a green light on it, meaning it's on.

i asked him if the cigarette smoke sets off the detector. He said no. WTF?

Shouldnt cigarette smoke set off smoke detectors?
If not, WHY NOT!?!?

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's messed. I remember when I was a little kid and my dad smoked, he would bring up the whole ashtray with a lit cig still on it and the detector would immediatly go.

Come to think of it, I don't EVER remember us changing the battery in that thing. It must be running off the AC or something, it still works. They don't make stuff now like they used to. I'd be surprise if half the smoke detectors today even do work at all. Some are probably just heat detectors.

 

[rudeguy]

My mom used to set off the smoke detector with a cigarette when I wouldn't get out of bed. After I learned to sleep through that, she started with cold water.

 

[MoPHo]

When some friends and I were in London, our room almost went up in flames and we almost died from smoke inhalation cause we were sleeping. Anyways, the smoke detector never went off, despite the smoke in the room. However, the following day the detector went off because there was some buildup or something inside of it. No smoke in the room at the time.

And that's my useless contribution to the thread.

 

[mozirry]

in college, our frat house would routinely have the alarms go off to the smallest amount of cigarette smoke. FD was pissed to no end

 

[spaceman]

yes they do.
at least anyones i have been around that werent a parakeet

 

[sandorski]

No, not many anyways. Mine doesn't, never has.

 

[Eli]

Uh.. lol

If you let the smoke rise naturally into the smoke detector, it would go off.

It takes a certain amount of smoke to set them off. The act of smoking a cigarette isn't going to do it.

 

[edro]

The smoke detectors I have worked with use an infrared LED and collector that works through an array of plastic mirrors.
They take quite a bit of "contaminates" in the air before they trip.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: Eli
Uh.. lol

If you let the smoke rise naturally into the smoke detector, it would go off.

It takes a certain amount of smoke to set them off. The act of smoking a cigarette isn't going to do it.

This. Depends on amount of smoke. Back when I smoked cigs and lived with two other people who did we set off the smoke detectors regularly.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Haha I just remembered when my high school was in same building as the goverment complex. The cafeteria burnt a bagel and it caused the fire system to go off causing evac.

Nothing like the look of pissed off goverment workers outside in 30 below, with no coat.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
That's messed. I remember when I was a little kid and my dad smoked, he would bring up the whole ashtray with a lit cig still on it and the detector would immediatly go.

Come to think of it, I don't EVER remember us changing the battery in that thing. It must be running off the AC or something, it still works. They don't make stuff now like they used to. I'd be surprise if half the smoke detectors today even do work at all. Some are probably just heat detectors.

Actually, it's probably safest to have both types of detectors. I think the heat detectors are actually more expensive too.

 

[wiredspider]

Mine has gone off with no reason at all, I should probably test them with some smoke to see if they actually work right...

 

[Regs]

Mine go off after a long shower.

 

[Colt45]

they need a fair bit of smoke to go off.

 

[pontifex]

why would you want it to go off with just one cigarette? if you smoked, you'd have to reset it every time you smoked...

 

[LTC8K6]

There are two basic types of home smoke detectors. Ionization and optical. An optical detector probably wouldn't be triggered by a cigarette being smoked several feet away. An ionization detector possibly would, as it's more sensitive.

Both should detect a nearby cigarette, though.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: edro
The smoke detectors I have worked with use an infrared LED and collector that works through an array of plastic mirrors.
They take quite a bit of "contaminates" in the air before they trip.

IR detectors favor heavy smoke from a smoldering fire (i.e. larger particle size) whereas ionization detectors (the most common type today) favor smaller particles from a hot burning fire. Hybrids using both technologies are available as well.

When *instant* detection of flame is necessary a UV sensor is installed in the monitored area. A person striking a match will produce a positive alarm in less than 1 second of ignition!

 

[ICRS]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: edro
The smoke detectors I have worked with use an infrared LED and collector that works through an array of plastic mirrors.
They take quite a bit of "contaminates" in the air before they trip.

IR detectors favor heavy smoke from a smoldering fire (i.e. larger particle size) whereas ionization detectors (the most common type today) favor smaller particles from a hot burning fire. Hybrids using both technologies are available as well.

When *instant* detection of flame is necessary a UV sensor is installed in the monitored area. A person striking a match will produce a positive alarm in less than 1 second of ignition!

I know our smoke detector can go off with steam, not smoke but steam. It also can go off if someone burns something in the kitchen and makes enough smoke.

But what kind will go off from steam and not smoke?

 

[LTC8K6]

Steam would affect an optical type, because steam blocks light.