Smoke/heat alarms, linked or not

[haptism]

Ive been looking at Approved document B (Fire safety), cause im not sure if a smoke alarm in recent extension needs to be linked to a additional heat alarm in the existing adjacent kitchen. The new extension is adjacent to the old kitchen and no doors separate the two rooms.

Approved document B says (page 13, 1.13) "where the kitchen area is not separated from the stairway or circulation space by a door, then there should be a compatible interlinked heat alarm in the kitchen, in addition to whatever smoke alarms are needed in the circulation space".

So if anyone can help, what is a circulation space, is the circulation space in the room next to the kitchen ?, and does the smoke in the extension need to be linked to a new heat in the kitchen ?

Bear in mind that the kitchen is existing (but has been rewired), and the extension is a new addition. Cheers

 

[Octopus]

You or the client need to ask the BCO

 

[haptism]

You or the client need to ask the BCO

Apparently the customer has been told this by a BCO, although im not sure he's a council one or an independent (i.e graduate who has no clue). On the face of it the two rooms are next to each other, so if either alarm goes off independently it will be heard. I get that if smokes/heats are across more than one floor then its common sense to interconnect, but not if the room are adjacent. The approved doc B is not easy reading either; i dont know who to trust !

 

[Octopus]

My BCO's are insistent that they are all interlinked.

I would recommend you get said advice in writing ......

 

[westward10]

Circulation space in terms of fire protection will refer to hallways and landings or space which links defined rooms.

 

[haptism]

Circulation space in terms of fire protection will refer to hallways and landings or space which links defined rooms.

Thanks westward, thing is the entire kitchen area and new extension is open plan, by that i mean theres no doors, hallways, or any independent space linking the rooms. So in affect it could be considered the entire thing is one big room (except its not really because its an L shaped extension), and the kitchen is obviously a kitchen (for obvious reasons).

 

[Octopus]

You could just ignore the problem ................ but my crystal ball sees the customer blaming you if the BCO changes his mind

Get it in writing

 

[Toneyz]

As far as I know, all smoke & heat detectors should be linked together (wiring linked & radio) and be of the same make.
How is the existing wired eg off lighting circuit or dedicated circuit?
are they all linked and what make?

 

[westward10]

Without seeing it or a good plan it is difficult to say. So are you saying the entire ground floor is essentially one room.

 

[haptism]

This is how its panned out so far; in November a friend asked me to wire a new extension; an addition to the rear of the house.

I wired the extension and fitted a mains smoke alarm. All the while the old kitchen was still in use.

After the extension was complete the customer asks for kitchen to be rewired, I ask about the lights and recommend a heat detector be fitted. Customer says to wire kitchen first before lighting and heat, which I have now completed (in fact completed in December last year). The lights and heat are yet to be fitted.

The customer contacted me this week and says BC will not sign off the extension until the kitchen is fitted with a heat alarm that needs to be interconnected to the smoke in the extension.

Now, I have no problem fitting a heat in the kitchen, but what gets me is that the BC has said it needs to be interconnected to the smoke in extension. Even if there is no heat in the kitchen atall, I dont see how BC would not sign off the extension due to the fact that the kitchen is existing (although it now adjoins the new extension), however the kitchen has been made bigger by using up the old living room by removal of an internal wall. I will try to post a drawing.

 

[haptism]

Without seeing it or a good plan it is difficult to say. So are you saying the entire ground floor is essentially one room.

No westy, although the kitchen and new extension are in effect one room (there are no doors involved throughout).

 

[haptism]

This is the layout

 

[polo1]

Tbh, I would always look to interlink, even if building control didn't require it. Just think it makes for a more robust system.

 

[Toneyz]

On your layout what is south of the new kitchen do you have to go through the kitchen to get to the front door? if so it is the escape route that's why they would ask for a alarm. I once had to go to a two-story extension for my old employment and as they only had battery smokes and interlinked smoke detectors had to be fitted.

 

[westward10]

I would say it definitely needs a smoke detector there as there would be no vision panel from the wc to see a fire occurring and heat detectors are essentially decoration.