An easy to fit smoke alarm (Fire Angel Smoke Alarm)

Member Name: laramax

Product:	Fire Angel Smoke Alarm
Date:	15/10/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No need to keep replacing batteries

Disadvantages: You need to remember to switch the light on for an hour each week

I am sure we all know that smoke alarms for the home are a great idea but unless you live in a new home and have one wired in then you need to remember to replace the batteries regularly. My smoke alarms are now quite elderly (20 years+) so I started looking at the options.

I discovered that there are more than just one type of smoke alarm. There are two basic systems according to the Fire Service:
*Ionisation: These are the cheapest and cost very little to purchase. They are very sensitive to small particles of smoke produced by flaming fires, such as chip pans, and will detect this type of fire before the smoke gets too thick. They are marginally less sensitive to slow burning and smouldering fires which give off larger quantities of smoke before flaming occurs.
*Optical: These are more expensive but more effective at detecting larger particles of smoke produced by slow-burning fires, such as smouldering foam-filled upholstery and overheated PVC wiring. They are marginally less sensitive to free burning flaming fires.
Alternatively there are combined smoke detectors on the market.

It all sounded quite complicated to me and it would appear that to be fully safe you should either get one of each or a combined alarm.
I was happy enough to have two the only problem being that I didn't want too many things fixed to the ceiling so I was quite pleased when I saw a Fire Angel Plug-in Smoke Alarm in a catalogue.


About the Fire Angel Plug-in Smoke Alarm

Basically this is an Ionisation Alarm that fits into a standard light fitting without any need for DIY skills. If you can change a light bulb you can fit one of these. It fits standard bayonet light fittings and it needs to be in some form of 'open' lamp shade either an uplighter or standard type but it will not work in 'globe' type shades.

It is small enough to fit most lanp shades except for very slim ones. It measures around 5" at its widest point so you would need a light shade with at least that diameter. It also lowers the bulb by around 2" so if you have a very short shade the light bulb would be visible below the shade.


Buying the Alarm

As I said I saw the Fire Angel Plug-in alarm in a catalogue that came with my local paper where they were selling it at £24.99 plus postage. However a quick search of the internet told me that other people were selling it for far less including Fire Angel themselves who sell it via their web site. I found that B&Q also stocked it for £17.98 so I reserved a couple online and then collected them from my local store the following day.

In use

Fitting the alarm is very simple indeed. First you unpack it and remove the battery protection. Then just remove your light bulb, fit the Fire Angel into the light socket and then replace the bulb into the base of the Fire Angel. You will then need to charge the batteries in the alarm and you do that by leaving the light on for 8 hours. After that just one hour per week should keep the alarm fully charged.

I fitted mine in the hall and at the top of the stairs. It works for me but just one word of warning, to test the alarm all you need to do is switch the light on and off quickly so if you are likely to do that with a hall light you will set off the alarm - not good if you do it in the early hours when everyone is asleep! Mind you it does make it very easy to test the alarm.
It is a simple idea and effectively gives you a mains supported smoke alarm where the batteries don't need to be replaced each year as they recharge. If you forget to charge the alarm it will give you warning bleeps to alert you.


Would I recommend it?

Yes I would as I think they provide a useful level of cover in the home especially if you aren't good at remembering to replace batteries. Ideally you should also fit an optical alarm to give you more comprehensive cover. The product comes with a 10 year guarantee but you will need to keep your receipt for that time to be covered as other reviewers suggest that they have had problems with the system failing earlier than that. I can't comment as I have only had mine for a few months.

This review was also published on Ciao by laramax

Summary: A handy little smoke alarm