‎Heat Sensor for Fire Alarms | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
J

Monday, January 4th, 2021 7:36 PM

4

Heat Sensor for Fire Alarms

The system needs a heat sensor to place in the kitchen, where you can't use a smoke detector. My old system had one, and I miss having it.

4 years ago

Hello jajones20,

Thank you for taking the time to post this suggestion.

If you are referring to the All New SimpliSafe Systems, it looks like the new Temperature Sensor may just be what you feel you are missing. According to the Device and Sensor Settings for the All New SimpliSafe knowledge article, it is set to trigger the alarm when temperatures fall below 41 degrees or go above 95 degrees Fahrenheit by default; but you can also set it to trigger both above or below any temperature between 0 & 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is listed under the sensors for the All New SimpliSafe

I hope this is helpful.

Thanks,
Christopher R.
SimpliSafe Ambassador

21 Messages

Christopher NO, this device does not substitute for an actual fire detector that triggers an alarm when fire is detected.  I've asked Simplisafe to design one several times now to no avail.  Sometimes I think I'm talking to a stone wall with the responses I've gotten.  Don't understand why Simplisafe can't do it.  Most home systems out there have a passive heat detector that will trigger an alarm except for Simplisafe.  My previous Bosch system had them and I had several installed.  Having only an extreme temp. sensor as Simplisafe offers doesn't fit the bill for fire detection in my garage, or in the kitchen, wood working workshop, over my fireplace, or in an attached enclosure for a generator that I have in the backyard, or any place where a fire could occur that needs immediate attention without the installation false alarming because of smoke or haze.  As a retired electronics engineer I bet that I could tear apart one of your smoke detectors and modify it to have a solid state heat sensor rather then smoke sensor to trigger a fire alarm.  I'd also bet it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out either so WHY CAN'T SIMPLISAFE DO THE SAME?  This past summer I installed a smoke detector in my garage because you don't have a heat detector that triggers an alarm and, unexpectedly, had it trigger when a contractor was paving my driveway and smoke fumes entered the building.  The responding engine's Fire Captain told me to replace the smoke detector as soon as possible which, of course, I couldn't.  Would appreciate if Simplisafe  replace the optical or ionizing element in your current detector with a solid state heat sensor and you'd have what I'm looking for.  I would very much like such a device because I already have a half dozen locations that I could use one immediately and I know other customers who also have the same requirement.       

4 Messages

@christopher_ribeiro_tp​ So what do I put in my attic to protect me from attic fires?

371 Messages

3 years ago

SS can you look into either a Heat Sensor for Kitchen.

Something that monitors constantly and when the heat gets to a set level set off all the alarms...

It is law in UK soon that inter linking smoke alarms link to heat sensor in Kitchen.

With many having smoke alarms already it would be an easy sell the heat sensor.

Equally without the heat sensor it will stop the sale of the smokes.

I did ask UK side over a year ago twice with no success...  even quoted the pages stating when would be law.

Just means I will need to buy a heat sensor and multiple smokes elsewhere which is VERY annoying when I have 5 SS smokes....
Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Heat sensor... SS please create one

18 Messages

1 year ago

Hello! I am the Fire and Life Safety Educator for the Batesville Fire Department. I am here to renew the conversation about a heat detector. My role involves recommending products and best practices to our community members aimed at promoting their safety. I find interconnected detection devices, such as smoke alarms, particularly vital in this respect. The integration of interconnectivity and monitoring in Simplisafe offerings is a feature I deeply appreciate.

Fires that start in attic spaces pose a significant risk. Given the high amounts of dust in such areas, smoke detectors are not recommended as they can result in nuisance alarms, desensitizing occupants to their warning sound. A more suitable device for these areas is a heat detector.

Simplisafe does offer a Temperature/Freeze Sensor, which some have used as a makeshift heat detector. However, placing these sensors in unfinished areas, like attics, can be problematic. During summertime, attics can easily reach temperatures exceeding 150F, which exceeds the upward operating temperature of 120F for the Simplisafe Temperature sensor.

To address this, I propose Simplisafe consider developing heat detectors in two design forms:

  • Fixed Temperature Heat Detector: These detectors activate once the temperature exceeds a fixed threshold. Recommended thresholds are 135F for unfinished garages or basements, and 200F for unfinished attics and crawl spaces.
  • Rate-of-Rise Heat Detector: These detectors activate when there's a rapid temperature rise, typically 12F-15F per minute, regardless of the initial temperature. This detector operates effectively even in lower temperature fire conditions, unlike Fixed Temperature Detectors.

21 Messages

I don't know why SS is waiting to do either or both of these.  I've been pushing them for quite some time and am glad to see a professional fire safety instructor asking them for the same.  I once was a firefighter, but that would have little impact on SS speeding up the process.  I've had false alarms with the smoke detector in both my garage and my woodworking shop.  Local fire department has advised me to remove them as they are a nuisance, but for some reason SS doesn't take it seriously.  Let me say this.  If another company would offer a similar system as SS has and the same cost to monitor it with offers both smoke and heat detectors, I would replace my SS system in a heartbeat.  They're ignoring requests for these types of detectors at their own business peril as other SS customers have also asked them for these types of devices

3 Messages

8 months ago

It seems this is a critical and large hole in the SimpliSafe system.   Please tell WHEN a real Rate of Rise -Heat Detector will be offered/

1 Message

8 months ago

When will Simpli Safe have a true Heat Alarm with Fixed Temperature Heat Detector and Rate-of-Rise Heat Detector? 

1 Message

7 months ago

I love the system. It would be beneficial to a lot of customers to have this as an option…. I know I would buy one for my garage…… maybe I’ll just reverse engineer one of the smoke alarms to work as a heat detector…. Why hasn’t anyone from SimpliSafe commented here??

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

@Wayne2131​ We have submitted this product request to our dev team for their consideration, but we do not have any updates from them. Once we hear more, we'll provide an update in this thread. 

(edited)

3 Messages

@emily_s

+1 vote on my part

This is prompted by a fire in the equipment bay of a Fire Station in Huntington Park early Wednesday morning. There were no smoke detectors.

from a design standpoint, it is the same configuration as a door contact.

I don't know what you will want to do as far as a Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certification. That does tend to be expensive.

thank you for your consideration!

5 Messages

7 months ago

I'm looking for a Heat Sensor rated for a garage too. Hurry up Simplisafe before I need to go shopping for another system.....

4 Messages

2 months ago

So I was told by SS sales rep that I could use the heat sensor in an attic space for fire detection.  Based on that advice, I have installed two and their temperatures are around 114F (set to alarm at 127F which is so low, should be 200F).  Obviously SS has received numerous complaints about this.  Four questions:

  • why is max 127F, what is the science behind that number?
  • are you making a true heat detector with a fusible link?
  • does this really only refresh on the hour, so if I have a fire on the half hour I will not be notified?
  • what do you recommend putting in hot attics for fire protection?

Thanks, I sure do not feel protected in my attics at this time.

(edited)

3 Messages

@kevdanc​ You are correct, these will not provide fire detection. The reasoning for the 127 degree upper limit is the ratings of the electronic components.

The freeze/heat sensor is for local alerts only, and won't trigger a dispatch. They are not treated in the software like a smoke detector.

You should not have been given that advice, IMHO.

But thank you for posting, that is a good data point!

21 Messages

Bad advice from SS.  Their heat detectors are only advising you that their settings have been exceeded.  They don't trigger a fire alarm and no contact is made with the local fire department to let them know you have a problem.  I've been trying to get SS to provide a real heat alarm, but it's like talking to a stone wall.  All of us should be putting continual pressure on them to manufacture one.  It's not rocket science either since they have the technology already.  All they have to do is substitute a heat sensor for the smoke sensor in their current fire units that will trigger an alarm once the heat senor either exceeds it's temperature limit or the sensor melts and opens.  

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

@kevdanc​ I'm sorry to hear this, that is not the advice that I would have given. The Temperature Sensor is not designed to work as a heat sensor for fire alarms, it's supposed to watch out for temperatures that are uncomfortable for humans, which is why its maximum temperature is 127° F. 

We have submitted this request for a heat sensor that detects fires to our devs for their consideration, but we do not have any updates from them at this time. If/when this product is brought into development, we will post an update in this thread. 

The Temperature Sensor does report readings hourly. If the temperature of a room goes above your maximum threshold or below your minimum threshold, an alarm will not sound until the next time the Temperature Sensor checks in.

We would recommend consulting with your local fire marshal about what to place in your attic for fire protection.

@emily_s​ 

a heat sensor

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