Smoke Alarms: Can spider webs set them off?
I’ve installed the latest gadgets in my “smart house”… computer programmed power points, lighting and audio systems.. with integrated smoke, thermal alarms and security alarms.
Well last night… around midnight an alarm sounded… The way I have it programmed, all 130 light fittings come on and flash on then off at 1 second intervals … 2 x 120db sounders make a din inside, a flashing light and alarm bell sounds outside. I mean, it is real noisy.. enough to wake the dead, and my neighbours… so I leap out of bed naked, grab my cricket bat on the way through the house looking for smoke or intruders… get to the alarm panel and key in the code. Silence. darkness. No smoke and no intruder.
Back to bed. 20 minutes later, this process repeats. I climb back to bed. 5 seconds later… same again… I turn on the lights.. check the alarm memory…. it’s the smoke detectors.
And then I see it… a little spider and it’s spider web shimmering near a smoke detector. I squash him.
Thermal detectors detect heat… smoke detectors react to the movement of smoke like particulates in the air refracting off whatever light is available.
Website content
May 29th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Caffeinated Content
Those detectors are way too sensitive.
June 1st, 2010 at 8:02 am
Create a video blog
Was the spider hot???
June 3rd, 2010 at 6:51 am
house alarms
the alarm is sensing the web as particulates in the air. Just like smoke contains particulates. If you ever sand drywall or the joint compound it can set off an alarm also.
June 5th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Website content
Yes they can set off alarm systems…My sister had her alarm going off every day and the police were fixing to fine her for all the false calls out, when she noticed a spiders web…since she started clearing it off. her alarm has not went off.
June 7th, 2010 at 3:52 am
Create a video blog…instantly.
it’s not really the spiders per se, but those little joints they like to roll and smoke at night
June 8th, 2010 at 6:18 am
Kansieo.com
It is pretty possible that the spider completed a circut in the alarm, other than that, spiders are insects and with such a low body temp would not set off the detecor just by being in its presence.