Consumer Reports – December 2018

CRInsights

WITH SEVERAL TYPES to choose from—

ionization, photoelectric, dual-sensor,

and more—shopping for smoke detectors

isn’t as straightforward as you might

hope. Part of the reason is that i res

can burn dif erently: some l are, others

smolder. And dif erent types of smoke

detectors are more sensitive to one type

or the other. Unfortunately, not all

detectors can adequately detect both

i re types, so we recommend using

either dual-sensor smoke alarms

or a combination of units to ensure

the best protection.

Dual-Sensor These units, such as the

First Alert 3120B that we recommend

below, excel at detecting both types

of i re and are the most ef ective smoke

alarms in our tests.

Ionization This type of smoke

detector is best at detecting the small

particles typical of fast, l aming i res.

It works by detecting charged smoke

particles from the l ame, which

triggers the alarm, according to the

National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA). Ionization smoke detectors

are particularly sensitive to burnt food

and steam, so to prevent false alarms,

avoid mounting this type of detector

near the kitchen or bathroom.

But don’t rely on these units alone: In

our tests, ionization detectors such as the

Kidde (below) were excellent at detecting

l aring i res but unable to detect smoky,

smoldering i res adequately. So you’ll

need to buy photoelectric models, too.

Photoelectric Best at detecting

smoky, smoldering i res, photoelectric

smoke detectors use an LED light beam

inside the detector’s inner chamber.

When rising smoke particles interrupt or

scatter the beam, the NFPA explains, it

then triggers the alarm.

In our tests, photoelectric detectors

such as the First Alert (below), though

excellent at detecting smoldering

i res, were poor at l aming i res—so pair

them with ionization models.

Combination and Smart Some units,

such as the Nest model (above), detect

carbon monoxide as well as smoke,

saving you the step of buying additional

CO monitors. The Nest is also smart,

meaning it can send detection and low-

battery alerts to your phone. But you

can also make your regular smoke alarm

smarter by adding a smoke alarm listening

device, such as the $100 Leeo Smart

Alert or $70 Kidde RemoteLync Monitor,

which alerts you when detectors go of.

Or try the $35 Roost Smart Battery, which

you can put inside any conventional

detector that uses a 9-volt battery, to

upgrade it with an internet connection

and get alerts.

Still Confused By ...

Smoke

Detectors

DUAL-SENSOR

0 !First Alert

3120B

$ 40

IONIZATION

Kidde

KN-COSM-1B

$3 5

PHOTOELECTRIC

First Alert

7010B

$ 25

0

OVERALL

SCORE

55

0

OVERALL

SCORE

55

0

OVERALL

SCORE

(^9105) FLAMING
FIRES
05
SMOLDERING
FIRES
01
FLAMING
FIRES
05
SMOLDERING
FIRES
05
FLAMING
FIRES
01
SMOLDERING
FIRES
SMART PHOTOELECTRIC
SMOKE AND CO DETECTOR
Nest Protect (2nd Generation) $ 120
0
CO DETECTOR
OVERALL
SCORE
79
0
SMOKE
DETECTOR
OVERALL
SCORE
(^5510) FLAMING
FIRES
50
SMOLDERING
FIRES
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16 CR.ORG DECEMBER 2018