Ionization vs Photoelectric smoke alarms match test

[@firealarmsofnorthwesternmi799]

This was not tested correctly. Let me tell you a story about a fire that I had in one of my sheds a few months ago. So I was getting power to my pool supply shed which I also used for smoke alarm demo boards. There was a malfunction and caught fire. We had one photoelectric kidde smoke alarm and a kidde ionization smoke alarm. The photoelectric was wireless and sounded our house alarms yet the security camera that was on upper part of the shed showed no indication of the ionization alarm sounding in an open flame emergency. The shed survived due to the shut off of electricity and the many hose connections I used as sprinklers flush mounted in the shed. This is why I buy dual sensors.

[@DougBardwell]

Photoelectric detectors are best for sensing smoldering fires.

[@mixleaves]

who won

[@notabogrelatedchannel8910]

Both technologies are better than the other at sensing different types of fires. In this test the Ionization alarm performed better.

[@firealarmsofnorthwesternmi799]

Overall photoelectric is best. My grandpa had the ionization for 5 years and malfunctioned. You get 10x less false alarming, and your alarm will last longer because it’s not radioactive material

[@BukuiZhao]

@@notabogrelatedchannel8910 If you could only get one, still get Photoelectric because it will have much less false alarms, meaning that it will not drive you crazy and take out the batteries, and if that ever happens it will not go off in case there is a real fire.