Condo fire safety - is this normal!?

[SS1]

Hey  guys,

 

We just bought a newly built 2-bedroom condo on Sukhumvit 64 with my girlfriend and have been happy so far. We are just having some concerns about the fire safety of our condo.. we have a total of 4 fire alarms inside our unit: a regular one in each room + a different (heat detecting, I guess?) in our kitchen/living room. One night I was vaping with my electric cigarette in my room as usual, which seems to have set off the fire alarm, although normally they shouldn't do this with most fire detectors since there is no smoke or heat. So basically it set off an alarm in the condo's reception instead of my room. I recall hearing something ringing for a moment quietly, had no idea what it was and went to bed. Our condo reception staff leave at around 7pm. 

 

The next morning our condo staff came to inform us that your fire alarm went off. Nice, so imagine if there was a real fire they would have informed us in the morning? Since this little incident, it happened again because of someone else in the building in the middle of the night. The fire alarm was ringing in all corridoors, took me maybe 15min to wake up to hear it (I sleep with ear plugs). Went to check there was no fire and back to bed.. After this the condo management distributed leaflets to each unit with instructions how to disable the fire alarm from the reception if it goes off at night. 

 

I know TiT.... but is this normal in condominiums? Why aren't the fire alarms making any noise in the unit itself? Probably should invest in a few of those regular battery operated ones from homepro, so if there is a fire at least we'll hear it when it's on - instead of building staff coming to tell us next morning that sorry your unit burned last night. 

[trogers]

Testing

 

The detectors in the unit should beep...

 

Lookup the internet on specifications of the make and model number.

Edited September 12, 2017 by trogers

[funandsuninbangkok]

Hey, if you live on the 5th floor or higher, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

You might as well stay asleep 

[SS1]

48 minutes ago, trogers said:

Testing

 

The detectors in the unit should beep...

 

Lookup the internet on specifications of the make and model number.

 

Actually we had this same thing in our previous condo. The fire alarm went off there was no sound, but a security guy was very quickly knocking on our door. 

 

3 minutes ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

Hey, if you live on the 5th floor or higher, it doesn't matter anyway.

 

You might as well stay asleep 

2nd floor with pool under, easy to jump out  

[funandsuninbangkok]

9 minutes ago, SS1 said:

 

Actually we had this same thing in our previous condo. The fire alarm went off there was no sound, but a security guy was very quickly knocking on our door. 

 

2nd floor with pool under, easy to jump out  

smart

[trogers]

4 minutes ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

smart

No. One might not wake from sleep due to suffocation from smoke.

[aussie11950]

There is a difference between smoke detectors and smoke alarms.

A smoke detector is connected to a fire panel and only relays what it detects, but it can usually indicate with a red LED, when it has detected an alarm.

The detector usually has a flashing red or green led that pulses about every 6 seconds.

A smoke alarm is a stand alone smoke detector with an alarm built it.

It sounds like you have smoke detectors, but if it detected a fire, it should have activated a steady led to indicate this.

A fire panel would be downstairs in the office that is accessible to the fire brigade.

That should be the case but this is Thailand and I know of at least 1 hotel, that has a fire panel but has been switched off for over 1 year.

 

 

[silent]

21 hours ago, aussie11950 said:

I know of at least 1 hotel, that has a fire panel but has been switched off for over 1 year.

Have you tried a pull station?  

[Tanoshi]

There are 3 different types of smoke detectors and a heat detector.

Heat detectors should be installed where ambient conditions would not allow the use of a smoke detector, such as kitchens and confined spaces where rapidly burning, high heat fires are anticipated.

Smoke detectors come in 3 types, photoelectric, ionisation and a combination of both.

Ionisation work best in areas where the smoke particles from a fast raging fire may be expected.

Photoelectric work best in areas where smoke particles from a slow smouldering fire may be anticipated.

Combination types cover both aspects but may not be suitable for all areas.

( OP - Vapour particles will activate a photoelectric type detector)

 

You then have the 9V stand alone type with built in sounder.

!2v type connected to a security alarm system utilising the sounders of that system.

24v type dedicated fire alarm panel systems, with sounders in common areas.

240v Mains operated detectors with internal sounders, usually linked to activate all sounders.

(UK specific voltages, other Countries may vary)

 

The fact they issued leaflets instructing residents how to disable a fire alarm that is essentially to save lives, shows just how irresponsible they really are regarding human life......your life! Sounders should be fitted in the common corridor areas, or have those already been disconnected to avoid annoyance. (You'd only then get a buzzer warning at the fire panel.) If false alarms are common, they need to look at the types of smoke detectors they fitted in living areas.

 

If I was you, I'd be worried enough to do something about that situation.

[Sumarianson]

Vaping is illegal in Thailand so be careful. I am an engineer and installed these in uk. They should not react to moisture but the substance that is used for vaping is oil. Therefore the oil burns and creates a smoke which quite rightly set off the alam. The alarm in the kitchen is always a heat only alarm. 

The smoke in the room should have set off the alarm making a deafining noise in your condo. If it did not do this then get an engineer to look at it.

If there is 24 hour security then the alarm panel should have been set up adjacent to the guards desk and be monitored 24/7 If it is not being monitored 24/7/365 then that would be very worrying to me. I would speak to the Juristic and if no joy would raise the matter in the annual AGM.

Hope that helps.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Sumarianson
Spell check

[trogers]

Those shoeboxes don't really have a kitchen. Just a pantry with a microwave.

 

Thai cooking inside the unit would definitely set off the smoke alarm...?

Edited September 14, 2017 by trogers

[Docno]

Consider yourself lucky. I rent a two story condo in Singapore for when I'm staying there. No smoke detectors in the unit, just in the hallway outside, and fairly far down from my door. That's also a quite a distance from my second level bedroom (there's no second level entrance). One night at 2am I was reading in bed and heard a distant ringing. Turned out to be the fire alarm. If I'd been asleep, there's  no way it would have woken me up. This is 'advanced' Singapore ... Anyway, needed to get my own smoke detectors...

Edited September 14, 2017 by Docno

[Ridge]

Yes it's normal here.

[JRUSA]

My condo has 2 smoke detectors and 3 sprinkler heads, now I'm wondering if anything is connected to anything..I'm sure the sprinkler system only works if connected to an outside water connection like a fire hose or would it be connected to city supply.. and the little red lights on the detectors is off?