Yes, vaping can trigger a fire alarm but fret not; the chances of that happening is extremely slim. The only possible scenario of the fire alarm going off is if you exhale the vapours directly towards the fire alarm at a very close distance.
Can vapes set off smoke alarms?
Some people will tell you that vapour can’t set off smoke alarms – in fact, I was even told that by a fire expert when researching this article. We wanted to find out if vapes can set off fire alarms, so we decided to blow vapour directly into a fire alarm. Here’s what happened: Now, that’s a bit extreme.
Does vapour cause fire alarms to go off?
You have to be vaping pretty close to a fire alarm and exhaling quite vigorously to set off the device. Reports of fire alarms going off from vapour are scant because the vapour dissipates much faster than smoke. But it does happen. The good news is that there are proactive measures you can take to mitigate the risk of accidental alarm triggering.
How do you stop e-cigarette vapour triggering fire alarms?
You can reduce the chance of e-cigarette vapour triggering an ionic fire alarm by blowing the vapour away from the alarm. A photoelectric fire alarm monitors air quality using an invisible beam of light. Cigarette smoke breaks the beam of light, triggering the alarm.
Can e-cigarette smoke trigger photoelectric fire alarms?
Cigarette smoke breaks the beam of light, triggering the alarm. If you’ve ever observed the differences between cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour, you know that smoke is much thicker and is more likely to block visible light. Cigarette smoke, therefore, is much more likely than e-cigarette vapour to trigger a photoelectric fire alarm.
Heat-Based Fire Alarm
Heat-based fire alarms aren’t particularly common, but you may find one in a kitchen. A heat-based fire alarm uses a temperature detection mechanism that triggers when the ambient temperature in the room exceeds a certain threshold. Since e-cigarette vapour isn’t hot, you can vape without concern if you’re around a heat-based fire alarm.
Ionic Fire Alarm
An ionic fire alarm works by monitoring the ambient air for particulate matter, which would indicate the presence of smoke. Inside the fire alarm are two ionically charged plates, and an electrical current flows between the plates.
Photoelectric Fire Alarm
A photoelectric fire alarm monitors air quality using an invisible beam of light. Cigarette smoke breaks the beam of light, triggering the alarm. If you’ve ever observed the differences between cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour, you know that smoke is much thicker and is more likely to block visible light.
Vape Responsibly Around Smoke Detectors
Remember that any two smoke detectors – even two detectors of the same type – may vary in their sensitivity levels. Therefore, there is no single rule for how to vape without setting off a fire alarm.
What is the most common way to detect smoke?
Photoelectric detectors are the most common of all and can detect the vapour of electronic cigarettes. The photoelectric detectors use an optical beam of light to identify the smoke present around it. If there is a lot of smoke around the sensor, the light beam breaks and the alarm is activated.
What is an ionization detector?
The ionisation-based detectors are composed of a small amount of radioactive material located between two electrically charged plates. This ionises the air inside the device, generating a current that the smoke particles can break, causing the alarm to go off.
Do electronic cigarettes have a smoke detector?
Electronic cigarettes produce steam, not smoke, so in theory, an electronic cigarette would not have to activate a smoke detector, since there is no smoke to detect. This is true, as a general rule, although in many cases, it’s not as simple as it seems.
Can you use a vaporizer to quit smoking?
Yes. You can quit smoking using an electronic cigarette. There are several reasons why a smoker stops using tobacco when he switches to a vaporiser: the first, that when vapes you make the same gesture as smoking, and the second, the possibility of adding nicotine to the device. There are various great Cheap Vaping Deals on the market, so you can easily buy the vaporiser that suits you the most.
What happens if you blow vapour in the direction away from the alarm?
If you blow vapour in the direction away from the alarm, you're keeping yourself safe.
Why do fire alarms get activated?
One of the strangest reasons fire alarms get activated is because of bugs. All smoke detectors have small vents through which the smoke passes. Those vents are also attractive to flying bugs, who like to burrow.
How to mitigate fire alarms?
One of the best ways to mitigate the risk of setting off a fire alarm is to vape near a passageway, like a door or open window. That will ventilate the vapour even faster.
Why does my alarm sound?
Sometimes, bugs get inside the alarms and mess with the wiring, causing the alarm to sound .
Why do fire alarms go off?
The most common cause for setting off fire alarms is, naturally, fire. Most alarms use a process called ionisation to detect smoke.
What is dust in fire alarms?
Dust consists of a fine, silt-like powder. It's so fine that if ventilated into a fire alarm, it can resemble smoke and trigger the alarm.
What are the causes of home fires?
According to Northern Ireland Direct, the leading causes of home fires are cooking and cooking appliances. But even before a cooking fire, cooking can activate the alarm.
How does a smoke detector work?
The first type of smoke detector is the photoelectric model. These work by detecting disruptions in optical light beams. Simply put, if something breaks the beam, the device may assume it is smoke and sound the alarm.
Why do we use heat detectors?
Some places of work will use heat detection devices instead as a way of avoiding false alarms from other particles. For example, commercial kitchens may choose the use heat-only devices to detect fire rather than smoke.
Can vaping cause a fire?
This is where we have a bigger issue to contend with. We can’t just consider the impact of e-cigarette vapor when there are other dangers in the devices themselves.
Is vaping less of a fire danger than smoking?
These statistics are pretty shocking and should act as a wake-up call to any e-cigarette users that aren’t careful about when and where they charge their device.
Is vaping safer than smoking?
To summarize, while the fire risks related to vaping are lower than smoking, they do exist. You need to be considerate when charging and using devices, and this includes vaping in public buildings. The vapor is unlikely to trigger smoke alarms but it isn’t impossible.
Can a smoke detector detect vapor?
The device can’t distinguish between smoke and vapor, it merely registers anomalies and triggers the alarm if there is a potential risk of fire. The risk of this happening is far greater if there is a massive cloud directly underneath the detector or if you have a lot of people using vape pens in the same room.
Can a vape pen trigger a smoke detector?
It is hard to be discrete with a vape pen, which is where we get so many questions about vaping and smoke detectors. It is possible for these large clouds of vapor to trigger a smoke detector – something that catches a lot of users off-guard, so why is this the case when this isn’t smoke?
How likely is your electronic cigarette to set off a fire alarm?
Fortunately, reports of electronic cigarettes setting off fire alarms are rare. Smoke alarms are designed to detect smoke, and electronic cigarettes produce vapour. Fortunately, vapour dissipates a lot faster than smoke.
What is an ionisation fire alarm?
Ionisation alarms: Sensitive to small particles of smoke. They utilise two electrically charged radioactive plates. When smoke particles enter the fire alarm they disrupt the electricity between the plates, setting off the alarm. This was the type used in our experiment!
How does an optical alarm work?
Optical alarms: Optical alarms work by beaming infrared light. When smoke particles enter the smoke alarm, the particles cause the infrared light to be scattered onto a light detector which triggers the alarm.
How to dissipate a vapour?
The air will help dissipate the vapour. For maximum safety, blow the vapour outside through the window.
Can an optical smoke alarm detect vapour?
Heat alarms: Used in kitchens, these are unlikely to detect vapour as they are responsive to heat rather than to smoke. When we spoke to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, they told us that optical alarms are the type most likely to be set off by electronic cigarette vapour.
Do hotels have fire alarms?
Hotels often have more sensitive fire alarms than your standard office or house alarm. And when Tom was vaping in a Premier Inn, he noticed that the smoke alarm had started to flash red.
Can you blow vapour into a smoke alarm?
And whatever you do, don’t blow vapour into the smoke alarm!
