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Just wondered if anyone here knows about smoke alarms. In their infinite wisdom when the Council re wired my flat the smoke alarm system is now not batteries but hooked into the electrical circuit.

Just about anything sets it off.

The Toaster, cooking chips in the oven. It's so sensitive it is driving me up the wall.

I can't turn it off.

Only way I'm finding is to stop making toast unless I stand over the Toaster and check it all the time. Anything beyond light toasting and its fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

Same with oven. Cook chips open oven and it might go off.

I'm at my wits end.

Any advice?
 
You can usually detach the alarm bit from a kind of baseplate that it connects into (and is what is wired into the mains).

However, I don't really want to advise you to do that and then learn that your flat went on fire and the alarm didn't go off.

The alarm in my flat also goes off at the slightest hint of burnt toast. Is it easy to reach? Usually there's a button you can press on the alarm to silence it.
 
Gramsci said:
Just wondered if anyone here knows about smoke alarms. In their infinite wisdom when the Council re wired my flat the smoke alarm system is now not batteries but hooked into the electrical circuit.

Just about anything sets it off.

The Toaster, cooking chips in the oven. It's so sensitive it is driving me up the wall.

I can't turn it off.

Only way I'm finding is to stop making toast unless I stand over the Toaster and check it all the time. Anything beyond light toasting and its fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

Same with oven. Cook chips open oven and it might go off.

I'm at my wits end.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
They've fitted the wrong type of alarm. In areas like the kitchen a heat alarm is required which doesn't get triggered by eg toasters. Ask them to come back and replace it with the correct alarm.
It will be wired to the mains so you can't turn it off unfortunately and even if you switch off the power it will have a back up battery to keep it going.
Hope this helps
 
Gramsci said:
Just wondered if anyone here knows about smoke alarms. In their infinite wisdom when the Council re wired my flat the smoke alarm system is now not batteries but hooked into the electrical circuit.

Just about anything sets it off.

The Toaster, cooking chips in the oven. It's so sensitive it is driving me up the wall.

I can't turn it off.

Only way I'm finding is to stop making toast unless I stand over the Toaster and check it all the time. Anything beyond light toasting and its fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

Same with oven. Cook chips open oven and it might go off.

I'm at my wits end.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
Always found a sock worked quite well in hotel rooms.
 
sparkybird said:
They've fitted the wrong type of alarm. In areas like the kitchen a heat alarm is required which doesn't get triggered by eg toasters. Ask them to come back and replace it with the correct alarm.
It will be wired to the mains so you can't turn it off unfortunately and even if you switch off the power it will have a back up battery to keep it going.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Quite often though you end up (in addition to the heat alarm) having to put a smoke alarm somewhere where smoke from the kitchen can easily drift towards it ... for example when the kitchen/living areas are open to each other. At least on a cautious reading of the rules (which I always find frustratingly non-specific).
 
teuchter said:
Quite often though you end up (in addition to the heat alarm) having to put a smoke alarm somewhere where smoke from the kitchen can easily drift towards it ... for example when the kitchen/living areas are open to each other. At least on a cautious reading of the rules (which I always find frustratingly non-specific).
Click to expand...
in which case the installer needs to assess and if necessary just fit heat alarms where there is a risk of false alarms. Although I would only fit 1 (heat) alarm in an open plan kitchen/living room as it's basically just 1 room. They are more expensive than smoke alarms which is why Lambeth probably installed them.....
 
Gramsci said:
Just wondered if anyone here knows about smoke alarms. In their infinite wisdom when the Council re wired my flat the smoke alarm system is now not batteries but hooked into the electrical circuit.

Just about anything sets it off.

The Toaster, cooking chips in the oven. It's so sensitive it is driving me up the wall.

I can't turn it off.

Only way I'm finding is to stop making toast unless I stand over the Toaster and check it all the time. Anything beyond light toasting and its fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

Same with oven. Cook chips open oven and it might go off.

I'm at my wits end.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
A load of people in my block ripped them off the ceiling in frustration which totally defeated the object, but that's what happens when you fit shit alarms.

I took mine off and bought two Google Nest alarms which are well worth the outlay.
 
T & P said:
YouTube just suggested the video below, and it reminded me of your post and subsequent conversation a few months ago. Sadly the video doesn't show the sidings, but it still shows the impressive track crossover just before the station...

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this as it prompted me to post this on Buzz

www.brixtonbuzz.com

Brixton tube station’s ‘amazing high speed crossover’ and the sidings that continue under Brixton Village

Described in the video clip as ‘quite scary for drivers,’ the crossover for trains entering Brixton tube station has been designed to be traversed at high speeds.
www.brixtonbuzz.com
 
sparkybird said:
in which case the installer needs to assess and if necessary just fit heat alarms where there is a risk of false alarms. Although I would only fit 1 (heat) alarm in an open plan kitchen/living room as it's basically just 1 room. They are more expensive than smoke alarms which is why Lambeth probably installed them.....
Click to expand...

I had a look. In kitchen I have Heat Alarm and Carbon monoxide alarm. Just outside the kitchen there is a smoke alarm in the hall way. One of two in hallway.

What happens is if there is small amount of smoke from the toaster or yesterday I was cooking chips in oven. Opened oven and a little smoke came out from the oil.

The heat alarm goes off first. Then followed by the smoke alarm in the hallway. Whether the kitchen door is open or closed.

My main problem is that I turn off heat alarm. Then go to turn off smoke alarm in hallway. If I don't do it quick enough the Heat alarm comes back on. Have to get my partner to turn off hallway and I do heat alarm at same time.

It's this that's doing my head in. As they are all linked if two go off its almost impossible to turn it off on one's own.

Why a bit of smoke is setting off the heat alarm is beyond me. I leave kitchen window open if using the oven or toaster. And turn on the air vent. It's still fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

I don't think the Carbon monoxide alarm is going off. Though to be frank this is happening early morning or late at night when I'm not at my most alert.
 
If you go to your fuse box, you might find that the alarm is on a separate circuit and is therefore controllable by switching off at the box when you are cooking
 
Gramsci said:
I had a look. In kitchen I have Heat Alarm and Carbon monoxide alarm. Just outside the kitchen there is a smoke alarm in the hall way. One of two in hallway.

What happens is if there is small amount of smoke from the toaster or yesterday I was cooking chips in oven. Opened oven and a little smoke came out from the oil.

The heat alarm goes off first. Then followed by the smoke alarm in the hallway. Whether the kitchen door is open or closed.

My main problem is that I turn off heat alarm. Then go to turn off smoke alarm in hallway. If I don't do it quick enough the Heat alarm comes back on. Have to get my partner to turn off hallway and I do heat alarm at same time.

It's this that's doing my head in. As they are all linked if two go off its almost impossible to turn it off on one's own.

Why a bit of smoke is setting off the heat alarm is beyond me. I leave kitchen window open if using the oven or toaster. And turn on the air vent. It's still fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

I don't think the Carbon monoxide alarm is going off. Though to be frank this is happening early morning or late at night when I'm not at my most alert.
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting that info. The heat alarm should definitely not be going off for a bit of smoke. False alarms can also be caused by dust/spiders in the alarms and they should be cleaned/hoovered few times a year. However since yours only goes off when cooking I think it could be faulty.
You've rightly identified that being a linked system one will set off the other.
When you say 'switch off', I'm guessing you mean pushing the 'hush' button? You definitely shouldn't be having to do this each time.
Is the carbon monoxide alarm integral with the heat alarm? If it is, it's really hard to know which is being set off.
You could buy a separate cheap carbon monoxide alarm (or I have one you could borrow) and see if this ever goes off just to make sure.
I do think you should get in touch with Lambeth about this as what they've installed is not fit for purpose
 
Gramsci said:
Just wondered if anyone here knows about smoke alarms. In their infinite wisdom when the Council re wired my flat the smoke alarm system is now not batteries but hooked into the electrical circuit.

Just about anything sets it off.

The Toaster, cooking chips in the oven. It's so sensitive it is driving me up the wall.

I can't turn it off.

Only way I'm finding is to stop making toast unless I stand over the Toaster and check it all the time. Anything beyond light toasting and its fifty fifty the alarm will go off.

Same with oven. Cook chips open oven and it might go off.

I'm at my wits end.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
Is there not a separate fuse switch to just turn it off there? Thats what i had to do recently when changing the backup batteries.
 
Thaw said:
Is there not a separate fuse switch to just turn it off there? Thats what i had to do recently when changing the backup batteries.
Click to expand...

No there isn't. The alarm system is linked to another part of wiring. So if I turn it off I also turn of section of my power for flat . Must be to stop people just turning it off. Tried this a while back.
 
Not sure if this is old news but, according to Popbitch, Boris Johnson’s moving to Myatt’s Fields apparently…

The committee of the Myatt's Field Dog Show have wasted no time in firing up the WhatsApp group chat to rewrite the contest's constitution – blocking soon-to-be neighbours, the Johnsons, from entering any future show. (Poor Dilyn.)
Click to expand...
 
felonius monk said:
They had a flat in Camberwell but then moved to a 4 bed house "overlooking a park" nearby in 2019 (according to the, um, Daily Mail).
Click to expand...
Yeah the flat (where a Momentum member neighbour was holding a glass to the wall and called the police to an alleged domestic incident) was in Grove Park SE5 - which is quite near to Denmark Hill station.
 
Had an email this morning about this - not had a chance to have a good look at it yet, but interested to know what you all think:

Consultation: Lambeth Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

content.govdelivery.com content.govdelivery.com

beta.lambeth.gov.uk

Have your say on our revised draft guidance for new development in Lambeth

Lambeth Council is consulting on the Revised Draft Lambeth Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) as part of a two-stage process. The SPD will assist property owners and designers to deliver high quality design outcomes for all development. This second stage consultation runs from 08...
beta.lambeth.gov.uk beta.lambeth.gov.uk
 
section 3 page 6 - What does this mean in relation to Hondo tower?
Building Height and Mass - Conventional Frontages
3.11 With the need for continued growth in Lambeth and in recognition that London’s character is ever-evolving much of the new development coming forward is going to be taller than its current context. In some instances development may be substantially taller.
Designers should:
1. Step massing down in sensitive locations where it would be desirable to respond positively to established context; especially heritage assets and in relation to neighbour amenity.
2. Ensure the built forms work in immediate and longer views.
3. Use locally distinct materials and careful proportions to aid visual integration with local context.
Click to expand...
 
CH1 said:
Yeah the flat (where a Momentum member neighbour was holding a glass to the wall and called the police to an alleged domestic incident) was in Grove Park SE5 - which is quite near to Denmark Hill station.
Click to expand...
Brunswick Park, Camberwell not Grove Park, Peckham shurely?
 
lang rabbie said:
Brunswick Park, Camberwell not Grove Park, Peckham shurely?
Click to expand...
Can't be sure - but I read or heard a report it was Grove Park.
The BBC had this interesting photo from Reuters at the time.
Being an evil bastard with time on my hands I did pop up to do a recce and there were several street of same types doing the same thing.
Grove Park has some massive houses now converted into flats.
Does Brunswick Park have grand multiplexed houses? Does it have railings for putting cheeky posters on?
_107497079_054813337-1.jpg

A poster opposite Boris Johnson's London home shows not everyone supports his leadership bid
 
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