Question:
Basement Smoke/Heat detector set off during a storm. Of course I wasn't home to let the fire company in etcc..

Would any type of power surge or local lightening strike trigger my fire (smoke/heat) detector zone and not the burglar alarm. ie.... is the smoke/heat detector moreso effected by electrical storms etc.... I understand smoke detectors can be triggered by the ionization effects of lightening. Any truth to this?

I've concluded that it may be more trouble than its worth and am considering replacing the smoke/heat detector with heat only or pulling the fire all together.

I have a separate smoke detection system in the house that is not wired to the alarm company.

Answer: During a lightning storm, anything can happen if an electrical surge comes into the house. Sometimes, if a lightning strike is close enough, you can even experience a welding of the contacts in you alarm switches, so that they won't open when the door or window is opened. Obviously, it's always a good idea to check your contacts after a severe lightning storm.

So, to answer your question, yes it's possible that a zone could trip during a lightning storm. Why the fire zone, could just be chance. Could be the smoke detector is dirty to begin with and was just on the edge of going into an alarm condition and the storm surge or even the vibration from the thunder can cause a false alarm.

If your smoke detectors are the ionozation type then it isn't out of the question that ozone could set them off, but I would think it would have to be a considerable amount of O3 to do it. The big question is however, do you have ionozation detectors or smoke detectors. Most residential systems have smoke detectors, (looking for visible smoke) rather the ion type. The small battery powered smoke detectors and the type put in by electricians, wired to 110vac are usually ionzation. Heat detectors are not life safety devices. Minimally a smoke detector should be present on each level of the house. Other requirments may apply depending upon your type of house and the area that you live in.

As far as elimiating the fire detection, I would advise against it. First, if you think about it, a fire would be more devestating to your family then a burglary. Secondly, you may have to give up your discount on your homeowners policy if you diconnect from central. Thirdly, if you disconnect from central, your house could burn for a pretty long time, if you were not home, before someone else would notice the smoke.

I would guess that you should try to find out why it happened. If the detector is able to be cleaned, open it up and inspect the smoke chamber. If it's dirty, you could assume that the dirt in combination with the storm could be the culprit. Clean it out and put the fire signal reporting from central station on a temorary hold to give it some time to see if it will trip again. If you work close to home or have a responsible neighbor, you might have central call you and/or the neighbor, for the next month or so, before notifying the fire department. You could just replace the detector just *** because*** if you can't find a real cause. Put your fire signals on a temporary hold with central, to see if the problem reoccurs. etc etc.

But I would ***not*** pull the fire system out nor would I dicontinue fire reporting. This is your life and family and all your possesions,you are risking here. Fires don't always happen to someone else. Just loosing all you possesions in a fire is a devastating experience. Insurance cannot replace photos and keepsakes. One of the most common comments from those who have experience a fire is ..... that they've lost a part of the history of their family.