Smoke detectors for shop

[ericm]

My 40x56 shop and attached 40x24 farm equipment storage is 500' from the house. I'm finishing the electrical plan for the electrician and was going to add some smoke detectors. Wifi so I can hopefully get some indication if they're going off when I'm not in the shop. But I got to wondering, are there any requirements per code? Like for the number of detectors, or types (i.e. connected vs not)? The electricians I've talked to have not mentioned smoke detectors but we might not have gotten to that level of detail.


This is in Oregon which is using 2023 NEC. There will be an electrical inspection.

 

[Higgins]

My 40x56 shop and attached 40x24 farm equipment storage is 500' from the house. I'm finishing the electrical plan for the electrician and was going to add some smoke detectors. Wifi so I can hopefully get some indication if they're going off when I'm not in the shop. But I got to wondering, are there any requirements per code? Like for the number of detectors, or types (i.e. connected vs not)? The electricians I've talked to have not mentioned smoke detectors but we might not have gotten to that level of detail.


This is in Oregon which is using 2023 NEC. There will be an electrical inspection.

look at using HEAT detectors!
The problem with the typical smoke detector is every time you start and engine, welding, grinding, etc it will set off an alarm!!

 

[rmanrman]

A building that is not used to occupy humans should have Heat detectors with rate of rise function to alert a fire alarm panel of a fast rising fire. Smoke detectors will falsely alarm in a shop environment.

 

[ericm]

A building that is not used to occupy humans should have Heat detectors with rate of rise function to alert a fire alarm panel of a fast rising fire. Smoke detectors will falsely alarm in a shop environment.

Thanks! Is two in the shop room and one in the storage room a reasonable number? I'm trying to put them in places where there won't be a vehicle or equipment in the way when I have to get out a ladder to get to them as they're screaming at me because the batteries are out.

 

[BrandonV]

NFPA 72 recommends no smoke detector in the garage but it's not a hard requirement. I've had multiple in a garage just fine. Depends on what you're doing in the garage and how well it's sealed to the elements.

 

[75gmck25]

If you buy smoke detectors, make sure they are the new type with 10 year sealed battery. Much more convenient than changing batteries every 6-12 months, and not much more expensive to purchase. 10 year with hard-wired gives you the best of both AC and battery power.

 

[darrowco]

Related, yearly testing of the smokes doesn't hurt. One of my first jobs was doing monthly testing of smoke detectors at manufacturers, malls, commercial buildings - the motivation for the customers that paid for this was a break on their insurance rates. I can recall only a failure or two out of hundreds or thousands that I tested. Worth the effort? Can't say but the insurance companies acted like it was. Fwiw, I try and test at home every year or so. These consumer-grade testers are cheaply built but ok for occasional use. The commercial-grade units are too pricey.



Amazon Smoke Tester