What is a Optical Alarm and where do we use optical alarms?

The Optical Alarms from Aico are more immune to the invisible smoke produced by "the burning of the toast" or similar cooking fumes. The optical sensors are more responsible to the smouldering fires producing large particle smoke, typical of fires that involve furniture and bedding. This characteristic makes them ideal for being sited in the hallways close to the kitchens, where false alarms from the ionisation alarms may be a particular problem. The BS 5839: Part 6:2004 recommends the use of the optical alarms in circulation spaces of a dwelling, such as hallways, landings, etc. The optical alarms are prone to a false alarm if they are exposed to steam, so they should not be located too close to poorly ventilated bathrooms or shower rooms.

How do the Aico Optical Alarms Work?

1. A light beam is pulsed in the sensor chamber every 10 seconds to "look/search" for smoke. Any smoke present has to be visible to the naked eye so that the receptor may "see" it. If no smoke is detected, the alarm will remain in a standby state.
2. When large particle smoke is detected, the light beam will be scattered onto the light receptor.
3. This will then send an electrical signal to the IC (Integrated Circuit).
4. If two consecutive signals are received by the IC, the alarm will sound.