Dupont's Self-Charging Smoke Alarm

Even though most new houses these days are pre-wired for smoke detectors (devices we'd hope would also have battery backups), there are countless dwellings with battery-only devices that probably go unchecked, let alone all those houses out there with poorly positioned working alarms. But Dupont's Self-Charging Smoke Alarm kills two birds with one stone by integrating a smoke detector with rechargeable battery with a pass-through light bulb socket, so you can stick one in every room if you so choose. Apparently you can even test the thing without busting out the ladder — just flip the switch twice (or flip three times to silence the alarm and reset the device).

[Via Popgadget]

[Pete @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

These things have been available here in the UK for at least 5 years, with what appears to be exactly the same shape, but a different logo - FireAngel. Looks like you've been sent a re-branding exercise, not a new gadget.

[Red @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Cool idea, but not very attractive implementation. My wife wouldn't go for it unless it was in a closet...

[Bill Hudgins @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Practical, except that the two-year-old granddaughter will now have a great new way to wake up the grandparents. I'd like to see four flips to a lockout added :)

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Such a simple idea. I wonder why that's never been thought of before.

But they're $40 each. I can afford that, but for older homes in low income areas this would be a HUGE boon, and it's too expensive. DuPont should be charging <$30. What would be even better would be if they gave away a few thousand to local fire departments for them to give away for the holidays.

Still very cool, though.

[Ladderless @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I've got a whole lot of experience in these areas... Interesting idea, but there are a whole lot of limitations to this, the most critical is that it is not for use in any sort of fixture. It will pretty much work only with a plain, exposed light bulb. How many of those do you see? Every room? -- I doubt it!

Possibly a pendant fixture, but one that would have to be designed from the ground up to screw into a light socket, which would mean re-writing fixture mounting codes.

If any part of the fixture departs from the basic shape of a light fixture, it would change the air flow around the detector, which would invalidate the certification.

About the only place I see it is in utility areas, where a bare bulb wouldn't be a bad thing.

[Mick D @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Cool idea but. 1) You want a smoke detector located as high as possible, ideally on the ceiling. 2) Most ceiling light fixtures are enclosed in decorative glass, having it enclosed diminish it's effectiveness.

Only seems practical for a workshop or basement application where it could be left exposed.

[PeteC @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

That is quite good but I haqve this horrible feeling I might set the fire alarm off each time the bulb blows as you flip it on, no light, off, on again, oops there goes the fire alarm so now you have no light and an alarm going off! Would seem like an excellent idea for people renting houses though who don't want to make alterations but want to make sure that they survive their landlords death trap of a house if it ever goes up.

[Dave Kinsella @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I had one of these on the light fitting at the top of my stairs (the best location for a smoke detector in my house) but because I rarely use that light, the internal battery runs low and the unit starts to emit a regular 'chirp' noise. This is incredibly annoying and will continue for a good few hours with the light switched on to charge up the detector. I eventually took it down and shut it in the shed at the bottom of my garden to let it run down. It was still audible outside about three days later.

The moral of this story is, only use this on a light fitting that gets regular usage.

[Malatesta @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Re: pricing, if you actually follow through the links you'll see that $40 is MSRP but they're actually selling for $33 each or 2 for $28.96.

[Tyler @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

The first street url is wrong for some reason or other...

http://www.firststreetonline.com/product.jsp?id=38226

This one works.

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

So the joke will now go "How may -------s does it take to change a smoke alarm?".

[thirty3baboons @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

We've had 2 of these for the past 4 years (FireAngel)....they're hopeless...."Charge in less than an hour", yes and de-charge in about a fortnight unless you are that room constantly, which if you follow the instructions is a hallway or landing, so not often lit for long and hardly ever in the summer.

The best bit though, is when they run low during the night and start beeping and beeping and beeping and beeping, with no way of shutting them up other than leaving your light blazing into the night.

[pnarse @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

...and it'll still be crap.

[Fonz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

I got a few of these from the clearance shelf of my local supermarket. The biggest annoyance is that the delay time between flipping the switch twice is set so long that it's less then the time it takes me to turn the light on, climb the stairs and turn it off again. Guests who don't know which switch controls which lights often active the alarm trying to turn the hallway lights on.

On the plus side, I haven't had to change my smoke alarm battery or drill holes in the ceiling.

[Sizbut @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Whoa, what a miserable bunch.

I've had two of these for two years now (as said they have been available in the UK for a long time).

They work and seem to do the job (short of burning down the house they've been no hassle).

Yes a few false alarms when flicking the switch on/off but rather that than no alarm. Maybe we have more ceiling fittings as standard here or I just have the right lampshades.

ps. Bill, I sincerely hope what you were trying to suggest was a lock-on feature - a fire alarm with an offswitch isn't a fire alarm.

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

my smoke detector doesn't just use a square battery but it connects and links to electricity and other alarms of the house. The models we use suck because if you do anything in the garage it will start beeping even if you are just using the saw and it beeps louder than anything i've heard (except monster drag races).

I wouldn't get these for the purpose on how do you disable it when you want to cook or do something that will guarantee it going *beep beep beep*?

[Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

A landlord of mine thought that it would be a great idea to put those kind of alarms throughout the house, as well as one more standard one.

For one, there was the annoying running down beeping effect mentioned earlier, but also these things were truly awful. After a small fire in the kitchen not setting nearby light fitting alarm of, but managing to set off the normal alarm a number of rooms away, I asked a friend to smoke for a while underneath the light fitting smoke alarm.... Nothing happened for ten minutes and then all we got were a couple of pathetics beeps.
Unless Dupont have really changed the design, I'd keep away.

[MingyMingy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:56AM]

Uh.. Dude.. Solar power :D