ELK Integrate Alarm for CO With Smokes?

[kevkmartin]

I recently installed a monitored CO detector in the utility room.  Installation, enrolment, and Central Station test  went great.
 
However, I noticed that when I test a Smoke Detector, ALL Smokes in the house go into alarm mode.
 
When I test the CO detector, there is no sound emitted from the Smoke Detectors throughout the house.
 
Is there any way to integrate the CO alarm and the Smoke alarm functions so that I will have better visibility (audibility) to the CO alarm?
 
P.S.  The ELK panel DOES properly announce both Smoke and CO alarms via the speakers.
 
Thanks!

 

[Del91574]

Legally, NO.
 
CO and Fire alarm have and must have completely different notifications. Fire alarm is temporal 3 (beep, beep, beep, 3 second pause) and CO is temp 4 (4 beeps, pause).
 
The best option is to install more speakers on the M1.

 

[kevkmartin]

Thanks!
 
I already have plenty of speakers.  I realize the tones are different.  I guess I was hoping that the Smokes were capable of making both sets of tone patterns.
 
I suppose I should install more than one CO detector (with one near the bedrooms).
 
I assume that when I do that, all of them will sound in unison, like the smokes do?

 

[fcwilt]

I know what code states BUT when you and your family are awakened in the middle of the night from a sound sleep is everyone going to remember what beep patterns mean what?
 
So I took a different approach that I consider to be better for me and my family.
 
The system can also be configured to conform to code if that need should arise.

 

[kevkmartin]

I know what code states BUT when you and your family are awakened in the middle of the night from a sound sleep is everyone going to remember what beep patterns mean what?
 
So I took a different approach that I consider to be better for me and my family.
 
The system can also be configured to conform to code if that need should arise.

 
So... what did you do / how did you configure the system?

 

[fcwilt]

So... what did you do / how did you configure the system?

 
The first thing I did was eliminate "audio hotspots". In a previous home with a commercially installed system there was a sounder on each level. The were painfully loud in the rooms near them but in the most distant rooms I don't know if they actually would have awakened someone like me, who is a very, very sound sleeper.
 
To address this issue I installed speakers in each room (other then bath rooms) and hallways - a total of 22 speakers - so the needed sound levels were achieved uniformally throughout the house with no "hotspots".
 
Then I used a ELK recordable multi-channel sound module and AT&T voices (text to voice technology) to record alerts such as "FIRE FIRE FIRE     LEAVE THE BUILDING NOW". I recorded male voice messages for fire, gas and intruder conditions as well as the standard beep patterns for each condition. Each message or sound was recorded in its own channel so I could use rules in the HAI unit to play the messages, sounds or both.
 
SInce certain family members have a tendency to "panic" when the alarm goes off I also recorded in a female voice a calm message which briefly states how to disarm the system. During alarm conditions this message is, at intervals, interspersed with the alarm messages/sounds.
 
After testing the system with the family and having them practice responding to each condition they elected to use the voice messages. Other alternatives are the beep patterns alone or the beep patterns alternating with the voice messages.
 
The multiple speakers with a quality amp insured that the messages are loud enough to awake the sleeping but are also clear and easily understood.
 
 
I know the code writers mean well but I do wonder how many folks in the middle of the night, with the alarm blaring away, and their adrenaline surging, would actually remain calm enough to recognise the beep patterns and act accordingly.
 
YMMV.

 

[Del91574]

@ Wilit
 
The code does not forbid using audio messages to annunciate conditions, if anything the sprit of the code encourages it (though it is not specifically addressed in residential fire alarm).
 
What the code forbids is using smoke detectors to annunciate conditions other than fire alarm, which is what would lead to confusion and misinformation to the end user. The only caveat of using a speaker or voice annunciation for fire/CO purposes is the intelligibility factor and the minimum dB levels that must exist for fire alarm annunciation purposes (AHJ's typically enforce 80 dB at pillow level no matter what). If one really wanted to be prudent, they would intersperse the temp-3 or temp-4 code with the audible annunciation of the event and basic instructions (I have all sorts of audio files to do this).
 
I'm not bringing the newer I4 detectors to this conversation because that is a far different beast and application, although the manufacturers addressed and provided a code compliant solution to the annunciation complexities.

 

[fcwilt]

@ Wilit
 
The code does not forbid using audio messages to annunciate conditions, if anything the sprit of the code encourages it (though it is not specifically addressed in residential fire alarm).
 
What the code forbids is using smoke detectors to annunciate conditions other than fire alarm, which is what would lead to confusion and misinformation to the end user. The only caveat of using a speaker or voice annunciation for fire/CO purposes is the intelligibility factor and the minimum dB levels that must exist for fire alarm annunciation purposes (AHJ's typically enforce 80 dB at pillow level no matter what). If one really wanted to be prudent, they would intersperse the temp-3 or temp-4 code with the audible annunciation of the event and basic instructions (I have all sorts of audio files to do this).
 
I'm not bringing the newer I4 detectors to this conversation because that is a far different beast and application, although the manufacturers addressed and provided a code compliant solution to the annunciation complexities.

 
Thanks for the information. As I mentioned we did test the system using messages and sounds together but the family did not think it provided any benefit. The capability is always there though.

 

[kevkmartin]

Could either of you provide the audio files for the temp-3 and temp-4 signals that you used?

I think the intersperse with voice announcements is the way I want to go, using my aux announce system.

The alarms will still sound as normal.