Mains powered smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms for Irish homes, from an independent Irish electrical supplier. All three carry a 9V battery backup so they keep working through a power cut, and all three interconnect, so when one sounds they all sound. Free delivery applies to every order from the first euro, with no minimum spend.
Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm in Ireland?
If you have any fuel burning appliance, a gas boiler, an oil burner, a stove, an open fire or a range, then yes. Carbon monoxide has no smell, no colour and no taste.
That is the whole reason the alarm exists. There is no warning sign to notice, and the early symptoms read as a headache or tiredness. Requirements differ between new builds, existing homes and rental properties, and they change, so check the current building regulations or ask your local authority if you need to know what applies to your specific property. The practical answer is simpler: if something in the house burns fuel, fit one.
Where should a carbon monoxide alarm be fitted?
In the same room as the fuel burning appliance, roughly one to three metres from it horizontally, and at breathing height rather than at ceiling level. Also fit one near sleeping areas.
Carbon monoxide mixes with air rather than rising like smoke, which is why the placement rules differ from a smoke alarm. Do not fit it directly above the appliance, in a cupboard, behind furniture, or next to a window, a door or an extractor, because moving air will delay detection. The alarms here are certified to BS EN 50291-1:2010 + A1:2012. Always follow the specific placement instructions supplied with the unit.
What is the difference between a smoke alarm and a heat alarm?
A smoke alarm detects smoke particles. A heat alarm detects a rapid rise in temperature and ignores smoke entirely, which is why it belongs in a kitchen or a garage.
Put a smoke alarm in a kitchen and it will go off every time you brown an onion, and the predictable result is that somebody takes the battery out. A heat alarm solves that: it will not react to cooking fumes, steam or exhaust, but it will react to an actual fire. Kitchens, garages, lofts and utility rooms are heat alarm territory. Everywhere else takes a smoke alarm.
Where should smoke alarms go in a house?
On every level, in the circulation space people would escape through, so hallways and landings. Not in kitchens, not in bathrooms, and not right beside a vent.
The logic is escape route rather than coverage. A fire that starts in a downstairs room is only dangerous to sleeping occupants once smoke reaches the stairs, so an alarm on the landing buys the time that matters. Bathrooms are excluded because steam triggers them and kitchens because cooking does, which is exactly what the heat alarm is for.
What does interconnected mean and why does it matter?
Interconnected alarms are linked, so when any one detects something every alarm in the house sounds. It matters most at night, when the fire is furthest from the people asleep.
A single alarm at the source of a fire may be inaudible two floors up behind a closed bedroom door. That is the scenario interconnection is designed for. The smoke and heat alarms in this range link up to 20 units and the carbon monoxide alarm links up to 40, which covers any domestic property comfortably and most commercial ones.
Do mains powered alarms need an electrician?
Yes. These are 240V units wired into the mains with battery backup, so installation and interconnection are work for a registered electrician.
Battery only alarms are the DIY option and they are far better than nothing, but they depend on somebody replacing the battery. A mains unit with a backup battery removes that failure mode, and interconnection between units needs the wiring done properly. If you are already having electrical work done, this is the moment to add them.
How long do smoke and carbon monoxide alarms last?
Sensors degrade, so alarms have a service life rather than lasting indefinitely. Every unit here has an end of life alert that tells you when it needs replacing.
That indicator matters more than people realise, because a visibly intact alarm past its sensor life gives false reassurance rather than protection. Check the manufactured date on the back of any alarm already in your house. Test every alarm monthly using the test button, which checks the sounder and the electronics, and follow the specific replacement interval printed on the unit.
Where can I buy smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in Ireland?
Shamrock Electrical supplies smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms across the Republic of Ireland, online with free delivery on every order, or over the counter in Rathcoole, County Dublin.
We are an independent Irish electrical business at Unit 22, Block 613, Jordanstown Road, Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, D24 TX98, just off the N7 and well positioned for the M50. The counter is open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 1:30pm. If you are working out how many units a property needs and where they should go, call 01 401 9907 or email sales@shamrockelectrical.ie and we will talk it through.
