In places like kitchens, where smoke is very often a part of daily routine, it might not be practical for one to use smoke detectors to trigger fire alarms. For this reason, the heat alarm would best suit such an environment. A heat alarm is a form of technology that uses the air temperature to sense fire. Nevertheless, in such places, it is advisable to use both a heat alarm and an intelligent smoke detector in order to enable the early detection of a real fire.

A heat alarm does not react to smoke at all and therefore cannot detect a fire through this approach. It only does so by monitoring the temperature of the room. Depending on the particular place they are meant to be utilized, they can be used with or without smoke detectors. It is possible for the two gadgets to be used hand-in hand as a means of upping your response time in the event of a fire. That said, a heat alarm is the best supplement to the conventional smoke alarm system. Heat alarms are small gadgets and can be mounted on the walls or ceiling of the house very similar in positioning to the smoke detector.

Virtually any indoor place you visit has a known or unknown average room temperature and a range that defines the highest and lowest temperature. The heat alarm system is installed in such a way that when such ranges are exceeded, the alarm is triggered. Of course, the ranges vary from one place to another and even one room to another in the same building. Proper calibration of the heat alarm is thus important in this regard so as to avoid false positives.

Once the alarm goes off, it sets off whatever fire response mechanism one has in that building. In this case, if the building has a sprinkler system, water will be released to douse the fire. The heat alarm works in two ways. It could either detect the fire by monitoring the speed of temperature rise over a given period (sometimes called a rate-of-rise alarm). A rapid rise could signal a fire. Alternatively, the alarm could be set to detect temperature above a certain fixed threshold.

An important thing to note here is that the heat alarm is best installed in areas such as kitchens, garages or even attics. In general, these would be areas where smoke detectors would not function effectively. However, you should still install the smoke detectors in your hallways, bedrooms and so on. Big organizations would normally link the alarm system to the local fire stations. Domestic use may not necessarily have that due to cost constraints. The good thing though is that the location of the heat alarm would help mark and identify the location of the fire and thus facilitate evacuation from the building since it will be clear which sections are affected.

The application of heat alarms will often depend on the specific type used. For instance, for a closed room installed with rate-of-rise, having a door to the room which is frequently opened and closed, could lead to a sudden change in temperature and might keep triggering the false alarm. Ultimately, installing the device will solely depend on your premises and specific safety requirements and expectations. Nonetheless, it is always advisable to seek an expert opinion before installing a heat alarm.