The difference between First Alert's 80's smoke detectors

The difference between the First Alert smoke detector "generations" that were introduced in the '80s.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• first
• alert
• smoke
• detector
• alarm
• 80s

[CampKohler]

As far as Rainman is concerned, it's art, not science. They call it "suspension of belief." It's like in a western when you are not supposed to notice the 747 passing overhead.

[NLind]

@CampKohler I know that. Just pointing it out.

[MrMoterKid]

Do they still work properly? Like no false alarms?

[NLind]

Yep.

[TroySundt]

i hate the way the old smoke alarms turn yellow... i love it when you can find an old old smoke alarm like a GE Home Sentry and its like bright white.

[wilkes85]

hehe we still have the old 1993+ detector in our kitchen... it's well past it's expiry date, but still works good... a little too good LOL

[SAIL4323]

@coolbluelights I believe it is from the game show "The Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour".

[Tabby266]

Wonder if it would work to transplant a sensor from a different detector into another one?

[Videophile1983]

We had one of these smoke detectors in both of the houses where I grew up. My so-called father sold the house when I was almost 6 & we took the smoke detector with us. I had 8 different episodes of a nightmare about the smoke detector. I'm so glad they don't make 'em like this anymore. I MADE my parents get one of a different design in 1997 so that my nightmares would stop, but the 8th episode was nearly 10 years after the 7th. I only had the 8th episode cuz I saw one in a group home I lived in.

[totallytucker1234]

@NLind I have a smoke alarm that you test with a television remote control.

[italianman1992]

lolz we used to have that same one (shown at 00:31)

[electronixTech]

@NLind That's interesting to know about the Craftsman flashlight. I had to leave this light test detector behind because I was living at the time in a one bedroom apartment and the landlord had paid me back for the cost of the smoke detector. Now I've got 3 smoke detectors in a house I bought that are RF linked so when one in the basement sounds they all sound up stairs. I guess I like gadgets. :-)

[NLind]

@electronixTech Yeah they sadly stopped the Light Test units when they changed to their current design. I also found that using a strobe light set to a rapid flash can set it off also, and the Craftsman Oscilite flashlight that Sears had in around '98 or so was PERFECT for testing these, since it had a small reflector that swept back and forth rapidly. You could also use it as a regular flashlight, too.

[electronixTech]

@NLind I liked the light test model. I bought one in 1994 to replace a non functioning hard wired smoke detector. To test it I waved the beam of a flashlight at it very quickly and it would do a test beep. This was nice feature because with a very high ceiling you would need a ladder to get up there to push the test button on a regular smoke detector. I think they took this feature out because I haven't seen this on smoke detectors since.