The professional standard

Dan Bacon of Sprue Safety Products says that where fire and safety is concerned it is vitally important to work with a manufacturer you can trust.

Did you know that a working smoke alarm doubles a person’s chance of surviving a fire and can reduce fatalities by up to 90%?

Sprue Safety Products range of products under the BRK brand offers a level of protection and performance that few can match. BRK invented the first ever domestic smoke alarm and since that first product was launched onto the market over 40 years ago, have continued to manufacture, market and sell innovative, reliable and cost-effective fire and CO safety solutions to the trade sector.

Trust in the brand

The Building Regulations, Approved Document B and BS 5839: Part 6: 2004 code of practice for design, installation and maintenance of fire detection in dwellings, emphasises the importance of installing mains-powered interconnected alarms with a battery back-up system. Generally the greater the fire risk, the more sophisticated the system should be.

Each smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm in the BRK range is manufactured in accordance with the very latest BS EN standards and clearly displays the BSi kitemark and licence number. The alarms feature some of the most advanced technology available and include three types of battery back-up system, satisfying the needs of the most demanding specification project or budget.

The 9V alkaline battery back-up is one such system which has proved to be a very popular model with installers and wholesalers alike. Designed for use where back-up technology is required and budget is a limiting factor, it is a very effective system with an emphasis on the user to maintain its back-up potential by changing the battery when its power has depleted.

The type of back-up system which you choose is largely dependant on the type of installation and therefore we also offer a tamper proof solution where the batteries cannot be removed. In this solution the rechargeable capacitor back-up power cells ensure back-up power for a minimum of 72 hours.

The final system offered is a rechargeable lithium battery back-up which is a reliable, highly specified back-up system incorporating the latest lithium battery-powered technology. Its built-in tamper-proof cells are proven to have a minimum life of 10 years and reliable battery back-up can be assured for at least six months when the alarm is without mains power. This unit is truly the ultimate choice for any specification project.

Get the right alarm for the job

It goes without saying that electrical contractors need to be sure that they are installing high quality, reliable and cost-effective fire and carbon monoxide (CO) safety products, but what they also need to ensure is that they are installing the right alarm for the job – and that is where your knowledge of the market comes in.

Understanding the potential dangers in the home and the technology available to help prevent them is absolutely vital for any installation project and by arming yourself with this knowledge you can be an invaluable source of information to your customers.

Smoke alarms

Optical sensing technology is generally more sensitive than ionisation technology at detecting large particles of smoke which tend to be produced in greater amounts by slow smouldering fires. The sources of these types of fires can vary but they generally include cigarettes burning on furniture or faulty wiring. This technology greatly reduces nuisance alarms and is suitable for use in areas adjacent to where cooking fumes are often present.

For areas such as bedrooms and living areas where the smoke alarm is not likely to come into contact with cooking fumes, we would recommend the use of ionisation technology which is found in the BRK M300 or 670 range of alarms. This provides early warning of fast flaming fires that may spread rapidly and burn without producing thick smoke, for example fires which include paper burning in a waste bin or chip pan fires.

Heat alarms

Did you know that half of all fires start in the kitchen? Heat alarms have been specifically developed for use in places where a smoke detector is not suitable, for
example where there are high ambient air temperatures, high humidity or in dusty and dirty environments such as kitchens, attics and garages.

Condensation or cooking fumes may also cause a smoke detector to be activated falsely therefore a heat alarm fitted (along with a smoke alarm elsewhere) is ideal and for this type of situation BRK recommends the H380i or 680 range of alarms.

Carbon monoxide alarms

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odourless, deadly gas and because you can’t see, taste or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it’s there. Potential sources of CO include (but are not limited to) gas boilers, blocked chimneys, broken flues, portable heaters, open fires, wood burners and car exhausts.

Today’s energy efficient airtight homes contribute to the problem further by trapping CO-polluted air inside the home which is why new legislation for homes where a solid fuelled appliance has been installed now insists on installing a carbon monoxide alarm.

Additionally, from 1 January 2011 any property with hidden flues and no inspection hatches must fit a BS EN certified alarm and inspection hatch by 2013. There are numerous new products on the market which would be suitable for this job however as with anything it is important to use a name that you can trust, which is why we recommend the BRK CO4000 or CO850 range of alarms which should be installed in the bedroom and general living areas around the home.

Wireless technology

Not everyone realises that a smoke alarm needs to be situated on every floor of the home and while this may be easy in a new build property it can cause some issues when you have to interlink the alarms in a retrofit project.

This is where wireless technology comes into its own as it enables a wireless link between smoke and heat alarms and therefore when one unit senses danger all of the alarms connected to the system will sound giving you more time to escape. Wireless technology is an installers dream as it eliminates the need to run long interconnecting wires around a building, ensuring greater time, greater output and savings.

BRK’s CB600RF Radio Base can be used with any of the 230V smoke and heat alarm series and has a simple push-fit application which allows for quick and easy connection between the base and alarm – quick to install and quick to link.

Make that sale

You know your customers better than anyone and therefore if they are going to come to anyone for advice it will be you – which is why it is important that you can provide the right advice and products every time.

By working with a brand you can trust, which can supply a full range of smoke and heat alarms suitable for any installation, you can be sure that there won’t be any complaints from your customers. But most of all you can rest assured that if they are called into action, the products which you supplied will provide the protection
which they are designed for.

www.brkelectronics.eu