Firex TPCI Owner's Manual

The ionization type alarms are generally more effective at detecting fast,
flaming fires which consume combustible materials rapidly and spread
quickly. Sources of these fires may include paper burning in a waste
container or a grease fire in the kitchen. The photoelectric type alarms are
generally more effective at detecting slow, smoldering fires which smolder
for hours before bursting into flame. Sources of these fires may include
cigarettes burning in couches or bedding.

!WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS SMOKE ALARM WITH ANY EXTERNAL BUG SCREENS OR

SMOKE ALARM GUARDS

. USE OF THESE TYPES OF DEVICES MAY REDUCE

SMOKE ALARM RESPONSE TIME

.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
YOUR SMOKE ALARM

• Before installing your smoke alarm, you must read this entire
Owner’s Manual.

• Install a smoke alarm in each room and area of your home. See
WHERE YOU SHOULD INSTALL YOUR SMOKE ALARMS.

• Smoke alarms cannot give you an early warning of fire or smoke
unless you install, use and maintain them by following these
instructions.

• You must hear the alarm’s warning sound and quickly respond to it to
reduce the risk of damage, injury or death that may result from a fire.

• Your smoke alarm is packaged with an inactive battery which will be
activated during the installation process.

• The smoke alarm must be tested upon installation and every week
after that.

• A smoke alarm that beeps about once per minute has a battery
which is weak, and the entire unit must be discarded according to
procedure. This unit contains a sealed lithium battery which cannot
be replaced by the end user. See HOW TO REMOVE AND DISCARD
YOUR SMOKE ALARM.

• A smoke alarm should never be used, in any case, for more than 10
years.

WHAT SMOKE ALARMS CAN DO

Smoke alarms can only HELP protect your home and family against loss
from a fire. The best protection is obtained by installing smoke alarms in
each room, and each other area of the home, making sure the people in
the home will be able to hear and respond to the alarm sound.

Your smoke alarm meets or exceeds the requirements for audibility, or
loudness, set by Underwriters’ Laboratories, Inc.

!WARNING: SMOKE ALARMS MAY GIVE YOU A WARNING OF FIRE AND SMOKE, BUT ONLY

IF YOU INSTALL

, USE AND MAINTAIN THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

WHAT SMOKE ALARMS WILL NOT DO

A SMOKE ALARM WILL NOT WORK WITHOUT POWER. Your smoke alarm
needs a good battery that is installed correctly to work. A smoke alarm will
not work if its battery is missing, dead or put in wrong.

A SMOKE ALARM WILL NOT SENSE A FIRE WHEN THE SMOKE CANNOT
REACH THE ALARM. If a fire starts in a chimney, wall, roof, the other side
of a closed door, or any other isolated area, the smoke alarm may not
sense the smoke and will not give a warning. If you do not have an alarm in
the bedroom, and sleep with the door closed, a fire inside the bedroom
may not sound the alarm located in another room. Therefore, a smoke
alarm must be placed both inside and outside all bedrooms. A SMOKE
ALARM WILL NOT PROMPTLY SENSE A FIRE EXCEPT IN THE AREA OR
ROOM IN WHICH THE SMOKE ALARM IS LOCATED.

1

Smoke Alarm

©2002 Maple Chase Company

MODEL TPCI

TAMPER PROOF
IONIZATION TYPE

PLEASE READ AND SAVE THIS MANUAL

Installer: Please leave this manual with
the product.

Battery
Operated

110-1009D

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2

FAMILY ROOM

DINING ROOM

KITCHEN

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

LIVING ROOM

DENOTES SMOKE ALARM
WITH FALSE ALARM CONTROL

DENOTES SMOKE ALARM

KITCHEN

DINING

ROOM

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

LIVING ROOM

FOR EXAMPLE:
A. A SMOKE ALARM MAY NOT SENSE A FIRE ON ANOTHER LEVEL OF A

RESIDENCE OR BUILDING. A second-floor smoke alarm may not detect
a fire on the first floor or in the basement of a building. Therefore, smoke
alarms must be installed on every floor or level of your home or building.

B. IF THE SMOKE ALARM IS LOCATED ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL THAN

THE BEDROOMS, OR IN AN ISOLATED AREA OF THE HOUSE OR
RESIDENCE, IT IS LESS LIKELY TO WAKE UP PEOPLE SLEEPING IN
THE BEDROOMS.

ALL TYPES OF SMOKE ALARMS HAVE LIMITATIONS. NO TYPE OF SMOKE ALARM
CAN SENSE EVERY KIND OF FIRE OR SMOKE EVERY TIME.

Ionization smoke alarms are your best overall choice for reliability and
fast response time (NFP Research Foundation and U.S. Fire
Administration Data) since they quickly sense small invisible smoke
particles and also sense large visible smoke particles. Note,
photoelectric smoke alarms may respond faster in certain types of fires,
for example slow smoldering fires with large visible smoke particles. For
additional protection the NFPA recommends the use of multiple smoke
alarms and heat detectors.

You should use both battery-powered and direct-wired 120-volt AC­powered smoke alarms. Since A SMOKE ALARM WILL NOT WORK
WITHOUT POWER, having alarms that will work from two different power
sources can give you extra protection in case of a dead battery, or an AC
power failure.

Using a smoke alarm in a smoky area like a kitchen, or in a high humidity
area near a shower, can cause false alarms. DO NOT TAKE THE ALARM
DOWN. DO NOT SHUT OFF THE POWER TO THE ALARM. IF YOU HAVE A
FALSE ALARM, TRY WAVING A TOWEL NEAR THE ALARM TO CLEAR
THE SENSING CHAMBER. A SMOKE ALARM WILL NOT HELP PROTECT
YOU IF IT IS NOT POWERED OR THE UNIT IS REMOVED. An alarm with a
FALSE ALARM CONTROL feature should be used (where allowed by state
and local codes) to minimize these nuisance alarms.

A SMOKE ALARM MAY NOT ALWAYS WARN YOU ABOUT FIRES CAUSED
BY CARELESSNESS OR SAFETY HAZARDS SUCH AS SMOKING IN BED,
VIOLENT EXPLOSIONS, ESCAPING GAS, IMPROPER STORAGE OF
FLAMMABLE MATERIALS, OVERLOADED ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS,
NATURAL CAUSES SUCH AS LIGHTNING, CHILDREN PLAYING WITH
MATCHES, AND ARSON. Fire prevention is your best safeguard.

Installing smoke alarms may make you eligible for lower insurance rates,
but SMOKE ALARMS ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR INSURANCE. Home­owners and renters alike should continue to insure their lives and properties.

WHERE YOU SHOULD INSTALL YOUR SMOKE ALARMS

The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Standard 72, Section 2-2
provides information regarding the smoke detection equipment required
within the family unit.

Section 2-2.1.1.1 reads as follows:
“Smoke detectors shall be installed outside of each separate sleeping

area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms and on each additional
story of the family living unit including basements and excluding crawl
spaces, and unfinished attics. In new construction, a smoke detector shall
be installed in each sleeping room.”

Section A-2.5.2.1 Smoke Detection - Are More Smoke Detectors
Desirable? reads as follows:

“ The required number of smoke detectors might not provide reliable early
warning protection for those areas separated by a door from the areas
protected by the required smoke detectors. For this reason it is
recommended that the householder consider the use of additional smoke
detectors for those areas for increased protection. The additional areas
include the basement, bedrooms, dining room, furnace room, utility room,
and hallways not protected by the required smoke detectors. The
installation of smoke detectors in kitchens, attics (finished or unfinished),
or garages is not normally recommended, as these locations occasionally
experience conditions that can result in improper operation.”

This equipment should be installed in accordance with the National Fire
Protection Association’s Standard 72, NFPA, Batterymarch Park, Quincy,
MA 02269.

THIS STANDARD MEANS YOU SHOULD INSTALL AND USE A SMOKE
ALARM IN EVERY ROOM AND AREA OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD OR BUILDING
FOR BEST PROTECTION.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL HELP YOU SAFELY PLACE YOUR SMOKE ALARMS:

• Do install your smoke alarms in accordance with all applicable laws,
regulations, standards and codes.

• Do install a smoke alarm in the hallway outside every bedroom area.
If the bedroom has a door, there must be a smoke alarm inside and
outside the bedroom. See Figure 1. If your home or residence has
two bedroom areas, a smoke alarm must be placed outside the
second bedroom area, and inside the bedroom(s) if they have doors.
See Figure 2.

2

IF YOUR HOUSEHOLD OR RESIDENCE HAS SEVERAL FLOORS, THERE
MUST BE AN ALARM ON EVERY FLOOR, INCLUDING IN THE BASEMENT.
See Figure 3.

• Do install a smoke alarm in every
bedroom where a smoker sleeps.

• Do install a smoke alarm in every room
and bedroom where electrical
appliances (such as portable heaters,
humidifiers or electric blankets) may be
operated while someone sleeps.

• Do install a smoke alarm inside every
bedroom where someone sleeps with
the door closed. Smoke can be blocked
by the closed door or the alarm may not
wake the sleeper if the door is closed.

• Do install smoke alarms at both ends of a bedroom hallway if it is
more than 30 feet long.

• Do install basement smoke alarms at the bottom of the basement stairwell.

• Do install second floor smoke alarms at the top of the first-to­second floor stairwell, as long as no door or obstruction blocks the
path of the smoke to the alarm.

• Do install a smoke alarm in a room where flammable household
chemicals or solvents are stored. For example, if you keep
kerosene, paint thinner or certain types of contact cements within
your residence, install a smoke alarm in that room, unless not
recommended by a situation described in the section WHERE YOU
SHOULD NOT INSTALL SMOKE ALARMS.

• Do install smoke alarms on the ceiling not closer than 4 inches to any
wall or corner, or on the wall at least 4 inches but no more than 12
inches from the ceiling. See Figure 4.

• If your ceiling has radiant heat or has a lack of insulation to the out­side, ceiling mounting of your smoke alarm is not advisable due to tem­perature variations. You should follow the wall-mounting procedures.

• If you have a peaked, sloped, gabled or cathedral-style ceiling, mount
your smoke alarm 4 to 36 inches (3 feet) MEASURED HORIZONTALLY
FROM THE HIGHEST POINT ON THE CEILING, as shown in Figure 4.

• Do install smoke alarms in both rooms (areas) that are divided by a
partial wall extending 8 or more inches down from the ceiling. See
smoke alarms located in rooms B and C in Figure 4.

SPECIAL DIRECTIONS FOR INSTALLING
YOUR SMOKE ALARM IN MANUFACTURED
AND MOBILE HOMES

!WARNING: SMOKE ALARMS MAY BE INSTALLED ON THE CEILINGS OF MANUFACTURED

AND MOBILE HOMES IF THERE IS ADEQUATE INSULATION IN THE CEILING

.

Install smoke alarms on walls only between 4 and 12 inches from the ceil­ing. Install smoke alarms on inside walls in older homes or in homes where
you are not sure of the insulation level. In older homes (manufactured in
approximately 1976 or before) that have little or no insulation compared to
today’s standards, uninsulated metal outside walls and roofs can transfer
heat and cold from the outdoors, making the air right next to the wall or
roof hot or cold, compared to the rest of the air inside the room. These
layers of hot or cold air can prevent smoke from reaching a smoke alarm.
If your mobile home has this condition, put your smoke alarm on an inside
wall only, between 4 and 12 inches from the ceiling. If you are not sure
about the insulation in your mobile home or if you notice the outside walls
or ceiling are unusually hot or cold, put the smoke alarm on an inside wall.

FIGURE 3

BEDROOM

BED-

ROOM

BATH

BASEMENT

FURNACE

ROOOM

KITCHEN

FIGURE 4

3

SLEEPING

AREA

KITCHEN

LIVING

AREA

BEDROOM

BATH

KITCHEN LIVING ROOM

MOBILE HOME

EFFICIENCY APARTMENT

FIGURE 5: EFFICIENCY APARTMENT AND MOBILE HOME INSTALLATION