Kidde PE120 Owner's Manual

PE120

For model: PE120

Smoke Alarm User’s Guide

AC Wire-in Single and/or Multiple Station (up to 24 Devices)
Photoelectric Smoke Alarm with 9 Volt Battery Back Up.

Thank you for purchasing this smoke alarm. It is an important part
of your family’s home safety plan. You can trust this product to
provide the highest quality safety protection. We know you expect
nothing less when the lives of your family are at stake. Kidde
alarms and accessories CAN ONLY BE interconnected with other
Kidde alarms and accessories as well as specified brands and mod­els of interconnect compatible alarms. Connection of Kidde prod­ucts to a non-specified manufacturer’s interconnect system, or
connection with non-specified equipment from another manufac­turer into an existing Kidde system could result in nuisance alarm­ing, failure to alarm, or damage to one or all of the devices in the
interconnect system. Refer to the User’s Guide supplied with each
Kidde product for interconnect compatible models, brands, and
devices. Refer to the wiring instructions in section 3 for NFPA initi­ating device limits.

For your convenience, write down the following

information. If you call our Consumer Hotline,

these are the first questions you will be asked.

Smoke Alarm Model Number
(located on back of alarm):

Date Code (located on back of alarm).
National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) and the manufacturer
recommends replacing this alarm
ten years from the date code:

Date of Purchase:
Where Purchased:

820-0904 REV. B

11/2006

WARNING! BATTERY DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE UNLESS A BAT­TERY IS PRESENT. REMOVAL OF THE SMOKE ALARM BAT­TERY AND DISCONNECTING OR LOSS OF AC POWER WILL
RENDER THE SMOKE ALARM INOPERATIVE.

ELECTRICAL RATING: 120 VAC, 60HZ, 80mA maximum per alarm
(maximum 80mA for originating unit with 24 devices interconnected).

CONTENTS OF THIS MANUAL

1 -- RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS FOR SMOKE ALARMS
2 -- LOCATIONS TO AVOID
3 -- INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
4 -- OPERATION AND TESTING
5 -- NUISANCE ALARMS
6 -- MAINTENANCE
7 -- LIMITATIONS OF SMOKE ALARMS
8 -- GOOD SAFETY HABITS
9 -- NFPA PROTECTION STANDARD 72

10 --

CALIFORNIA STATE FIRE MARSHAL REQUIRED INFORMATION

11 -- SERVICE AND WARRANTY

1. RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS FOR ALARMS

• Locate the first alarm in the immediate area of the bedrooms.
Try to monitor the exit path as the bedrooms are usually farthest
from the exit. If more than one sleeping area exists, locate addi­tional alarms in each sleeping area.

• Locate additional alarms to monitor any stairway as stairways act
like chimneys for smoke and heat.

• Locate at least one alarm on every floor level.

• Locate an alarm in every bedroom.

• Locate an alarm in every room where electrical appliances are
operated (i.e. portable heaters or humidifiers).

• Locate an alarm in every room where someone sleeps with the
door closed. The closed door may prevent an alarm not located
in that room from waking the sleeper.

• Smoke, heat, and combustion products rise to the ceiling and
spread horizontally. Mounting the smoke alarm on the ceiling in

the center of the room places it closest to all points in the room.
Ceiling mounting is preferred in ordinary residential construction.

• For mobile home installation, select locations carefully to avoid
thermal barriers that may form at the ceiling. For more details,
see MOBILE HOME INSTALLATION below.

• When mounting an alarm on the ceiling, locate it at a minimum
of 4” (10cm) from the side wall (see figure 1).

• When mounting the alarm on the wall, use an inside wall with
the top edge of the alarm at a minimum of 4” (10cm) and a
maximum of 12” (30.5cm) below the ceiling (see figure 1).

• Put smoke alarms at both ends of a bedroom hallway or large
room if the hallway or room is more than 30 ft (9.1 m) long.

• Install Smoke Alarms on sloped, peaked or cathedral ceilings at
or within 3 ft (0.9m) of the highest point (measured horizontal­ly). NFPA 72 states: “Smoke alarms in rooms with ceiling slopes
greater than 1 ft in 8 ft (.3m in 2.4m) horizontally shall be locat­ed on the high side of the room.” NFPA 72 states: “A row of
alarms shall be spaced and located within 3 ft (0.9m) of the
peak of the ceiling measured horizontally” (see figure 3).

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

MOBILE HOME INSTALLATION

Modern mobile homes have been designed and built to be energy
efficient. Install smoke alarms as recommended above (refer to
RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS and figures 1 and 2).

In older mobile homes that are not well insulated compared to
present standards, extreme heat or cold can be transferred from
the outside to the inside through poorly insulated walls and roof.
This may create a thermal barrier which can prevent the smoke
from reaching an alarm mounted on the ceiling. In such units,
install the smoke alarm on an inside wall with the top edge of the
alarm at a minimum of 4” (10cm) and a maximum of 12”
(30.5cm) below the ceiling (see figure 1).

If you are not sure about the insulation in your mobile home, or if
you notice that the outer walls and ceiling are either hot or cold,
install the alarm on an inside wall. For minimum protection, install
at least one alarm close to the bedrooms. For additional protec­tion, see SINGLE FLOOR PLAN in figure 2.

WARNING: TEST YOUR SMOKE ALARM OPERATION AFTER RV
OR MOBILE HOME VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN STORAGE, BEFORE
EACH TRIP AND AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK DURING USE.

2. LOCATIONS TO AVOID

• In the garage. Products of combustion are present when you
start your automobile.

• Less than 4” (10cm) from the peak of an “A” frame type ceil­ing.

• In an area where the temperature may fall below 40ºF or rise
above 100ºF, such as garages and unfinished attics.

• In dusty areas. Dust particles may cause nuisance alarm or fail­ure to alarm.

• In very humid areas. Moisture or steam can cause nuisance
alarms.

• In insect-infested areas.

• Smoke alarms should not be installed within 3 ft (.9m) of the
following: the door to a kitchen, the door to a bathroom con­taining a tub or shower, forced air supply ducts used for heating
or cooling, ceiling or whole house ventilating fans, or other high
air flow areas.

• Kitchens. Normal cooking may cause nuisance alarms. If a
kitchen alarm is desired, it should have an alarm silence feature
or be a photoelectric type.

• Near fluorescent lights. Electronic “noise” may cause nuisance
alarms.

• Smoke alarms are not to be used with detector guards unless
the combination (alarm and guard) has been evaluated and
found suitable for that purpose.

3. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

WIRING REQUIREMENTS

• This smoke alarm should be installed on a U.L. listed or recog­nized junction box. All connections should be made by a quali­fied electrician and must conform to article 760 of the U.S.
National Electrical Code, NFPA 72 and/or any other codes having
jurisdiction in your area.

• The appropriate power source is 120 Volt AC Single Phase sup­plied from a non-switchable circuit which is not protected by a
ground fault interrupter.

WARNING: This alarm cannot be operated from power derived

•
from a square wave, modified square wave or modified sine
wave inverter. These type of inverters are sometimes used to
supply power to the structure in off grid installations, such as
solar or wind derived power sources. These power sources pro­duce high peak voltages that will damage the alarm.

WIRING INSTRUCTIONS FOR AC QUICK CONNECT HARNESS
CAUTION! TURN OFF THE MAIN POWER TO THE CIRCUIT

BEFORE WIRING THE ALARM.

• For alarms that are used as single station, DO NOT CONNECT
THE RED WIRE TO ANYTHING. Leave the red wire insulating cap
in place to make certain that the red wire cannot contact any
metal parts or the electrical box.

• When alarms are interconnected, all interconnected units must
be powered from a single circuit.

• A maximum of 24 Kidde/Lifesaver devices may be interconnect­ed in a multiple station arrangement. The interconnect system
should not exceed the NFPA interconnect limit of 12 smoke
alarms and/or 18 alarms total (smoke, heat, carbon monoxide,