Kidde RF-SM-DC User Manual
READ AND SAVE THIS USER’S GUIDE
Wireless
Smoke Alarm
• Battery-powered
Thank you for purchasing a Kidde Wireless Interconnected Smoke Alarm, part of the
Kidde Wireless System. It is an important part of your family’s home safety plan. You
can trust this product to provide the highest level of quality and performance. We
know you expect nothing less when the lives of your family are at stake. This alarm, in
combination with other Kidde Wireless products, provides you with an interconnected
alarm system without having the inconvenience or extensive labor of rewiring your
home. An interconnected alarm system provides an earlier warning to smoke or fire by
linking alarms so that when one unit sounds, it will trigger all other units to sound,
thereby giving a family more time to escape. Kidde estimates that nearly 100 million
U.S. homes either do not have interconnected smoke alarms, or have limited coverage.
For homes that do have interconnected systems, this battery powered alarm can provide additional fire protection in other areas of the home.
Some of the features that are included in this unit are:
• Battery-powered interconnect to allow for placement of alarms where wiring is not
accessible.
• Smart HUSH
TM
feature allows you to quiet your alarm while taking care of a non-
emergency event (see section 4).
• Remote HUSH
®
feature allows you to temporarily desensitize the initiating Kidde
®
Wireless alarm from any Kidde® Wireless unit (see section 4).
• Remote Push To Test prompts every Kidde Wireless device to perform a self-diagnosis. Simply press the button on any Kidde Wireless unit to activate(see section 4).
• Internal timer reminds you to replace your unit after 10 years to ensure the most
reliable protection (see section 6).
• Low Battery HUSH
®
feature allows you to stop the smoke alarm from producing a
low battery warning for up to twelve hours, in order to maintain protection without
having to replace the battery at inconvenient times.
RF-SM-DC
SIGNALING
LISTED
U
L
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:
Wireless, Battery-Powered, Single and/or Multiple Station (24 devices maximum, see section
3) Ionization Smoke Alarm with
Smart HUSH
TM
Control to temporarily silence nuisance
alarms.
This alarm detects products of combustion using the ionization technique. It contains 0.9
microcurie of Americium 241, a radioactive material (see Section 9). Distributed under U.S.
NRC License No. 32-23858-01E. Manufactured in compliance with U.S. NRC safety criteria in
10 CFR 32.27. The purchaser is exempt from any regulatory requirements. Do not try to
repair the smoke alarm yourself. Refer to the instructions in Section 13 for service.
WARNING! Ionization sensing alarms may detect invisible fire particles (associated with fast flaming fires) sooner than photoelectric alarms. Photoelectric
sensing alarms may detect visible fire particles (associated with slow smoldering fires) sooner than ionization alarms. Home fires develop in different
ways and are often unpredictable. For maximum protection, Kidde recommends that both Ionization and Photoelectric alarms be installed.
WARNING! REMOVAL OF THE SMOKE ALARM BATTERIES WILL RENDER THE
SMOKE ALARM INOPERATIVE.
IMPORTANT! READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLATION AND KEEP THIS
USER’S GUIDE NEAR THE ALARM FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
This alarm is interconnect compatible with the following alarms and accessories:
• Smoke alarms: RF-SM-ACDC, and RF-SM-DC
• Smoke Sounder: RF-SND (not a UL certified accessory)
See User’s Guides for specific application information.
User’s Guide
CONTENTS OF THIS USER’S GUIDE
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 NRC INFORMATION
10 NFPA PROTECTION STANDARD 72
11 CALIFORNIA STATE FIRE MARSHAL REQUIRED INFORMATION
12 TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE
13 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 they act as chimneys for smoke and
heat.
• Locate at least one alarm on every floor.
• Locate an alarm in every bedroom.
• Locate an alarm in every room where electrical appliances operate (i.e. portable heaters
or humidifiers).
• Locate an alarm in every room where someone sleeps with the door closed. The closed
door may prevent a sleeping individual from hearing an alarm that is not inside the bedroom. Kidde recommends installing a Wireless Smoke Sounder in all rooms where older
adults, individuals with partial hearing loss, and children sleep.
• Smoke, heat, and combustion products rise to the ceiling and spread horizontally.
Mounting the smoke alarm in the center of the ceiling 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” (10 cm) from the
sidewall (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” (10 cm) and a maximum of 12” (30.5 cm) 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 feet (9.1 m) long.
• Install Smoke Alarms on sloped, peaked or cathedral ceilings at or within 3ft (0.9m) of the
highest point (measured horizontally). NFPA 72 states: “Smoke alarms in rooms with ceiling slopes greater than 1 foot in 8 feet (.3m in 2.4 m) horizontally shall be located on the
high side of the room.” NFPA 72 states: “A row of detectors shall be spaced and located
within 3 ft (0.9m) of the peak of the ceiling measured horizontally” (see Figure 3).
4"
FIGURE 1
)
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 Figure 1. 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 that 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” (10 cm) and a maximum of 12” (30.5 cm) 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 R.V. 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.
●
SmokeAlarmsforMinimumProtection
●
SmokeAlarmsforAdditionalProtection
▲
IonizationTypeSmoke Alarms with
Hush
®
ControlorPhotoelectricType
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3
(10 cm)
HERE
BEDROOM
MINIMUM
NEVER
HERE
BEDROOM
BEDROOM
DEAD AIR
SPACE
4"
(10 cm)
MINIMUM
12"
(30.5 cm)
MAXIMUM
SIDE
WALL
MULTIPLE
FLOOR PLAN
BEDROOM
BEDROOM
HALL
LIVING
KITCHEN
ROOM
BASEMENT
4"
(102 mm)
3'
(0.9 m)
ANYWHERE
IN THIS AREA
IN THIS
AREA
3'
(0.9 m)
NOT
3'
(0.9 m)
IN THIS
NOT
AREA
ANYWHERE
IN THIS
AREA
4"
(102 mm
CEILING
BEST
HERE
ACCEPTABLE
SINGLE FLOOR PLAN
BEDROOM KITCHEN
LIVING ROOM
• In dusty areas. Dust particles may cause nuisance alarm or a 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 paddle 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, amateur radios, electrical equipment or other devices known to
transmit an RF signal. Electronic “noise” may cause nuisance alarms.
• Near large metal surfaces and bundles of wire.
Smoke alarms are not to be used with detector guards unless the combination (alarm and
guard) have been evaluated and found suitable for that purpose.
3. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
WIRELESS INTERCONNECT SETUP
1. Remove all your new Kidde Wireless Interconnect devices from their respective packages
and place them in front of you.
DO NOT PLUG THEM IN OR INSTALL THE BATTERIES.
2. Find the 8-position dipswitch located on the back of each device. For this model, the
dipswitch is located on the back of the device (see Figure 4).
3. Select one of the units. You will define the ID of
your system by positioning the switches of the dipswitch in a random pattern. The ID will need to be
the same for each alarm or accessory. This ID will
differentiate your alarm system from similar systems
nearby. Do not use the default ID your units are
shipped with.
4. Using a pen or pencil, change the switches in each
of the Kidde Wireless devices to match the pattern you selected in step 3. Ensure that
the sequence is not reversed.
5. Power each unit after setting the ID by installing the batteries. The alarms only read the
ID that has been set when they are first supplied power. Any changes to the switch
after the unit is powered will not be recognized, and will require the power to be
removed for a minimum of 30 seconds before powering again.
6. Push and hold the test button on each unit for at least 5 seconds, or until all the devices
produce an alarm. If all the units do not produce an alarm, refer to the trouble-shooting
section at the end of the user’s guide.
CAUTION: Due to the loudness of the alarm, always stand an arm’s length
away from the unit when testing.
7. Install the alarms in accordance with the user’s guide as described in section 1, and
repeat step 6. Since wireless communication can be interrupted by a number of factors, you must test your alarms weekly to ensure proper communication between
alarms.
8. Read the user’s guide and keep it in a safe place for future reference.
FIGURE 4
Loading...