A friend of mine has a smoke detector in his house.

When there is a storm outside, the smoke detector will beep just before the lightning strikes.

Any ideas as to why?

-- just curious (your@email.addy), June 04, 2000

Answers

Just,

Here's a book from Barnes & Nobles (barnesandnoble.com) that might solve the issue. Keyword: Fire Alarm. Otherwise, maybe see if there's a website for UL Laboratories?

--------------------------------------------------------------------- Best of Kinks and Hints Allan B. Colombo

bn.com Price: $22.95 In-Stock: Ships within 24 hours Format: Paperback, 152pp. ISBN: 075069890X Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann Pub. Date: December 1997

Add this item to your shopping cart. You can always remove it later. Safe Shopping Guarantee! ABOUT THE BOOK

Reviews From Booknews

In this compilation of about 100 articles from the column about troubleshooting alarm system problems, the associate editor addresses all aspects of access control, installation, and servicing of burglar and fire alarms as well as CCTV (closed circuit television) <-->for the security expert and do-it-yourselfer. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), June 04, 2000.

Now that you mention it, my smoke alarm beeped just last week before a clap of thunder sounded. I didn't even think much about the smoke alarm at the time because we rarely get thunder and lightning here and I was laughing as the cat ran for cover and the dog started barking at the noisy "intruder".

My smoke alarm is hard-wired into the electrical system. That probably has something to do with it.

-- pinks (tootsie@here.com), June 04, 2000.

The detector is sensing ionization, which occurs in smoldering combustion, or in a lightning strike.

-- Mr. Wizard (answers@knowitall.com), June 04, 2000.

Ozone.

Some smoke detectors are photoelectric; some are ionization detectors. I'm guessing the latter type might sound if in the vicinity of a lightning strike.

-- Hamilton Felix (skagity2k@hotmail.com), June 04, 2000.

This is interesting! If an ionization type smoke detector is capable of detecting ionization before a lighting strike, we could use them for lightning detectors ;) My thoughts are similar to both Mr. Wizards and pinks on this one, I would have to consider both ionization and lightning induced electrical disturbances on the power lines. Therefore, the following questions are pertinent: Is your friends smoke detector hard wired to 120VAC, or is it battery powered? Is the smoke detector an ionization type or photoelectric?

I would guess that it's hard wired and the beeping is due to lighting strike line transients. But if it's battery powered, we have us a lightning detector here, lol.

-- FactFinder (FactFinder@bzn.com), June 04, 2000.

Thanks all for your thoughts. And the book reference. Will check it out.

The detector is battery powered. Dunno if it is photoelectric or not, will have to check on that.

Not much use as a lightning detector, since the beep is merely a second at most before the strike of the lightning.

Would be like someone waking you up on the plane to tell you it is gonna crash. Ya know what I mean?

-- just curious (your@email.addy), June 04, 2000.

Mine goes off every time a virgin passes by

-- smokegetsinyoureyes (x@d.zz), June 05, 2000.

Seems intuitively obvious that the high voltage spike triggers the alarm. You don't hear the thunder until more or less five seconds per mile after the lightning hits. If the lightning strikes two miles away, the thunder reaches your ears tennish seconds later.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.neet), June 05, 2000.

Seems intuitively obvious that the high voltage spike triggers the alarm. You don't hear the thunder until more or less five seconds per mile after the lightning hits. If the lightning strikes two miles away, the thunder reaches your ears tennish seconds later. JOJ

Seems intuitively obvious that you didn't understand the question on this thread.

-- by all means, Jump off, Joe. (go@head.doit), June 05, 2000.

If an ionization type smoke detector is capable of detecting ionization before a lighting strike, we could use them for lightning detectors

very useful device, what good would it be, it'd be too late

-- richard (richard.dale@onion.com), June 05, 2000.

It could be several things. When a lightning storm moves into an area the ground potential rises and then slowly falls as the storm moves away. If your detector is hard wired it could have something to do with the way the house wiring is grounded and the neutral. The detector is probably the most sensitive piece of equipment in a house.

For detectors that are battery powered its more interesting. I would like to know if the windows were open and a breeze moving through the house and how far away the strokes were at the time. Ionization of the air sounds the most likely cause.

There are portable lightning detectors that you can buy for aprox. $199. They'll detect lightning about 30 miles away and signal as it comes closer. Several golf courses and little leagues use them to warn of approaching storms.

-- The Engineer (spcengineer@yahoo.com), June 05, 2000.

Well, Mr/Ms (go@head.doit), it is also intuitively obvious that you are a rude ass.

Since I STILL understand the question the same way as I did the first time I read it, it is intuitively obvious that you should attempt to explain it to this nearly illiterate person.

Thank you, (go@head.doit), for your consideration of my lower intelligence. By the way, who are you, anyway?

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.neet), June 05, 2000.

The Engineer,

Thank you for your response. The windows are open when it happens. Yes, there is some air movement going on, depending on the storm, can be strong or comfortable.

The lightning seems to be attracted to the giant power poles that are just outside of the house. Some are new concrete and very tall, as this is a major power corridor connecting a nearby hospital. The occurences have all been within an acre or two of the house.

This has been going on for some time, and not as a result of the new poles.

The detector is battery-operated, and as near as he can tell it is not photo-electric. It has been doing this for about twelve years, and the detector is about twenty years old. The battery is new, and is changed every year, and is checked often. It detects burning food in the kitchen so seems to be working fine.

now Jump of Joe,

The original question had nothing to do with thunder. duuuuh! So your comment regarding thunder and distances was completely irrelevant.

Do you want directions to the nearest jumping off point? Or maybe you can find it intuitively... lol

-- just curious (your@email.addy), June 05, 2000.

It does sound like ionized air is causing it. Especially since the strikes seem to be nearby.

-- The Engineer (spcengineer@yahoo.com), June 06, 2000.

Thank you, The Engineer. That does seem to be the consensus. I appreciate your assistance, and have given the info to my friend.

-- just curious (your@email.addy), June 06, 2000.

Just curious (goahead@doit, I intuit?)

How do you know the smoke detector is beeping right before the lightning strikes, and not right AFTER a DIFFERENT bolt of lightning struck, perhaps even one that wasn't even noticed?

Your'e still a rude ass.

JOJ, and yes, I can find my own way to a jumpoff point. I'm very intuitive, you might say.

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.neet), June 06, 2000.