Smoking Engines and Basement Smoke Detectors

Doesn't cause an issues with mine because it's not really smoke.  It's a vapor created by the heating coil.

They probably wouldn't go off is my guess,I'm no Firefighter but I believe Smoke Detectors detect combustion particles and theres no Combustion going on in the smoke unit.

I don't know if train smoke will set them off but I have had mine go off in the garage when firing up my Halloween fog machines so I guess it is possible if it gets heavy enough since they are essentially the same thing as a smoke unit just bigger. 

I did go to a few fog machine sites and some of them have info on fog machines setting off smoke detectors.

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There are 2 basic classes of smoke detectors, each with 2 main sub-classes.

1: Particle Detection - the two main types are  Photo-electric and Ionisation. Ionisation are the most common - they are the sort found in the roof of most homes, and most of the detectors tied into fire control boards are ionisation. Smoke machines of any description will set these off once the air reaches a certain saturation of particles (generally not overly high). Photo-electric are also known as beam detectors. They generally work by a laser beam being shot at a detector, and as particles occlude the beam, the detector triggers - haze is generally fairly safe, but smoke machines will eventually set them off.

2: Heat based detectors - the two classes are Rate of Rise and Set-point. It is all in the name really - RoR detectors will trigger when the temperature in the room raises faster than a set rate. Set-point detectors will go off when a certain temperature is set. A classic example of a set-point system is the fire sprinkler system. Neither of these will be set off by smoke machines or hazers.

If you have any type 1 detectors - issolation is the solution. Covering with plastic cups/condoms/plastic bags is compromising the installed fire-supression system and should an emergency occur will often involve lawsuits for all involved. 99% of systems will have some form of issolation available at the fire control pannel. Talk to the venue manager about it. If it is not available, your solution is simple. No haze.

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I guess you'll just need to test it out to see if yours are really sensitive or not and also how much smoke you generate since they all detect particles in the air regardless of what they are made of.

Jerry

Our trains have never set off our smoke alarm system, 4 MTH engines at full smoke for 15 minutes didn't do it.  Aligning with Jerry's post above, we must have a very sensitive ionization system, a spritz of nonstick cooking spray on a hot pan will set it off for sure. 

My smoke detector went off on the one occasion where I was really putting out smoke (four locos, all good smokers), so whether it should or not, I remove the battery when running smoke (which has been seldom up to now but might change).

Safety meeting of the day.

There are a lot of smoke detectors out there that can be purchase. IMO, properly maintained, a huge leap forward in preventing fire and smoke injury. 

Simple requirements, one per floor, one per bedroom. Local jurisdictions may require more.  They can be purchased as AC, 110 volt power, with a 9 volt battery back-up.  They usually (cherp) when the battery needs replaced.  Most residential AC powered smoke detectors that I have installed are/or can be interconnected with a three wire with ground NM Cable. There is a limit to the number that can be interconnected.  When one sounds, they all sound. Some require cleaning maintenance.

You can also purchase CO (Carbon Monoxide) detectors or combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide detectors.    The CO detectors, IMO, can be a bit nerve-ing, they seem to produce a lot of false alarms. Again IMO.  CO detectors may be required, some locations.  Both big box stores have very informative smoke detector displays.   Mike CT

The correction is to have a good exhaust system in place. You really don't want the smoke effect to cloud to the extend it sets off a smoke detector anyway.

It's funny, I just repaired a smoke unit on my old MTH S-2 and my wife commented on how it was a good thing we didn't have any smoke detectors yet (Just bought the house.).  I'm thinking about getting one of the new Nest ones that'll talk to my phone so that if the trains do set it off, I can turn it off.

My basement smoke detector at the foot of my stairs goes off occasionally due to my trains.

If yours do not - I would have them checked out or replaced. They do have a life limit to them - usually 10 years.

Unfortunately my room is too small to run the smoke units on my two engines.  The smoke sets off my wife's asthma.   I do not have a window to easily put in an exhaust fan.  Secondly, since our smoke detectors are part of our home security system, the fire department is called, and I really have to call in fast to head off a fire department dispatch.  Therefore, I turned the smoke units off.

I have a smoke detector on the ceiling about 4 feet to the side of my 6' X 12' layout.   No train smoke triggered events to date.  -Ken