First Alert BRK 7010BFF-3 Hardwired Smoke Detector with Photoelectric Sensor and Battery Backup, 3-Pack , White

I had 3 smoke detectors in my condo which were never replaced since the complex was built in 2000. It is recommended to replace them every 10 years, which was long overdue. One of the previous detectors didn't even sound when pressing the test button. So I replaced all three.So far everything has worked as intended. Install was fairly easy but I needed to rewire the adapter since they aren't interchangeable with another brand. The three are interconnected with each other so if either goes off or I press the test button on one, they all sound. Horn is loud enough to wake you and is of the high pitched kind. Not the lower tone as with other models.All 3 smoke detectors came with a 9 volt battery pre-installed. All I had to do was pull the plastic tab after installation to complete the connection. These have been installed for about a month with no nuisance alarms in the middle of the night. As per other reviews I preferred to go with the photoelectric smoke detectors over the ionization detectors.The only thing of concern was one of the detectors sounded a malfunction chirp the night of installation, but hasn't returned since. Must have been a fluke because the detector tests okay and the red LED blinks about once a minute. Make sure you label your detector with the date of installation so you know when to replace them after about 10 years.

Great. Have had it installed for 3 years with no false alarms.

Not that hard to install. You have to change battery every year

My builder used all Ionization in our home. Pretty much everytime we used the oven for anything the detector near the kitchen would go off. As a bonus, that would set off every alarm in the house on all floors!I saw a story on the news about the value of have both Ionization and photoelectric so I decided to get at least one and swap it out. Further reading indicated that Ionization models are far more likely to false alarm when near kitchens.I bought this and swapped it with the Ionization model near my kitchen, no more false alarms. Now to replace a couple more just to make sure I have a good mix of the two types throughout the house.As Consumer Reports says -Our tests of a dozen smoke alarms from BRK Electronics, First Alert and Kidde found clear strengths among the two technologies. Smoke alarms that use ionization technology were great at detecting a fast, flaming fire such as burning paper, but poor at detecting a smoldering fire, as in a couch or mattress. The opposite was true of photoelectric smoke alarms. That's why you need both types of alarm in your home. Or consider a dual sensor model, which embeds the two technologies in a single alarm.There should be at least one set on each level of your home, including the basement and attic. Be sure to place a detector in every bedroom and outside each sleeping area. Interconnected models, called out in our smoke alarm tests, will all sound simultaneously when any one is triggered. That way you'll be warned of a fire in the basement when you're asleep upstairs. To avoid false alarms, don't mount ionization or dual smoke alarms in the kitchen, where burnt toast might set them off, or near sources of steam such as a bathroom, laundry room or sauna.

Spoke to tech support. Suggested that it would be nice to have a switch so that you could run this smoke alarm as an AC only, in case:1.) the battery is low, you don't have a 9V battery on hand, and it starts to chirp at 3 AM in the morning, in which case, you'd have to:a.) shut off power at the circuit breaker box (...and who knows what else this will shut off, if you're not on top of this...)b.) remove the batteryc.) press and hold the Test button for 10 seconds to discharge the branch circuit . . . or2.) you're not extremely concerned about the added safety of battery backup, but would still like to have this as an option, in case you change your mindAs long as the AC power is on, this unit will chirp, if the battery is low, or if it has been removed.It appears that to avoid any headaches, one has to change the battery at least annually - ok - combine this with doing the necessary annual maintenance (dusting with compressed air).One might be able to save some money with the 10-year (shelf life) battery (actual life 3 to 5 years), but in my opinion, chances are that it will die at 3 AM in the morning.For no headaches, and having the battery backup option, it appears that you cannot get around having to replace the 9V battery annually . . . and this is not a bad thing . . . !Reason: Besides the battery, smoke alarms need maintenance - like compressed air used on them at least annually, especially on the sensor . . . I didn't know that . . . I am replacing an AC only ionization . . . it never chirped, and I never dusted it in 16 years! I also didn't know that you are supposed to replace the entire unit every 10 years (every 5 to 7 years with smoke and CO combination detectors). Is this supposed to be common knowledge?My experience: If you never have to look at an alarm, and haven't figured out how to use a calendar software program to keep track of it (I use Calendarscope, it has some good printing options), you will forget about the alarm, and neglect to do some potentially life-saving maintenanceCONS: Maybe this smoke detector could be improved if it took AA batteries instead of 9V (6 AA batteries x 1.5V each = 9V) . . . I have a "battery only" CO detector that only takes 3 AA batteries, could this smoke detector run on 3 AAs? . . .With five smoke detectors, replacing the batteries annually, you end up with five partially unused 9Vs. What can be done with these? Not much. You have to throw them out. The only place one might use these where it wears out is on an outside garage door opener. If I had a bunch of partially unused AA batteries (6 AAs x 5 smoke detectors = 30 batteries annually), I could use them in devices where they could wear out, such as in flashlights that take AA batteries, or a weather station base, weather station probes, remote control for DVD player . . . I would seek to only buy devices that take AA batteries - they can sit around until I completely use them up. A digital multi-meter to measure their voltage is essential in this process. I will be looking for a smoke detector that takes AAs in the future.Annual cost to replace the batteries in 5 smoke detectors (9V vs. if the smoke detector took AAs):A 4-pack of 9Vs is $9.97, a 2-pack of 9Vs is $5.949.97 + 5.94 = $15.91A 16-pack of AAs is 9.979.97 x 2 = $19.94Extra amount spent on AAs:19.94 - 15.91 = $4.03 . . . and I'd have two extra, fresh AAs**************************2/19/09 Update: Here's how to use up the extra 9V batteries - with the Pak-Lite 9V LED Flashlight!The Pak-Lite has many cap and LED colors available.My preference is for the Super Glow in-the-dark cap, which is a nice added feature. I have one with a black cap, but the glow in-the-dark feature is nice.I have another LED flashlight that takes AAAs. It has five white LEDs, and one red LED. I never find myself wanting to use the red LED. I recommend the plain old white LED as being the best for a general purpose flashlight.*************************There are two styles:The Basic Emergency Light: It has one light setting, and comes with the Super Glow capThe Ultimate Emergency Light:a.) It has a high and low light setting. Your battery has the potential to last longerb.) The low light setting is nice for eating in the dark, but I don't do this too oftenc.) The bright light setting is not as bright as the Basic's one light setting, so it's not as powerful of a general purpose flashlightd.) I think the Super Glow cap might normally be extra on this model, but if you look around, I've seen that you can get it for no extra charge (recommended)e.) The switch is a very small prong, and not as easy to flip as the Basic's one sliding switch. It seems like it might be more prone toward breaking compared to the Basic, but it does seem fairly solid, and both have a 25 year warranty, so I'll have to see.I'd recommend getting one Ultimate with the Super Glow cap, and one Basic. See how they work, then get a couple more Basics.