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DuPont Self-Charging Smoke Alarm

dupont_smokealarm.jpgIf you're not one to regularly replace your smoke alarm batteries, or are just tired of messing with it, the DuPont Self-Charging Smoke Alarm eliminates that hassle by recharging itself. Mounted into a ceiling-mounted light socket, it automatically charges up whenever the light is turned on.

To test the alarm, simply flip the light switch on twice, and if its 85dB alarm goes off at an inopportune time, flip the switch three times to shut the thing up. It's available now for $33.96.

Product page [via OhGizmo]

12:41 PM on Thu Apr 6 2006
By Charlie White
775 views
11 comments

Comments

  • The only bad thing about this is that there is no way that is fitting under any conventional light fixture covers. Maybe those big glass kitchen canopies that screw onto a post with a thumbscrew at the bottom...

  • (Um, Justin - you probably do not want it under a light fixture cover anyway since that would diminish it's ability to detect smoke.) It would be nice if virtually all smoke detectors had RF sending / receiving (that could be turned off, if wanted) so all smoke alarms in the house go off when one does. There are a few that do this (Kidde makes the best), but I think they all should have this feature by now.

  • Good idea. I hate the 3am beep that one of our 5 smoke alarms manages to pull out once in a while. On the TV in New Zealand a while ago was some guy that invented a smoke alarm that turned off power in the kitchen by tripping the Circuitbreaker. The aim was to reduce fires in the kitchen as that is where most of them start.. ( I say just eat out) You can also get this aftermarket product from an American firm "Featuring a Sensor Eye with Brains"... Brains I tell you. See it in all its wonder at: http://www.save-on-security.com/Stove%20Guard.htm Brains... rofl.

  • You forgot to mention that when you flock the switch 4 times fast you bustipate your light switch into bustedo land! WHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaH!

  • The only problem with the RF sending concept... what's to keep some comedian in an apartment complex from cycling through the 'channels' (that would have to be used to keep the neighbor's from tripping yours) and making his go off so yours go off...

  • You guys posted about this months ago.

  • Um... what happens if you have it on a dimmer switch?

  • As the product page shows, this pretty much is only good for "bare bulb" fixtures. Certainly not an aesthetic compromise from the ordinary "circle" model. I think this is really most useful for instutitional settings (apartment hallways) and locations where you really don't want to change the battery often (e.g. basement, crawlspace, attic).

  • ollllllld news

  • There are smoke detectors that "link up" so they can all go off together (and silence when reset) - this was many years ago when the old smoke detector died - the replacement had a cable (it was AC powered) that you could run between the other smoke detectors. Of course, the easiest way is to get a smoke detector wired to your alarm system, so you can wake yourself and the neighbourhood... (useful if monitored as the alarm company can call the fire department, and your immediate neighbours can evacuate too.)

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