Tbh, I just learned from a fire marshal that over 60% of false alarms in our county come from motion sensors in kitchens.

Had a meeting with the local fire department yesterday about our commercial installs. The guy said the biggest culprit isn't pets or bad placement, it's people putting the microwave popcorn in and then leaving the room. The heat and steam trip the sensor. He said they get called out for it multiple times a week. Anyone else had to deal with this specific false alarm cause? How do you guys usually position sensors in open-plan kitchen/living areas to avoid it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_brooke14d ago

Seriously? I call BS on that fire marshal's popcorn story. If a motion sensor is getting set off by steam from a microwave, that's a junk sensor or a terrible install, full stop. Those things are supposed to ignore small heat changes and look for actual movement. Maybe their department just buys the cheapest gear possible. In an open plan space, you just put the sensor where it can see the room but not stare directly into the microwave vent. This feels like an excuse for bad equipment.

samf9514d ago

Wait, so my burnt toast isn't the main problem? Honestly, I set off my own kitchen sensor last month just by boiling a big pot of water for pasta. The steam cloud went right up to the ceiling. Felt like a real genius.