Re: New smoke shuts off AC power

["Bill" <billnomailnospamx@xxxxxxxxx>]

"nick markowitz" <nmarkowitz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> Check out this new smoke being developed to shut off ac when smoke
> is
> detected.
>
> http://www.firebreak1.com/
>

The only problem with that is it shuts off only one GFCI breaker. And
typically GFCI breakers are only on individual circuits. For example a
modern home kitchen can have 10 separate individual circuits. And not
all of those are GFCI. An electric range is typically not on a GFCI.

Main home electrical panel breakers are not GFCI as a rule. Try to
find a 100 or 200 amp main breaker which is GFCI!

And this idea is not new. I saw a retail store which had 3 phase power
and a main breaker panel the size of a refrigerator. The main breaker
in that panel had a 120 volt "trip". Apply 120 volts and it shuts off
power to the entire building. That was wired to the fire sprinkler
flow detector. So a fire sprinkler goes off, then power is shut off to
the building.

This is called a "shunt-trip breaker". I've not seen them in home
electrical panels?

Here is one for only $1,050.00
http://www.southlandelectrical.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=FJA34100SA-NS

Then in high-rise buildings, elevators are wired to the fire alarm.
Fire alarm goes off, all the elevators go to the ground floor.

And in some buildings, like a high-rise, which has "air handlers" for
A/C on each floor, there are long rod shaped smoke detectors to detect
smoke in the air flow. These will shut off the air handler if smoke is
in the air. (And trip fire alarm if so wired.)