Heat Detector

Heat  Detector  Categories.  Heat  detectors fall into two main  categories; those that  go into alarm  once a certain sensor  temperature has been  reached  (fixed) and  those that go  into  alarm  if the rate  of temperature increase  is above a  certain level (rate-of-rise).  The combination of  rate-of-rise and  fixed temperature sensing  elements allows  fire  detection  from  low temperatures, where rate-of-rise  sensing  would give  an earlier alarm  than a  fixed temperature, with the  fixed temperature  element available  for  fires  where temperature builds up  gradually. Heat  Detector  Considerations.  Heat  detection  is  not as fast as  smoke detection in  most fires as early  stages  of a fire tend  to burn  less hot than  the later stages. However, hostile environments where aerosols, dust,  smoke  or  even extremes of temperature are  normally present,  preclude the use  of  smoke  detectors  as  a fire indicator. In these cases a  heat detector may provide an  acceptable, though less sensitive alternative.  Heat detection is also  often  used where the risk  of  fires  or  the consequences  of fire are considered  low, as  heat  detection is  generally less expensive than  smoke detection.