Thread: Please help me Identify this item.

Hi everyone,

Happy independence Day. I found this item mounted to the rafters in the attic of a home that I inspected yesterday. No power or control wiring present. Can anyone please enlighten me? It appears to be some type of detector/sensor but I can't be certain.

Thanks,

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(Pretty sure) that is a wind up heat detector.
Other threads

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...-detector.html

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...hat-these.html

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...-seen-one.html

Thanks Rick!

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

(Pretty sure) that is a wind up heat detector.
Other threads

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...-detector.html

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...hat-these.html

http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_i...-seen-one.html

I agree with Rick. The ones I have seen looked similar, but older looking. Have not seen one for awhile, but I think they were usually gray or maybe light brown?

Originally Posted by George Hallaron

Hi everyone,

Happy independence Day. I found this item mounted to the rafters in the attic of a home that I inspected yesterday. No power or control wiring present. Can anyone please enlighten me? It appears to be some type of detector/sensor but I can't be certain.

Thanks,

I agree with Rick, that is a heat detector - however it's sensor is spent/tripped (orange in center) and to "work" would require a new one.

Its detection to notification operation are mechanical in function and nature.

Originally Posted by H.G. Watson, Sr.

... however it's sensor is spent/tripped (orange in center) ....

Not doubting what you say, but I have not heard of that.
Do you have a source?

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Not doubting what you say, but I have not heard of that.
Do you have a source?

Learn somethint new
Found a source
http://www.alarmswork.com/downloads/...INK_Manual.pdf

p13
A bright orange
indicator in the center of the Sensor
indicates that it has been tripped
and MUST be replaced.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Not doubting what you say, but I have not heard of that.
Do you have a source?

Sure Rick. The Standard and Regs have required a visual indication of a both a tripped (no longer functional) sensor and of a missing sensor for such (free-standing, non interlinked non-system0 heat detector/Heat Alarms (mechanical) (limited audible alarm 'bell') for some time. (Negative court awards and death determinations/awqrds also 'drove' the requirements, IIRC).

Here's (attached .pdf doc) an example of one of several "such" modern manuals (clickable link to source):

http://www.alarmswork.com/downloads/...INK_Manual.pdf

See especially the piston type trigger and illustrations of the sensor "disks" at Pages 3 and 4; and see information on both the trigger pin and sensor disk and illustrations numbers 3 & 4 on pg 10; and finally and most importantly the 2nd & 3rd paragraph with illustration on page 13 of 16 which read thusly:

A visual examintion of the Alarm should be done periodically to ensure that it is still active, and has not been tripped. A bright orange indicator in the center of the Sensor indicates that it has been tripped and MUST be replaced. Attic Alarms in particular should be checked periodically to ensure they are still set.

A larger bright orange warning label is visible if no Sensor is installed.

Several being mkt'd Triad or Triac IIRC is another, there are others (not RORs) esp. on the WWW.

The visual indicator that the sensor had been activated/spent and/or is missing (for this type heat detector) has been required for quite some time I think I'm remembering right. IIRC not only required for the standards (UL for the availability of the alarm/detector operation as its manual/mechanical, Standards based on the NFPA and upon federal legislation and Commission Rules. NFPA 72, Ch, 11; UL 539, etc.

HTH.