pic: Soldering accidents...

[Al Skierkiewicz]

It only takes once!

[sanddrag]

Regarding soldering and fire alarms, (such as those found in schools), am I correct in saying that there is no chance of soldering setting off the fire alarm, because they are activated by heat, not smoke?

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Regarding soldering and fire alarms, (such as those found in schools), am I correct in saying that there is no chance of soldering setting off the fire alarm, because they are activated by heat, not smoke?

You are so not correct. You won't set off a ceiling sprinkler, since those are indeed triggered by heat, but the electric sensors are almost all smoke detectors and will go off.

Smoke detectors are called smoke detectors for a reason. If you are soldering in an area with a smoke detector, you really should be using an exhaust fan.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Sandy,
People set off smoke detectors all the time if they are working right under the detector and there is no air movement. Most often, the fumes are dissipated quickly enough to prevent false alarms.