Kidde i12040 120V AC Wire-In Smoke Alarm with Battery Backup and Smart Hush

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 2 x 6 x 6 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
ASIN: B0000CBHOR
Item model number: 21006378
Batteries: 1 9V batteries required. (included)

By : Kidde
List Price : ~~$22.99~~
Price : $11.74
You Save : $11.25 (49%)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The AC-powered, hardwired Kidde i12040 ionization smoke alarm is created to safeguard you and your household from the dangers of smoke and fire. This smoke alarm's trademarked hush feature makes it possible for you to silence nuisance alarms, even though an indicator LED and test feature let you easily confirm that the alarm is working. This wire-in smoke detector also has a battery-backup feature (with included 9-volt battery).

Kidde i12040 Wire-InIonization Smoke AlarmAt a Glance:

Ionization sensing technologies detects invisible fire particles
Battery backup for continuous protection in case of power outage (battery included)
Smart hush feature silences nuisance alarms
Pre-stripped wiring harness with tinned strands
10-year limited warranty

Features
The Kidde i12040 smoke alarm presents a tamper-resistant feature to deter vandalism or theft and a intelligent interconnect program that connects with up to 24 Kidde devices--such as other smoke alarms plus carbon monoxide and heat alarms. The battery-backup feature (9-volt battery included) delivers protection even throughout power outages when quite a few CO incidences occur. It has a significant mounting base that helps shield surface paint from dirt and covers imperfections, and its pre-stripped wiring harness has an simple and easy-off cap and tinned strands to improve conductivity.
By pressing the hush button, you can easily and safely silence nuisance alarms brought on by non-emergency scenarios, such as overcooked dinners. This feature desensitizes the alarm for approximately seven minutes. During this time, the alarm chirps just about every 30 to 40 seconds. If the smoke is too dense, the hush feature is overridden and the alarm nonetheless sounds, and the alarm automatically resets at the end of the seven minutes. This handy safety measure eliminates the temptation to eliminate the alarm's battery, which creates an unsafe scenario.
The Kidde i12040 smoke alarm utilizes ionization sensing technologies, which may perhaps detect invisible fire particles (associated with flaming fires) sooner than photoelectric alarms. Photoelectric sensing alarms may perhaps detect visible particles (associated with smoldering fires) sooner than ionization alarms. Kidde recommends that both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms be installed to insure maximum detection.
What is in the Box
One particular Kidde i12040 120V AC wire-in smoke alarm, 1 9-volt battery, and operating and installation directions.

From the Manufacturer
There are only minutes to escape a residence fire. The sooner you hear the smoke alarm, the sooner you can get out safely. Kidde interconnected ionization smoke alarms produce early warning against fire by linking together the smoke alarms in your house, drastically increasing your ability to hear an alarm anywhere, regardless of exactly where the fire starts. This alarm is a 120V AC powered ionization smoke alarm with 9V battery back-up and hush feature. This smoke alarm has the capability to function as a single unit or in an interconnected system. Install UL listed smoke alarms on every single floor of your property, in hallways, inside bedrooms, and outside of sleeping places and replace smoke alarms every ten years. Ionization sensing alarms can detect invisible fire particles sooner than photoelectric alarms. Studies show each varieties will successfully detect either type of fire. For optimal protection, install both smoke alarm technologies in your household.

Technical Details

Hush feature temporarily silences nuisance alarms
One touch test button tests unit's electronic circuitry
Battery backup 9V battery included
Tamper resist locking pin helps deter alarm tampering and theft
Kidde smoke alarms meet the UL requirements

Customer Reviews

The purpose of a smoke alarm is to alert you to a fire in your home. Thankfully I have never been able to test this unit, and I hope I never have the chance. So I'll just review the other reasons I bought this product.
I bought two of these units to replace older Kiddie model 1275 units that were malfunctioning and going off regularly for false alarms. My main concern was compatibility since I have 10 units in my house and did not want to replace them all. These new units used the same wiring, connectors, and mounting frames as the old units which was perfect -- installation took less than a minute per unit. The new units work with the old units perfectly -- pushing the test button on the new ones set off all the alarms in the house, just as they should.
I did have some hesitation about buying new Kiddie units since the old Kiddie units were malfunctioning. (To be fair, only one was malfunctioning, but I was tired of messing with troubleshooting and decided to replace the last two options.) However, only 1 in 10 of my existing units was malfunctioning, and they are 6 years old (out of a reported 10 year lifetime). The smoke alarms were installed when I bought the house, so I can't be sure the failing unit was not dropped or otherwise abused before installation. So far the new units have not produced any false alarms and are working well.

I had a house full of Kidde 1275 smoke alarms, and after several malfunctions (including one electrical problem causing it to literally "go up in smoke"), I replaced them with the i12040 ... only because I wanted something that would "drop in" with the current mounting system and wiring. That they did, and I've had no false alarms in the month they've been installed.
Why the 2 stars? Previous to purchasing, I contacted Kidde (via their customer service web page) to ensure the i12040 units had the same mounting system as the old 1275's and to ensure the wiring would be compatible with all the Kidde alarms on the system. Kidde never responded. I found out from a do-it-yourself web forum that these would work fine.
Kidde's customer support is notoriously poor. The old 1275 units were deficient in design and/or manufacture - and Kidde refused to acknowledge this. I won't give high marks to a company that won't respond to customer service issues.