smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I have had it happen twice now that the smoke alarm in the room where my Prusa I3 MK3 3D is doing an overnight print has been triggered (this morning at 4am, and the other day at 5am). Coincidence? I don't overnight print very often. No smoke in the room. I'm guessing little bits of plastic particles or fumes are what's doing it? I'm printing with PETG, which doesn't have much smell to it.
Anyhow, needless to say, my family isn't happy when this happens. Nor am I.
I've never had it happen during normal daytime hours though, which is when I do most of my printing, so I'm not sure what to make of it. My guess would be that the ventilation system runs less at night, allowing a greater buildup of whatever PETG emissions there apparently are.
I'll be replacing the smoke alarm today, in case it's defective, but I'm wondering whether this has happened to anyone else here, or whether it's just a fluke.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I would replace it - it is way too sensitive.
As an aside, spiders set off smoke detectors as well. They like to crawl inside them and then die from the electronics. Their decaying bodies set off the detectors...but in a random way. Cleaning smoke detectors now and again is a good idea. 🙂
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I think probably switching to a photoelectric smoke alarm instead of an ionizing smoke alarm will probably solve the issue. As of now, that's my plan. And maybe I'll increase the nighttime ventilation when the 3D printer is running.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
FWIW - I print within 10 feet of my smoke alarm without issues. Do check to make sure nothing's actually smoking. If not, your alarm may simply be too sensitive. In general, a normally operating 3D printer using PLA, PETG or other common materials shouldn't set it off.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
A few things to consider as well.
1. Smoke Detectors should be replaced about every 10 years or so... depends on the manufacturer, but their documentation should state the frequency.
2. You should also think about getting a Smoke/CO2 detector. Usually the cost more than a standard Smoke detector, but are worth it.
3. There are different types of detectors - photoelectric vs ionizing... they both have pros/cons. Research them to see what is best for your situation.
4. Some places will use a "heat" detector in place of a "smoke" detector. Check your state/regional codes as to what you can/must use where.
- 1st "printer" TIKO 3D
- 2nd PRUSA i3 MK2S with MMU v1
- 3rd PRUSA i3 MK2S
- 4th PRUSA i3 MK3 with MMU v2- 5th?? PRUSA i3 MK4 (upgraded from MK3) with MMU v3 (waiting for…
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I have a new Nest smoke detector 3' away from the printer (it's literally on the wall just above the Prusa) . Never had an issue.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
Have you tested printing something while holding or mounting the same fire alarm above the printer? If it's the printer it should set it off.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I triggered a smoke alarm with a computer. A nightly job spinned up 4 disks at the same time.
Not sure how that happend.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I have a smoke alarm inside my lack enclosure with my I3 Mk3 and it has never set off. I have tested it to make sure it is functional. I have printed PLA, PET-G, and Nylon so far.
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I have a new Nest smoke detector 3' away from the printer (it's literally on the wall just above the Prusa) . Never had an issue.
Your batman silhouette avatar looks like an invisible lady wearing a gown with straps!
Re: smoke alarm being triggered by 3D printer?
I have a new Nest smoke detector 3' away from the printer (it's literally on the wall just above the Prusa) . Never had an issue.
Your batman silhouette avatar looks like an invisible lady wearing a gown with straps!
I've always heard that was the inspiration for the original Batman 🙂 lol