False alarms can be triggered, for example, by water vapor or smoke in the kitchen, by dust-intensive work, but also by aerosols entering the optical chamber, e.g. by hairspray. Supply air valves of ventilation systems can also trigger false alarms due to the dust particles flowing with them if they are too close to a smoke detector.
Due to the smoke alarm obligation for apartments in the individual federal states, smoke detectors are not required for living rooms, kitchens or bathrooms, but problems can arise in individual cases, e.g. if sleeping space and cooking area are in the same room in a 1-room apartment. In this case, the use of so-called multi-criteria detectors is recommended, which only trigger an alarm if the temperature rises at the same time and smoke particles are present in the optical chamber.
Pure gas (CO/CO2) or heat detectors are not an equivalent alternative, as they trigger much later than optical smoke detectors in the event of smoldering fires and thus usually do not ensure reliable alerting of sleeping people in apartments. In the case of one-off dust-intensive work in the area of smoke detectors, it is recommended to temporarily remove the smoke detector or cover it temporarily during the work, with subsequent functional testing after reinstallation.
Source: bauwion
