Disconnecting the fire horn and taping the wires probably won't start a fire, I just can't tell for sure. However, as you've noticed, disconnecting the fire horn won't prevent the false alarms you get while cooking.
Remember, the purpose of the fire alarm part of the security system is to alert you, the occupant, that there's smoke or a fire. Not only that, but the house is full of resins and plastics that can burn. If you breathe very much of the smoke from the resins and plastics, the smoke will really injure you, or possibly kill you.
Yes, fire itself can hurt and kill. However, most people who die in a fire aren't burned at all, most people who die in a fire die from breathing smoke. Disconnecting the fire horn means that the fire alarm system, that's supposed to warn you of dangerous smoke or fire, won't be able to.
Right now, because the fire horn is disconnected, the fire alarm/security alarm system won't be able to warn you when you're cooking in the kitchen, and the fire alarm/security alarm system won't be able to warn you when you're asleep in bed. The fire department won't even know that there's smoke. For practical purposes, the fire alarm system is turned off.
Most people actually don't get false alarms while they're cooking in the kitchen. Rather than disconnecting the fire horn, find out why the fire alarm system is going into false alarms.
- Is the wrong type of smoke detector installed? Common types of smoke detector are ion type (most susceptible to false alarm), photo type (much less susceptible), and combination ion and photo type (even least susceptible).
- Is the smoke detector becoming old? Some smoke detectors become more susceptible to false alarms as they age.
- Is the smoke detector in the wrong place? Moving the smoke detector to another room may be the answer.
Without professional guidance, though, changing smoke detectors or moving them is a real concern. Reconnect the fire horn, and call a local fire alarm or security alarm service company for help.
Douglas Krantz
