Will My Weed Vape Set Off A Fire Alarm? – Our Guide
We all know that smoking can set off smoke detectors and fire alarms, but what about weed vapes, do they work in the same way?
Well, it is not common for a weed vape to set off a fire alarm but depending on the location and type of fire alarm, it could be possible.
Down below in our informative guide, we will cover which exact fire alarms are likely to set off a weed vape, whether or not you can use a weed vape indoors, how to vape and avoid setting off the alarm as well as the chances of it happening.
Which Kind Of Fire Alarms Can Be Set Off By a Weed Vape?
Weed vapes release vapour rather than smoke into the air however vapour can indeed still trigger a fire alarm depending on the type of alarm installed.
We’ve listed which alarms could be set off by a weed vape below.
Ionisation Alarms
These alarms have two radioactive plates inside of them with positive and negative charged ions, as soon as smoke particles are sensed in between the two plates this will set off the smoke detector alarm making it a very sensitive type of smoke alarm whether vape spoke or normal cigarette smoke.
Heat Alarms
Heat fire alarms are mostly found inside of kitchens and respond to heat more than smoke detection, this makes them one of the least likely alarms to be set off by a weed vape.
Dual Sensor Alarms
Dual sensor alarms have ionisation as well as optical alarms inside of them, these smoke alarms pick up all sorts of modern smoke and vapour making them the most sensitive sensors with smoke out there.
Optical Alarms
These alarms use an infrared beam of light inside of them to detect vape smoke and marijuana smoke, they are one of the most likely smoke alarms to be set off by optical alarms since they detect particles of smoke that break up the beam of light.
Can I Use My Weed Vape Indoors?
Since vapes technically give off vapour, not smoke, many people wonder if this means you can vape marijuana smoke inside without any rules.
Well, no, nowadays vaping is not recommended inside of public spaces, planes or hotel rooms, some places do have a vaping policy against vaping inside while others do not and have vape-free policies.
If marijuana smoke vapour sets off a fire alarm you can still be charged and fined in the same way as you could be for being caught cigarette smoking.
What Else Could Trigger a Fire Alarm?
Not only can the vapour from a weed vape trigger a fire alarm, so can other unusual causes, we’ve listed a few below.
- Smoke from cooking – The presence of smoke particles from cooking can easily trigger a fire alarm in your kitchen and is one of the most common causes of an accidental fire alarm.
- Insects – Small holes inside of fire alarms can get interfered with by bugs, these can mess with the wirings inside of fire alarms and trigger them.
- Humidity – Too much humidity and moisture inside of a room can build up and trigger a fire alarm, this is why detectors are never typically installed inside of a bathroom.
- Dust – Due to the fine particles of dust, it can trigger some types of fire alarms that mistake the particles for dust if they build up inside.
- Chemicals – Depending on the chemical, if there’s too much in the air it can circulate and trigger the alarm.
How To Weed Vape Without Setting Off a Fire Alarm
To avoid setting off a hotel alarm or any smoke alarm when weed vaping, we’ve listed our best steps to weed vaping without setting off a smoke alarm below.
- Always blow away from the alarm – Blowing your vapour out of the direction from the fire alarm can help to avoid setting the alarm off, even better if it’s towards a space of ventilation.
- Keep windows open – Having ventilation is very important to avoid setting off traditional smoke detectors as well as modern ones.
- Choose more PG vape liquid – Vape liquids that are higher in VG can produce much more vapour when smoked than vape liquids that are higher in PG, choose a high PG to have a smaller discreet cloud.
- Try a smaller device – Smaller devices such as dab pens can be better to use in commercial buildings with fire alarms since their size also produces a smaller vapour.
- Don’t risk it! – Smoke particles and vapour particles can travel fast, in places with a no vaping policy we would always suggest leaving the area to vape rather than risk setting off the alarm, you would potentially be breaking the law if there was a policy on vaping.
Can An E-Cigarette Set Off a Fire Alarm?
Battery-powered devices such as e-cigarettes are very similar to vapes and can set off a fire alarm if there are enough vapour chemicals in the air to trigger the alarm.
We would suggest blowing away from alarms and only using your e-cigarette in designated smoking areas to avoid any issues with the law.
Can My Weed Vape Set Off Fire Sprinklers?
Many people assume that fire sprinklers are triggered by smoke the same way fire alarms are, this is not true however, fire sprinklers are triggered by heat, not smoke meaning you cannot trigger the sprinkler from just your weed vape.
The heat would have to break the sprinkler glass for it to sprinkle water which is impossible with water vapour.
How Likely Is It That My Weed Vape Will Set Off a Fire Alarm?
A bit of cigarette smoke has much more of a chance at setting off a fire alarm than a weed vape, the vapour from pens is different to smoke and most smoke detectors are not sensitive enough to pick this up unless you are vaping right next to the alarm for example.
Still, you never know what an individual hotel or building has for a fire alarm, so it’s better to wait and be safe than sorry!
Frequently Asked Questions About Weed Vapes & Fire Alarms
Which fire alarms are most likely to get set off by a weed vape?
Ionisation and optical alarms are most likely to get set off by a weed vape since they mistake the particles for smoke particles.
How can I vape without setting off an alarm?
Vaping by a window, far from the alarm and using a smaller vape device can minimise the chances of you setting off an alarm.
Can I vape in no-smoking zones?
Most of the time, no smoking zones apply to normal cigarettes as well as electronic ones including vapes.
What happens if I set off a fire alarm while vaping?
You can be charged the same way for setting off a fire alarm while smoking a cigarette, both are punishable offences.
Can I vape in a hotel room?
Most hotel rooms do not allow you to vape or smoke inside due to chances of setting off smoke detectors, before vaping we would always suggest checking the policies for the individual hotel.
Last Words
Overall, a weed vape can set off a fire alarm, but the chances are very little unless you had a lot of vapour being produced or you were close to the fire alarm. Ionisation and optical alarms are most likely to get set off by vapour particles in the air, but heat fire alarms will not be triggered.
We would always suggest checking the vaping policies for public places before vaping to avoid any trouble or setting off the fire alarm by accident.
