Fire Alarm Light Switch

[TrustyToyota]

Sounds ridiculous right?

Well, I was at the local crap store, and they had the pull style fire alarms for a couple bucks. I thought that would be a funny light switch. I got one, and got it home. I had to do some immediate surgery to get the unit open, because I don't have the key. I got the deal open, and got the lock out so I could modify the handle so it will go up and down without opening the box. Now comes the fun part. Will my fire alarm light switch cause a fire? I can't seem to find any information on the rating of the switch, but I have connected the hard wires directly to the terminals in the back, and the switch works like a charm. I worry that the current from the house may melt the unit and cause a fire. The irony of the entire situation is amazing. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
-TT

 

[lowenbrau]

I did the same thing in my College dormroom. Worked like a charm. The actual switch portion of mine had a volt and amp rating and I was within those ratings. If yours doesn't, you could have a problem. FA systems are usaully 12 or 24 volts and it doesn't take much current to pull in a relay so they aren't necessarily good for much power.

 

[TrustyToyota]

I did the same thing in my College dormroom. Worked like a charm. The actual switch portion of mine had a volt and amp rating and I was within those ratings. If yours doesn't, you could have a problem. FA systems are usaully 12 or 24 volts and it doesn't take much current to pull in a relay so they aren't necessarily good for much power.

Do you recall what brand of switch or box you used? I've been doing some searches online, but no luck as of yet to find out how much current my unit can handle.