Smoke detector wiring

Smoke Detectors: Smoke detector wiring

Electrical Smoke-detectors Question:
My hard wired smoke alarm system has red black, white wires leading to the smoke alarm. Does the red have power to shock me? Should I connect the third wire in the smoke detector to the red wire (inter-connect)? I have connected white to white and black to black.
Thanks, John.

Hi John - Great Question!
The red wire most likely attaches to the inter-connected line, however I would need to know the exact make and model of the smoke detector you are installing. The brand I install uses a yellow wire for the interconnect

Typically when the smoke detector goes into alarm the interconnect wire becomes energized, so yes you could get a shock in that situation.
Dave Rongey, Licensed Electrical Contractor