Whether can vape set off smoke detectors or not can depend on a few things, including the type of alarm and its sensitivity. Whether you vape on a pod device or a subohm tank and what flavours you choose will also impact this. But regardless of the device or the flavour, there are some ways that you can minimise the risk of your vapor triggering a smoke detector, especially in public buildings where these fire alarms may be installed.

Vape vs. Smoke: Can Vape Set Off Smoke Detectors

Firstly, you should ensure that you are in a well-ventilated area. This will help to disperse any aerosol particles and will reduce the chance of your vapor setting off a smoke detector, particularly if it is a higher-powered device that produces a larger volume of vapor. If you do have to vape in a room where there are smoke detectors, try to blow the vapor out of the window rather than into the room as this will reduce the concentration and avoid false alarms.

The main types of smoke detector are ionisation, optical, and multi-sensor alarms. Ionisation alarms trigger when airborne particles disrupt the electricity travelling between two charged plates. Optical smoke detectors have lenses that detect light and when the light is broken by smoke or vapor, the alarm will sound. Multi-sensor alarms are more sophisticated and use different sensors to identify the presence of a fire, making them less likely to be triggered by vapour. It is unlikely that heat detectors will be triggered by vapour, however, as they are generally present in kitchens and tend to be more sensitive to steam than smoke.