TL;DR
A duct detector is a smoke detector mounted on or in HVAC ductwork that samples the moving airstream through probe tubes and shuts down the air handler when it senses smoke, preventing the system from distributing it through the building. Mechanical codes require them on units above roughly 2,000 CFM, and they typically tie into the fire alarm panel as a supervisory signal.
What it means
A duct detector is a smoke detector mounted on or in HVAC ductwork that samples the moving airstream through probe tubes and shuts down the air handler when it senses smoke, preventing the system from distributing it through the building. Mechanical codes require them on units above roughly 2,000 CFM, and they typically tie into the fire alarm panel as a supervisory signal. They protect equipment and air distribution; they do not replace ceiling smoke alarms for life safety.
Where it sits in the glossary
Duct detector is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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