Smoke detectors are an essential component of fire prevention. Without them, you might be unable to detect a fire or if dangerous fumes are accumulating within your atmosphere. These detectors are vital in keeping you and your family safe from fires. With that said, the health of your device is critical. Listed below are a few things that you should know about smoke detectors.
Smoke detectors are a vital component of fire safety.
Smoke Detectors Save Lives
The National Fire Protection Association suggests a smoke detector should be placed outside each bedroom and sleeping area. If you have a multi-level home, they recommend installing detectors on each level of your home. You should set smoke alarms high on the wall,12 inches from the top of the alarm to the ceiling.
To avoid false alarms, your should set up your detectors more than 10 feet away from cooking appliances like stoves. Smoke alarms should also be installed at least three feet from bathrooms with a shower or tub.
When To Replace Smoke Detectors
Like many goods and products, smoke detectors have an expiration date. The specific expiration date for smoke detectors is ten years. Battery-operated smoke alarms constantly beep when they need to be replaced. Replacing batteries within your alarms is essential. Research indicates that 46 percent of reported fires had non-working detectors installed.
The proper way to know if your smoke detector is working is by testing it. You can quickly try yours by pressing the test button on your alarm to detect any issue. Detectors that don’t have a shelf life of 10 years should be on a replacement schedule. These particular alarms should be replaced once per year.
Know The Types Of Smoke Detectors
There are two common types of detectors available. They are photoelectric and ionization. Both of these smoke alarms detect the presence of smoke differently. Ionization alarms detect smoke from flaming fires faster than photoelectric smoke alarms.
Photoelectric alarms have a quicker response time to smoke produced from smoldering fires. One thing to specifically note is that each fire is entirely different, so there is no way to determine which alarm is better than the other.
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