5 Important Smoke Alarm Questions

3/14/2022 (Permalink)

Learn How to Use your Smoke Alarms by following these Tips.

While you may not spend much time thinking about it, a smoke alarm or detector is an important part of your Ogden, UT, home. This small device can help keep you and your family safe and can alert you to a fire before it causes devastating damage. The following questions can help you get the most from your alarms.

Important Smoke Alarm Questions to Consider

1. What Kind of Smoke Alarm Should You Have?

Not all devices operate in the same way. When buying a new smoke detector, you will usually have two options. Photoelectric and ionization alarms are better at detecting smoldering and flaming fires respectively. Because of this, it is a good idea to have both types in your home.

You may also be able to find devices that use a combination of both technologies to ensure it has the best chance of alerting you to a fire.

2. How Many Alarms Do You Need?

A fire could start in any area of your house. There are many potential causes, including backed-up dryer lint, an unattended candle or a kitchen accident. Having alarms in several places makes it more likely that you will be alerted to a fire quickly, reducing the amount of fire damage restoration needed. There are some basic rules that you can use to determine where to put them.

There should be at least one detector on each floor, including basements and attics, in each bedroom and outside each sleeping area.

3. How Often Do Alarms Need To Be Tested?

While smoke detectors are designed to last a while, it is important to test them regularly to ensure they are still working as intended and that the battery is still functioning. You should do this at least once a month.

4. What Should You Do If the Alarm is Beeping?

It can be easy to think of a beeping alarm as an annoyance, but don’t ignore it. Beeping can indicate that there is a problem with the device that could reduce its effectiveness. A common reason for beeping is that the batteries are low. If this is the case, replacing the batteries should stop the noise.

The alarm may also go off if it needs to be cleaned or if there is an issue with the wires or other internal parts.

5. How Often Should You Change the Batteries?

How often an alarm needs to have its batteries changed depends on what kind it uses. If you have a device that uses a 9-volt battery or AA batteries, these should be changed at least every six months. Backup batteries in hardwired systems that use your home’s electricity should also be replaced twice a year. However, many newer alarms use lithium batteries that don’t need to be changed at all and will last for the life of the device.

Because they play such a big role in keeping your family safe during a fire, each smoke alarm in your house should be well-maintained, and there should be a sufficient number of them in the home. Test them regularly and change the batteries as needed to ensure that these important devices are working properly in case of an emergency.