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Why You Should Check Your Smoke Detector

Posted in Electrician Tips on October 5, 2018

Smoke Detectors become faulty or unresponsive:

  • Manufacturers recommend replacing smoke detectors every 7-10 years to ensure proper functionality.
  • Just like your light fixtures, air filters and vents collect dust, your smoke detectors are prone to buildup as well.
  • Dust causes the sensors inside of units to be blocked, preventing them form sensing smoke.
  • All homes need 110 volt battery backup smoke detectors. Older homes do not have them, but they can be added easily with zero damage to the walls. There is also a wireless smoke detector that sends a signal to all the other smoke detectors in your home. If one goes off, they all go off.

Assessing the need for Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Detectors:

  • Most homes are heated by a gas furnace, have a wood/gas burning fireplace and a gas water heater.
  • Most homes also do not have a single carbon monoxide detector.
  • There are carbon monoxide/smoke detector combos that replace your standard smoke detector, giving you the ability to have a carbon monoxide detector in key areas of the home.
  • These detectors also have a female voice that alerts of smoke, carbon monoxide, or low batteries. The voice has two major benefits over the standard beeps in a normal smoke detector.
  • A test has shown, while sleeping, more people wake up to a voice rather than a beeping noise.
  • The voice also identifies whether smoke or carbon monoxide has been detected, or if you just have a low battery. No need to try and figure out whether it is beeping 3 times or 4 times.

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