Protecting your family and your property from the danger of fire is vital. Installing a system of smoke alarms in your house is one of the most effective ways of ensuring you and your family are alerted if a fire breaks out in your home. Below is a brief guide to installing and maintaining smoke alarms in your home.
The Types of Smoke Alarm
There are two types of smoke alarm which are commonly used in residential properties:
- Photoelectric smoke alarms are designed to detect visible particles which are created during the combustion of flammable materials. There is a light source contained within the alarm and a sensor. When smoke enters the alarm, it scatters the light and triggers the sensor which in turn activates the alarm. These alarms are good at detecting slow-burning or smouldering fires.
- Ionisation smoke alarms are designed to detect invisible particles which are created during the combustion process. The alarm contains two metal plates. An electrical current is run between these two plates, which is disrupted when smoke enters the alarm. The advantage of these alarms is that they are often triggered before the smoke generated by the fire has become too thick. They are best used for detecting fast burning fires.
The Location of the Smoke Alarm
Fires can break out anywhere in your home, so ideally you should install a smoke alarm on every floor of your property. You should also consider installing additional smoke alarms in rooms which contain large appliances such as televisions, washing machines, freezers and ovens, in case these appliances fail and catch fire. You should position alarms near doors and in hallways so when triggered they can be heard all over the house. Avoid placing smoke alarms near to your bathroom, as the moisture and steam could falsely trigger the alarm.
Testing the Smoke Alarm
A smoke alarm can save your life but only if it is in good working order. You should test your smoke alarms on a regular basis to make sure that they are fully operational. The majority of smoke alarms will have a test button which you can press. This should trigger the alarm. If the alarm does not trigger you should check the batteries in the alarm.
If you have any questions about how to best install or maintain fire safety equipment in your home, you should contact a professional fire equipment contractor who will be able to offer help and advice.
Share