How to Buy the Ultimate Protection Smoke Alarm
By law, smoke detectors are installed in every home, but not all smoke detectors are the same. Here’s how to choose the one that’s right for you.
The risk of death in a burning house is cut in half with a working smoke alarm. These statistics should be enough to convince you to install and maintain well throughout your home. Smoke detectors should be installed in every bedroom, as well as outside every bedroom and on every level of the house, including the basement. This ensures maximum coverage for your home.
Energy sources
You can choose between wired (mains powered) smoke detectors, which connect all smoke detectors in the house to each other, and battery-powered smoke detectors, which operate independently of other detectors. Wired alarms require a home that has been built with this setting or retrofitted.
The wired system will alert the entire home no matter where the fire starts. This is beneficial in large homes or in areas where you may not hear smoke alarms until it’s too late. If you choose a wired system, make sure it has a back-up battery so you are protected during a power outage. These batteries should be checked monthly and replaced annually.
Battery powered systems can be installed anywhere and do not rely on household 120V power. They should be tested weekly by pressing the test button on the outer cover. The cover should be removed monthly and the interior should be cleaned of dust. This is easy to do with a vacuum cleaner with an extension attachment. These batteries should be replaced annually.
Kidde produces battery powered smoke alarms that can be connected to other devices, so you can set up an alarm in your workshop and get a notification in your home if it goes off.
Smoke alarms
There are two types of smoke alarm sensors. Ionization smoke detectors are the most common and are great for detecting flames from fast-burning fires such as paper and flammable liquids, but they are poor at detecting slow-burning smoke lights, such as a cigarette in bed. Photoelectric smoke detectors react faster to smoke.
It is best to use a dual-sensor alarm that includes both types of sensors. This battery-powered device from First Alert costs $ 17 on Amazon.
You can also combine a smoke alarm with a carbon monoxide sensor, but usually they only have one type of smoke alarm, so you will need to buy another smoke alarm to get better protection.
Smoke alarm installation
When installing a smoke alarm, make sure it is more than 10 feet away from the fixture that could cause a false alarm. You should also keep them away from windows and doors as they may not work properly.
If you need to install your smoke alarm on a wall, place it high and under the ceiling. Never paint or stick adhesive tape or stickers on the smoke alarm, as this may cause malfunction.
Here are the basic steps to install a battery powered smoke alarm.
- First insert the 9V battery and test the device.
- Find the spot on the ceiling where you would like to install the smoke alarm and use the supplied template to mark the drill holes.
- Drill holes and insert dowels. Use a hammer to make sure the anchors are flush with the ceiling.
- Attach the mounting bracket to the ceiling.
- Attach the smoke detector to the mounting bracket by turning it a quarter turn.
- Test the device again.
Watch the video above for a complete step-by-step guide to installing a wired smoke alarm.
Don’t skimp on installing a smoke alarm in your home. This is an inexpensive but vital security feature that can be installed by anyone in less than 10 minutes.