Survivalist Chronicles

change your smoke detector

A small fire in your home can rapidly fill your home with noxious smoke. It is important that you choose the right smoke detectors for your home, install them correctly, and test them at regular intervals.

residential smoke detectors come in two types, one is photoelectric, and the other is an ionization detector. With a photoelectric detector, light is beamed into a chamber that contains a photocell. Smoke goes into the chamber, which then scatters light, allowing some of the light to reach a photocell and set off the alarm. A smoldering fire will set off a photoelectric detector quicker than a flaming fire.

Ionization detectors use radiation that ionizes (breaks up) the air inside the unit, and gives it a small electrical charge. When smoke enters this detector, the current is lowered and sets off the alarm.

Which model of detector works best? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Photoelectric models usually run on house current, which means they will not function during a power outage. Units that use ionization normally run on house current and have a battery for backup. They do however have a somewhat higher numner of false alarms. The best of both worlds is to use ionization and photoelectric in different areas of your home.

A general rule is to have a minimum of one smoke detector for every level of your home. You should also keep these guidelines in mind:

Do not install smoke detectors close to the kitchen, furnace, garage, or just outside a bathroom door. Try not to install a smoke detector in an area where there may not be enough circulation, i.e. corners. Install each smoke alarm on a ceiling or on a wall roughly 8 to 10 inches below the ceiling.

Detectors should be tested on a monthly basis. Most have a test button that makes this very easy. If your smoke detector is not equipped with a test button simple test is to just light a candle blow it out and allow the smoke to waft into the smoke detector. The smoke should set the unit into alarm.

Replace the batteries in battery-powered smoke detectors annually, on a date that you can easily remember such as your birthday, or the day you set your clocks back. While doing this, use a soft brush to clean the inside of the detector and its vents to ensure the unit’s reliability.

For more information about First Alert smoke detectors