“Beyond a beep: How smoke alarms fit into your disaster plan.”
Smoke alarms are emerging as common devices in majority of business premises and even in some homes. They detect the occurrence or the presence of smoke in a building. We explore more about smoke alarms in this blog.
What are smoke alarms?
As the name suggests, whenever there is concentration of smoke in a building smoke alarms tend to produce sound indicating the potential of a fire hazard. Types of smoke alarms, ionization and photoelectric.
Different types of smoke alarms:
Ionization smoke alarms – they monitor electrical charged particles. An electrical imbalance of the air is created thus causing the alarm to sound.
Photoelectric smoke alarms – they use a beam of light and sensor. Once the smoke alters the required amount of light to reach the sensor the alarm goes on.
What investigations say about the different types of smoke alarms?
- To some the ionization type detects flaming fire faster than the photoelectric type. Ionization smoke alarms may not detect fire on time leading to less time to escape the fire safely. To safeguard property and protect lives, according to the investigation give above, you should consider installing both so as consider the best way to react.
Advantage of smoke alarms.
- They alert people on the presence of smoke in the building.
Disadvantages of smoke alarms.
- They make false alarms sometimes caused by the faultiness of the device. However, it is better to extinguish a spark before it becomes a flame.
Where to place them.
Another aspect is to make sure your smoke detector will work when you need them to. Generally, fire smoke alarms should be placed;
- High on the wall, not more than 12 inches from the ceiling.
- 10 feet away from cooking appliances, this is to prevent false alarms.
Fire alarms need to go every floor of a business or of your home. That way, you definitely hear them, even if they go off in the middle of the night.
How do smoke detectors get their power?
There are many ways that smoke detectors get their power.
1. A replaceable battery.
Some smoke alarms will get all their power from batteries that are replaceable, they can be 9v battery, AAA battery, AA battery or other type of battery, these batteries should be replaced at least once a year. Some of the smoke alarms come with a sealed non-replaceable battery that can provide power for up to 10 years. However, in this case you should regularly test them.
2. Wired with battery backup.
Smoke detectors are provided with both primary power that is hardwired in from the home electrical system and a secondary backup. The secondary backup can be either a yearly or 10 year sealed battery that does need to be replaced.
Proper maintenance of smoke alarms.
Of course, even if smoke detectors are placed in the right place and connected appropriately, you will not hear them go off if they are not working in the first place. For this reason, the following proper maintenance and replacement timelines are crucial;
- Test the smoke alarms monthly by pressing the press button on the device.
- Replacing the battery immediately when the low warning alarm sounds, or at least once a year.
- Clean the device by regularly vacuuming.
- Maintenance per manufacturer’s instructions.
Installation of fire alarms is crucial for safeguarding once property and saving lives. They ensure pro-active approach to minimize risks and promoting a safer environment for everyone. Working smoke detectors can save your life if a fire happens in your business premise or home. They are too important to ignore especially when keeping them functional is so simple.
0 Comments