Fire Equipment | 3 Considerations When Installing Smoke Alarms In Your Home
Keeping your home safe from potential fire hazards is vital, so installing smoke alarms is one of the best things you could do. Offering early warning signs, these types of fire equipment will alert you of a house fire even when you are asleep. This guide is designed to help you consider certain factors when installing smoke alarms in your home.
Establish The Type Of Smoke Alarm For Your Home
There are a couple of different types of smoke alarms for your home. Photoelectric smoke alarms detect visible combustion particles and respond immediately to dense smoke and smouldering fires in the room. Ionisation alarms detect invisible combustion particles and activate quicker for flaming fires without much smoke. They usually pick up these fires before the visible smoke becomes too thick. You can also install carbon monoxide alarms in your home to protect your family from this dangerous gas, but it must be used in combination with the other alarms. For the best fire protection, you should ideally use a mixture of all these smoke alarms.
Determine Your Smoke Alarm's Location
Fires can occur anywhere, so you should ideally install at least one alarm on every floor in your home. You may also want to consider installing additional smoke alarms in rooms that contain larger appliances like freezers, televisions, refrigerators and washing machines because the risk of a home fire is greater from the heavy electrical load of these appliances. Fire equipment like smoke alarms should be placed in audible locations, even when you sleep. For example, you can place them on a landing just outside your bedroom or in a hallway between sleeping and living rooms. Smoke alarms in the bathroom should typically be avoided because even steam can accidentally set them off. Similarly, avoid placing them directly above cooking ranges in kitchens because they could easily be set off by steam and exhaust fumes.
Test Your Alarm To Ensure It Is Working
Fire equipment can save your life, so be sure to test your smoke alarms regularly to ensure they are in good working condition. You can place something steaming near the alarm to test the batteries regularly. Some smoke alarms also come with a test button, so you can check whether they are working at all times. You may need to replace your smoke alarm batteries from time to time, so be sure to get a recommended timeline from the smoke alarm manufacturer for changing batteries.
Follow these considerations when installing fire equipment like smoke alarms for your home.
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