The National Fire Protection Association reports that in 2012, cooking equipment was responsible for 447 reported home structure fires in the United States. Just one of these fires caused injuries to five people and $17,000 worth of property damage. To help you prevent this from happening to you or your family members, here are seven tips for buying smoke detection for your home:
1.) LOCATION
The exact location of smoke detectors is very important to consider when buying them. You should install them in various places throughout your home to make sure every space is covered. A minimum for bedroom safety would be one detector per level (if there are multiple levels), but try having more than one detector per level if possible. Additionally, it’s a good idea to place one on every level of the home including the basement, not just on your main levels.
2.) LONGEVITY
Your smoke detectors should have a lifespan of at least ten years from date of purchase. When you’re deciding on their placement in your home, be sure to place them near an electrical outlet and make sure they won’t get covered up by furniture or other items. If you don’t know how old your current smoke detectors are, it is probably time for a change.
3.) RESPONSIVE SYSTEM
You need to choose a smoke detector with a responsive system that will immediately sound off when it detects smoke and fire. This can save valuable time when trying to escape dangerous situations such as house fires. Choose one that is wired (which is more reliable than wireless), and be sure to check the batteries regularly.
4.) SAFEGUARDS AGAINST FALSE ALARMS
While smoke detectors can save your family’s lives, they can also cause problems if they are not working properly. For this reason it is important for you to choose a system with safeguards so that false alarms do not occur frequently. Look for one with low powered sensors which will reduce any unnecessary noises coming from the unit. You should also look at warranty information to make sure you don’t have to pay money if the alarm goes off erroneously (some systems will charge you only once per year regardless of how many times it happens).
5.) MANUAL OVERRIDE
When buying smoke detectors, always look for models that offer manual override in case there is a power outage. It’s important to have this feature for your family’s safety, especially on the upper levels of the home where smoke may not always be detected fast enough by sensors alone.
6.) CONNECTIONS
If you are looking to buy several detectors at once make sure they are compatible with one another. You can usually do this by connecting them through wires or through wireless signals. If purchasing more than one unit it’s also helpful if all of your detectors sound off when one of them detects something (this will alert every member of the household).
7.) ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
When choosing smoke detectors look for models that are environmentally friendly and do not contain any harmful substances such as halogens which can cause health problems. At the very least you should look at models that are marked with an “ex” rating which means they produce extremely low emissions.