It has been shown that smoke alarms in the house can make a big difference when fire occurs. That is matter of life and death. They are of great importance because things are happening really fast. Seconds are enough for the fire to spread and continue like that until it burns the whole house. The even worse scenario refers to the endangerment of the life of the people in the household, but all that can be prevented if you provide yourself on time with alarms.
So we can already at the beginning of the article say that house some alarms are very effective. It is true that sometimes it happens that detectors make a mistake, but this is very rare and there is a reason for that. These events occur due to incorrect use, and you will read more about this in the rest of the text. You can also find out what its efficiency is actually based on.
Why should you have it?
Imagine the following situation. There was a fire in your home. It only takes a few minutes (maximum 10 minutes) for the fire to reach the material, which ignites very easily and to create complete chaos. However, this is only the initial stage of it, but in a very short time, it begins to spread to your household.
Firefighters generally need a little more time to reach the location because of the distance, traffic jams, etc. All of this is further slowed down by the fact that firefighters won’t know instantly when it starts, so add to that the time you notice the problem and while you call the professionals. All together it takes about 15 minutes, but it can be more.
No matter how small the time difference, trust us that one minute will seem like an eternity to you, while on the other hand, minutes are enough to destroy your entire home. However, this does not have to be the case. When you set the smoke alarm in the right place, you can save a lot of time and thus prevent major damage.
Which ones are suitable?
All types of detectors have the same purpose which makes them a necessary item in every home. However, this does not mean that each of them corresponds to the same type of room. Thus, not all detectors are compatible with every room. It is very important that you are familiar with this because you certainly do not want to make the wrong choice that will not perform its main function properly.
Although it will work wherever you put it, it can cause you various problems such as causing a false alarm. This most often happens when you put an alarm in the kitchen. Only temperature detectors are installed there, they are quite sufficient and will not create a problem with false alerts.
How do you maintain it to work properly?
Proper maintenance of a smoke alarm is another item on which its efficiency depends. To be 100% sure of its reliability, we advise you to apply this regularly. As a rule, you should do it at least twice a year. The reason is very simple.
Accumulation of a large amount of dust in the appliance can lead to accidental recognition of smoke and subsequent false alarms. No matter how clean they look on the outside, the interior is constantly bought with dust that is simply everywhere in the air. It is best to use a soft object when cleaning, without using chemicals at all. It can also lead to smoke recognition.
There is something else we need to draw your attention to when it comes to maintenance, and that is the expiration date. It is very important that you change the smoke detectors regularly, and that is every ten years. It’s 10 years if you have ones like X-Sense sealed smoke alarms. If they are of lower quality, then the service life is even shorter. As long as you have an old detector there is a chance that it will not work properly or will be falsely advertised.
What are the parts?
There are several types of alarms. So there are several ways to power, connect, etc. Also, a lot of them differ in some options, it mainly refers to the way of advertising, remote control and the like. There are a number of options available today so you can find the one that best suits your home.
However, each of them contains a few key things. One of them is battery power or combination. That is why it is necessary to properly maintain and regularly change outdated alarms.
Then, we have the interconnection. This involves communication between multiple alarms that are set in different places in your home. That way, fire detection and signaling will happen faster, and you will have more time to leave the house. They are so connected that they contact each other if smoke is detected in one room, so you will not wait for the smoke to reach a larger area to be notified.
Fire escape plan
Installing it is the foundation when it comes to protecting your home. However, that is not enough for complete security. It is also necessary to have a good escape plan in case this situation occurs. So, it is important to make sure that everyone knows how to get out of the house in case of an emergency.
The most important thing is to provide those who need help when leaving because they are not able to hear the alarm or leave the house on their own. These can be children, the elderly or the injured. So it is necessary to include the following in the plan. You must also provide two ways out and an outdoor place where you will all gather.
Conclusion
It is clear to everyone how effective a smoke alarm is. Survival may depend on his presence. As you can see for yourself, its effectiveness will actually depend on how you use it. We hope that you have found the necessary information in the text that will help you use it. Do it the right way and thus protect you and your family.