Choose The Safe Smoke Detector For Your Home

Volume 1 Issue 5

April 2002

Home fires kill more Americans than all natural disasters combined.  Most deadly fires in the United States occur at night between 10 pm and 6 am meaning the majority of home fire victims ( 51.6 %) die in their sleep.

Once a house fire starts, you have less than five minutes to get you and your family to safety.  Over 800 children – aged 14 and under – die each year in home fires in the United States – that is 17 children each week.  More than 77 million smoke alarms across the nation are outdated.

Types of smoke detectors

There are two basic types of smoke detectors. The type you choose depends on where it will be installed.

Ionization models electrically charge the air inside the unit, triggering an alarm when smoke particles interfere with the electrical current in the air. Since these detectors respond more quickly to the smoke from flaming fires, they're prone to false alarms when located close to a gas range. They're fine in other locations.

Photoelectric detectors rely on a light focused on a sensor for smoke detection. These detectors respond more quickly to smoldering, smoking fires, and are generally better to use around gas-fired appliances.

Some detectors add very bright lights that shine every time the alarm sounds which are ideal detectors hallways, stairwells, and near exits. Other detectors have super-bright xenon strobe lights that shine every time the alarm sounds to alert deaf and hearing impaired people to a fire. And many smoke detectors have simple buttons to make sure the detector is working. Press one button to see if the smoke alarm is working. It's that simple - one button tests the horn, basic alarm functions, and the sensor.

Of course, these are far from the only new features on modern smoke detectors. Go to your local home building store or hardware store and see what is available. You can also see the new features of the First Alert smoke detectors on the smoke detector manufacture’s Web site.

Where to Place Smoke Detectors

The easiest answer is everywhere in your home. You definitely need more than one smoke detector for your home.  Every level of the home needs smoke detectors, including the basement and attic. Place one in each bedroom and one in the hallway outside the bedrooms. You need a detector in each living area, such as the den or dining room. The top of a stairway also needs a detector, unless it's connected to a hallway with its own detector.

When planning smoke detector locations, avoid spots where smoke can be routed away from the alarm's sensor, such as near doors, windows or fireplaces. Don't place them in corners or other "dead" air spaces, where air doesn't circulate well. Keep ceiling-mounted detectors at least 4 inches away from any wall. Locate wall-mounted detectors 6 to 12 inches away from the ceiling. This might sound expensive but you are protecting your family’s lives.

Installing Each Detector

Installing a smoke detector is not as hard as it looks.  All you need is a cordless drill, a drill bit set and a screwdriver.  Remove the cover from the unit and hold the base against the wall or ceiling where you want to install it. Mark the mounting holes with a pencil. Drill pilot holes and attach the base with the screws that come with the unit. Make sure the alarm has a working battery (usually a 9 -volt) and snap the cover in place.  Test your smoke detector immediately after installation, and then a couple of times a year after that.

Regularly check your detectors at the same times every year, like when you change to daylight savings time.  That is all there is to installing each alarm.  If you are disabled or do not feel skilled enough, many fire departments will install smoke detectors in your home for no cost or a reduced cost depending on your family’s financial situation.

Smoke detectors save lives

All of which may seem like a lot of work until you remember what the work is for.  You are protecting your family for becoming a home fire statistic.

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