Why Does My Breaker Keep Tripping?
June 28, 2016
According to the National Fire Protection Association, “The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke detectors.” Smoke alarms are an easy way to potentially save you and your family’s lives. Many people make the mistake of not purchasing these inexpensive, life-saving devices. The following explains key information about smoke alarms, as well as several important reasons to purchase them for your home.
Reasons to Purchase Smoke Detectors
- Smoke alarms give an early warning of a fire and increase your escape time, which can be the difference between life and death in many cases.
- Smoke alarms will notify you around the clock in order to keep you safe. One of the best features of smoke alarms is that they will wake you if there is a fire when you are sleeping. Many people think that they will wake up on their own if there is a home fire while they are sleeping; however, this is a false assumption and many people are killed in house fires that occur at night because toxic gases are released by the fire and inhaled by people when they are sleeping.
- Smoke detectors are an extremely inexpensive way to save lives and protect not only yourself, but also your family.
Where to Place Smoke Alarms
Smoke alarms should be placed inside and outside of each bedroom and sleeping room as well as on each level of the house for maximum safety and notification. While it is definitely possible for homeowners to install smoke alarms on their own, an experienced, licensed electrician can provide this service for a low price and make sure that the job is completed correctly and seamlessly, without any problems.
Maintaining Your Smoke Alarms
Since a smoke alarm without a working battery is the same as not having a smoke alarm at all, it is crucial that you continue to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors even after purchasing the devices. When changing the batteries, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for replacing the batteries in each specific smoke alarm. Some smoke alarms even use a beeping sound in order to notify you when the batteries are getting low.
Another important thing to remember to keep smoke alarms in good working condition is to test your alarms once a month. To test your smoke detectors, press the test button on your smoke alarm every month, which will ensure that your smoke alarms are still working and will alert you if there is a fire in your home. Furthermore, it is essential that you replace your home’s smoke alarms every 10 years to make sure that the alarms are in the best condition.
Interconnected Smoke Alarms
One additional feature to consider is making sure that the smoke detectors in your home are all interconnected, which will increase your escape time as well as your protection. Having them interconnected means that when one alarm sounds, all of the other alarms in the house will sound as well. A licensed electrician can install wireless interconnected smoke alarms for a cost of anywhere around 30 to 70 dollars per interconnected alarm.
As stated by The Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Every year in the United States, about 3,000 people lose their lives in residential fires.” Don’t contribute to those numbers simply because you didn’t make the crucial decision to purchase smoke detectors for your home. Protect your family. Make sure to purchase a smoke alarm today.
On Time Electric often runs specials and discounts for installing or changing alarms. Call us today and ask about our smoke detector specials. 813-545-9333
