Knowing and understanding the importance of smoke alarms in homes is a crucial part of keeping you and your family safe. Smoke detectors are an important part of any modern safe home. There are laws in Ontario that require any house or apartment should have them installed.
When a fire starts it has the ability to spread quickly possibly trapping and killing those inside. The news is filled with stories about fires that happened over night and the occupants were asleep and unable to get out of the burning building before succumbing to smoke inhalation. There are many reasons a fire will start. The cause of most fires is never fully understood until after the fire has been put out and it has been fully investigated. The speed at which a fire can start and spread is faster then anyone can imagine, that is the very reason why they are so deadly and cause so many fatalities every year.
Every home or apartment is required to have a smoke detector on every level and within 5 m of any bedroom. Having one smoke alarm will work for that area of the home but what about the rest of the home and sleeping areas. Buying one and placing it in the attic will do no good if the fire begins in the basement or another lower floor. In order for any fire prevention method using smoke detection as a safety measure to work there have to be adequate smoke alarms installed to provide early detection and warning.
Understanding The Importance Of Smoke Alarms In Homes. Once you have installed the correct number of detectors now you need to make sure they are in good working order. This maintenance is not as difficult or time consuming as it sounds. On the front of the alarm you will see a little button usually recessed and transparent. This is called the self test button, and its job is to make an audible beep telling you that it is operating correctly, this should be done monthly.
The self test is not the only maintenance these units need. Units that are battery powered will need to have those batteries replaced yearly. This is an inexpensive way to ensure that the alarm is adequately powered. Some alarms draw their power from the homes electricity directly. When buying these units make sure they have a battery installed as well as a backup in case the power goes out. These batteries require changing yearly as well.
These alarms are not ageless and will get old. Some home owners overlook this step citing the cost of replacing the old units for newer ones. This cost concern is understandable yet one should not overlook the benefits offered by fire detectors are far more important then their actual replacement costs. Newer combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have a set amount of years, usually ten, which is measured as soon as you install the battery. After 10 years alarm will function forcing you to replace the detector.
The importance of smoke alarms in homes is a key feature to properly ensure your families safety. It is important that you have the correct number of units to properly cover your home. You will also need to make sure these detectors are in good working order by doing some simple maintenance.
As part of the home inspection process the Barrie Home Inspector tests all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. In the home inspection report there will be noted any areas in which a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector is missing.