3 Questions About Fire Alarms

5/6/2020 (Permalink)

You as a home owner probably have at least one or two smoke alarms in your home, but how often do you really think about that? For many people, the answer is probably “never.” Your alarm can help prevent all sorts of fire and smoke damages in your home by warning you at the first indication of a blaze of fire, but only if you follow the correct and proper procedures. The next time you find yourself thinking about your fire alarm, ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. Do you have the right number of smoke alarms in your home?
It is unlikely that you only have one fire alarm in your home, but it is possible that you still don’t have as many as you should. There is no set number of alarms that you should have in your house as the answer depends on the size of your residence. Each level of your home, including basements and attics, should have at least one alarm. There should be an alarm placed inside each bedroom as well as in the hallway outside each sleeping area.

2. When is the last time you replaced your alarms?
While you might think about changing the batteries in your smoke alarms, at least when they start beeping at you as a reminder, you might not have considered that the alarms themselves need replacing as well. The detectors in a fire alarm will start to wear out between eight to ten years after you’ve started using it, so it is important to replace them around this time.

3. Are you taking proper care of your alarms?
In order to keep your alarms working properly, they should be well maintained. Be sure to replace the batteries immediately when the reminder sounds so that you know they will work in case of an emergency. Each fire alarm should be cleaned regularly and tested at least once a month.

A fire damage restoration service can help in the event of a fire but keeping properly maintained alarms in the necessary areas of your home can help prevent significant damage and keep you safe.