Did you know that if carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are not working properly during a home inspection, it could change the report? That’s how important they are for our homes. With that in mind, let’s consider a few important factors concerning smoke detectors:
Sad to say, approximately 3,000 people die in the United States every year due to the effects of a house fire. Many of these fatalities occurred because there were no smoke detectors in the home or the ones that were in the home were not working properly.
Make sure you have sufficient smoke detectors in the home, one on every occupied floor. It is also wise to have smoke detectors in each bedroom or close to one, especially as those sleeping will be most at risk. Smoke detectors should also be installed in the garage and basement as these are usually storage places for flammable items. The best place for a smoke detector in the basement is on the ceiling close to the stairs.
As we have mentioned, when the household is sleeping is when they are most at risk of being hurt in a fire, so a good idea is to have a periodic fire drill at night. Test the smoke detectors to see if they sufficiently wake up the household, particularly young children. The smoke detector alarm sound should be distinguishable from any other noises heard in the home.
Important reminders
- NEVER disconnect your smoke detectors, even if they go off from cooking. Yes, its annoying, but its far too easy to forget to reconnect them after.
- Regularly check the batteries.
- Perform a monthly check of all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors to ensure they are still in good working order.
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