Smoke Detectors

Smoke alarms save many lives every year, but it may be hard to appreciate this fact when you need to stop a smoke detector from beeping. Although there are many ways to do this, a simple battery...

If you've ever been jolted out of bed by a smoke alarm, you'll appreciate this article. You can prevent a false smoke detector alarm by following a few simple guidelines. An ionization or...

Smoke detectors are essential to public safety---they protect lives and property from the threat of fire and smoke damage. When smoke is detected, the device emits a high-pitched sound, vibrates...

On December 14, 2009, a family of three in Dallas, Texas tragically died after they attempted to use an outdoor propane heater to heat their home. Carbon monoxide is particularly dangerous because...

The alarms in ionization smoke detectors operate through an electrical current constantly running between two plates inside the devices. If smoke interrupts the current, an alarm sounds to alert...

Have you ever done a fire safety risk assessment in your home? If you haven't, then you can learn to do a fire safety assessment right now. Please don't ignore this information because learning...

Most smoke detectors emitting false alarms do so because of improper placement near environmental factors that trip the internal sensors. Fixing the problem requires better smoke detector...

A number of everyday household activities and circumstances trigger false alarms in smoke detectors. Properly plotting installation locations for these life-saving devices keeps smoke detectors...

Several factors cause false alarms in smoke detectors. Careful planning and positioning of smoke alarms prevent most such nuisances. The two main types of smoke detectors on the...

Installing a home smoke detector is a very wise decision. If a fire happens in your home it can alert you and your family to the danger and possibly save your life. Although mounting the...

Fires in the home kill approximately 4,000 people each year. According to a John Hopkins University study 75 percent of those people could have been saved if their homes had working smoke...

Building departments nationwide have differing rules for smoke alarms. However, the National Fire Protection Association's Standard 72 is widely accepted as being the national fire code, and local...

False alarms are usually caused by the poor location of a smoke alarm or dirt fouling it. You may need to relocate or clean the alarm. Keep alarms away from drafty areas. Steamy bathrooms and...

Wiring smoke alarms is slightly different depending on whether you are installing one alarm or interconnecting more than one alarm. Your electrical code will likely say that you have to be a...

Ionized alarms and photoelectric technology alarms work slightly differently. Ionization technology tends to be better for detecting small particles, which are common in flaming fires....

If you're having difficulty removing an interconnected alarm because you want to replace it, the chances are it's locked to the mounting plate. The locking mechanism is designed to stop the alarm...

Smoke alarms shouldn't be switched off or disconnected. If they sound too frequently you should relocate the alarm. Smoke alarms can be turned off for a period, however. They have a silence...

You should have smoke detectors installed in your home. You should also have a fire extinguisher and know how to operate it correctly.

Smoke detectors, also called smoke alarms, are essential in all homes and businesses. Over time, smoke detectors begin to lose their effectiveness and must be replaced with a new unit. The old one...

Smoke detectors, while key in providing warnings of imminent danger, can frustrate and annoy household users when they malfunction. Frequent beeps and false alarms can lead to users ignoring the...

Carbon monoxide detectors save many lives each year. They work by warning that toxic gas is present inside a home. An alarm sounds before residents are exposed to hazardous carbon monoxide levels....

As an electric smoke detector gets older, it become less precise in detecting smoke, and can easily fail. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, if you have an electric smoke detector...

A defective smoke detector is not only annoying, but also often dangerous. If you have a smoke detector with an alarm that keeps going off, then your first step to remedy the situation is to reset...

It is so important for children to be prepared in the event of a fire. The smoke detector is designed to alert families to the possibility of a fire, but some children do not hear the high-pitched...

Keeping a fire extinguisher in your home is one of the best ways to protect yourself, your home and your family from cooking fires and other hazards. Fire departments across the country recommend...

Smoke alarms can save lives by alerting people to fires in their homes while there is still time to evacuate the house safely. Because of the proven effectiveness of these devices, there are...

Smoke detectors can potentially save your life in the event of a fire. However, they can also go off accidentally if you're cooking food and it gets smoky. To keep the alarm from sounding in this...

Few, if any, would argue the wisdom of checking the batteries in household smoke detectors every six months. You may not realize, though, that the smoke detector itself needs to be replaced...

The Federal Housing Administration is a part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Part of its mandated duties is the administration of mortgages for single-family homes---FHA...

Smoke alarms are battery-operated devices that produce a loud noise in the presence of smoke or gases from fires. Having properly installed and maintained smoke alarms in your home can reduce your...

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that cannot be seen. Fuel-burning appliances in your home produce the carbon monoxide, which is not harmful unless something prevents the gas from...

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a functioning smoke alarm is a necessity in any household. When working properly a smoke alarm can save your life in the event of a fire. There are two...

We pass under our smoke detectors each day, running in and out of our homes without giving them a second thought. When the seasons change, stop and take time to test your smoke detector. It does...

Most smoke detectors today contain a small amount of radiation called Americium-241; for the average consumer, having radiation in your home can be a frightening prospect. However, the levels of...

In a late-night house fire, smoke inhalation could kill you long before flames reach your room. Smoke and heat detectors---with alarms that sound at very loud chirps and high frequencies---can be...

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has a number of requirements for the use and placement of smoke detectors within the home. These provisions are only necessary when new construction is...

Throughout America, smoke detectors use a type of radioactive material known as americium-241. This element is necessary to allow the smoke detectors to work properly. Although the element is...

Smoke detectors in the United States are radioactive due to the presence of an element necessary for their proper function. Without the radioactive element, there is no way for the average smoke...

Smoke alarms save lives on a regular basis, sounding a warning at the possible start of a fire. However, the false alarms often annoy and frustrate users. Understanding the causes can help you...

Smoke alarms are some of the most important life-saving devices available. Used in businesses and households across America, smoke alarms give advanced warning to a building's occupants of the...

Smoke detectors, among the most significant inventions to promote fire safety in the last 100 years, come in various shapes and sizes. The two main types of detectors are known as photoelectric...

Fires kill thousands every year in their homes, especially at night when people are asleep. Such tragedies can be averted, however, because smoke detectors can and do save lives when used...

Fire alarms are a crucial part of any building's safety and security. Fire alarms not only protect people from potentially dangerous situations, they alert firefighting personnel, decreasing the...

Fire alarms provide safety and security to millions of Americans, and they help to warn a building's occupants of potential life-threatening danger. When a fire alarm chirps, it is no small...

Fire alarms are a very important part of safety in homes, public buildings and other businesses today. Although they are not completely effective in every situation, fire alarms have drastically...

Smoke alarms, found in almost every home and business in America, save lives on a daily basis. Although they can be annoying, the loud and persistent alarms warn a building's occupants of fire and...

Advancements in fire alarm technology have saved thousands of lives every day. However, smoke detectors and fire alarms are often taken for granted. Today almost every business and home uses the...

While fire prevention has seen great improvements in recent years, malfunctioning smoke detectors have caused frustration and grief in many homes. Smoke alarms are vitally important to the safety...

Smoke detectors save lives. They can also emit unwanted sounds at inconvenient times. Learning about smoke detectors and how to properly troubleshoot problems can cut down on false alarms and keep...

Residential smoke alarms save lives daily. However, 14 percent of U.S. homes do not have smoke alarms. In addition, a third of smoke alarms in U.S. homes do not work, according to the Los Angeles...