home sectionhome section
Installing an electric smoke detector will require a 120 circuit to wire, among other items. Install an electric smoke detector with help from a longtime electrical contractor in this free video clip.
Maintaining emergency lighting systems properly will help make sure they're actually there when you need them. Maintain emergency lighting systems with help from a professional engineer in this free video clip.
Linked smoke detectors, or interconnected smoke detectors, can save lives by sending emergency signals throughout the home. A traditional smoke alarm can alert you to the presence of smoke and fire, but it has some limitations. If you are taking a shower and a small fire starts at the opposite end of the home, you want to ensure that you do not miss the warning alarm.
Drawing an office fire escape plan is a great way to make sure all your employees are on the same page regarding fire safety. Draw an office fire escape plan with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
You may have heard that, if you have a carbon monoxide leak in your home, it will leave a black residue on the items in the house. Find out if carbon monoxide leaves a black residue on your things with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
If your smoke detector still chirps after replacing the batteries, a few distinct things could be causing this. Find out what to do if you replaced the batteries in your smoke detector but it still chirps with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
If a smoke detector keeps beeping that may be a sign that the batteries need replaced. Replace a smoke detector's batteries that keep beeping with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
Fixing an old hard wired smoke detector is very important, as detectors may be all that stands between you and disaster. Fix an old hard wired smoke detector with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
Whether or not you need a CO smoke detector in your basement depends on a few specific things. Find out if you need a CO smoke detector in your basement with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
One of the most dangerous things you can do is assume that no fire will ever touch your home. Learn about home fire safety tips with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
Using a fire extinguisher always requires you to keep your mind on a few key things. Learn about safety training for a fire extinguisher with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
As the old saying goes, the best offense is a good defense. Find out how to go on the defensive and prevent home kitchen fires with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
Creating a household fire escape plan is one of the most important things that any homeowner can do. Create a household fire escape plan with help from a certified firefighter in this free video clip.
After the use of a fire extinguisher you may notice a chemical residue that is left behind. Clean fire extinguisher chemicals after usage with help from a goal-oriented health care provider in this free video clip.
When an issue with your smoke detector arises you should troubleshoot it as quickly as possible. Learn how to troubleshoot smoke detector issues with help from a goal-oriented health care provider in this free video clip.
Smoke detectors are among the most important items in any home. Learn about smoke detector safety with help from a goal-oriented health care provider in this free video clip.
Covered ceilings can provide an eye-pleasing upgrade to rooms with unappealing construction or to provide continuity for interior design themes. Installing these aesthetic upgrades must comply with state and local safety regulations, including the placement of smoke detectors. Fire-safety rules might make it difficult for designers to add covered ceilings to a design project depending on the size of the building.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments in the United States responded to over 1,331,000 fires in 2010. The beeping noise of a smoke detector is often the first alert to a fire, and can help prevent injury or death. If you can't afford a smoke detector, many safety- and first-responder organizations provide free devices through smoke-detector programs.
Electricity produces heat, and heat can sometimes cause fires. Fans use large capacitors to help regulate their motors. Because capacitors store electricity, they also have the capacity to generate heat under the wrong circumstances. This makes them a potential cause for concern, which is all the more serious because fans generally operate for long periods of time, and so they heat up longer.
The next time you hear your smoke detector beeping, stop and look for signs of an actual fire. It's also possible for a power surge to affect the detector and make it turn on. Problems of this type typically occur with smoke detectors and alarms hard-wired into your home’s electrical system. Power surges have little to no effect on battery-operated smoke detectors.
A smoke detector protects your family by informing you of potential fire. The device registers temperature changes and smoke, both of which may indicate a fire. A hard-wired design operates on the power provided by the electrical system in your home, but it has a backup battery for emergency power failures. Hard-wired smoke detectors are far from perfect and might not be the best choice for your home.
Carbon monoxide, the silent killer, is an insidious airborne poison released by malfunctioning gas-burning appliances. Undetectable by human senses, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for numerous deaths every year. Homeowners and landlords often install carbon monoxide detectors near appliances capable of leaking the poisonous gas. An alarm similar to a smoke detector sounds when the unit detects carbon monoxide in the air, warning those nearby to exit and seek assistance.
The thought of curling up with someone you love in front of a dancing fire is romantic, but unless you know when to dampen a chimney and when to open the damper, you and your loved one could be coughing and choking on smoke rather than cuddling once the fire gets going.
A smoke detector is a vital home safety device that emits an alarm when it senses the presence of smoke. Normally, the detector emits a high-pitched beeping sound. To know whether the sound is an authentic alarm, or whether the sound indicates a problem with the smoke detector itself, familiarize yourself with the different types of beeping sounds the detector gives. Also, be aware that some detectors use other means besides sound to alert you to danger.
Smoke detectors installed in ductwork serve as another level of defense when it comes to home fire protection. The primary purpose of duct smoke detectors is to reduce the spread and recirculation of smoke, as well as the risk of bodily injury and property damage. Differences in duct smoke detectors range from installation method to detection technologies. Regardless of type, all duct smoke detectors are meant to supplement rather than replace area home smoke detectors and commercial fire detection systems.
Smoke detectors are vital to home safety because they are often your first warning that something is wrong in the house. Some detectors are standalone models that beep when smoke is detected while others are wired to a larger system. If a smoke detector is faulty and is connected to a system, the system may start acting erratically.
The experts at Underwriters Laboratories claim that you can cut the chances of dying in a residential fire in half, simply by installing and maintaining smoke detectors. A chirping noise coming from a smoke detector typically alerts the homeowner to change the batteries. Although it’s hard to believe that some brands of hardwired smoke detectors are sold without battery backup, many are, and it may take a bit of detective work to determine why it’s chirping.
As your home ages, you may find moisture seeping indoors from time to time. Leaks in your roof can cause water to run inside your home and down the walls. A homeowner who can see water running from his smoke detectors most likely has roof leak that can damage the home's structure. Water leaks are also a common cause of mold growth indoors.
Nearly all local occupancy codes require the installation and use of smoke detectors because they help save lives. Modern units connect to a branch circuit on the home's electrical system and use a battery for a source of power during outages.
Cities impose fire escape requirements that homeowners and landlords must follow to ensure the safety of residents. The city of Philadelphia mandates requirements for fire escapes in its city fire code, which supplements state, federal and international guidelines.
The NEMA Guide for Proper Use of Smoke Detectors in Duct Applications is a publication of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, or NEMA. This group, which has been developing standards for the electrical manufacturing industry for over 80 years, is one of the leading organizations in the world when it comes to developing standards. NEMA is comprised of around 500 member companies and maintains its headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia.
If the smoke detectors that are installed in your home no longer work well or if they continue to sound even when the batteries are removed, you may need to deactivate the smoke detector wiring. Removing the wiring from your smoke detector does not take a lot of time or expertise to complete. However, it is important that you follow basic safety rules for working with electricity to minimize the risk of electric shock.
Installing a damper in combination with a smoke detector can make the difference between life or death. A damper serves the life-saving function of preventing smoke from spreading throughout a home after the smoke detector has sounded. However, a damper and a smoke detector must be installed a specific distance apart for the damper to function correctly.
Every floor of every home needs a smoke detector. Your life and those of your family may depend on a properly operating device. If you live at a high altitude, an ionization smoke detector is not your best choice. Don't install an ionization detector at a location higher than 3,000 feet above sea level -- at that level, ionized smoke detectors may go off haphazardly. This is not true of a photoelectric smoke detector.
Your Frigidaire gas range is intended for stovetop cooking, baking and broiling, and it is susceptible to producing carbon monoxide if improperly used. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is produced by gas appliances when the fuel is unable to burn completely during use, and it causes fatal carbon monoxide poisoning that results in severe illness and can result in death with continuous exposure.
Founded in 1974 and based in Illinois, Firex makes smoke alarms, which are targeted at contractors who frequent electrical wholesalers. Firex provides a line of smoke alarms designed to be hardwired into place with a battery as backup rather than as primary power. Place your Firex hardwired smoke detector in bedrooms, stairwells and lived-in attics for best protection.
Smoke detectors in heating, ventilation and air conditioning ducts are installed to provide additional security against fires and smoke traveling through the ductwork to reach other parts of a building. Duct smoke detection systems can be zoned and set up to not only sound alarms, but also automatically close dampers and shut off fans in any zone where smoke has been detected to stop the spread of smoke and fire through the ducts.
Many pre-fab homes come with what is called "tape and textured" walls. This means that a texturing effect is added to the drywall after it is installed. If you do not like this texture, you can remove it without having to remove the drywall. However, you must exercise care to avoid damaging the drywall during this process or you will end up having to replace it. This project requires TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) cleaner which can be hazardous. Wear protective gloves and eye-wear for this project.
Artificial lights enable people to use their living and working spaces at all hours of the day, whether or not they have direct exposure to sunlight. When the power goes out, however, some family members or co-workers may become trapped in the dark in a basement or a windowless corridor. Emergency lighting provides a way out of that difficulty.
The Vector security control panel allows you to automate the function of your domestic alarm system from one point. From it, you may disarm all of your alarms to stop them from sounding and sending information to your security agency in the event of a fire or an intrusion. Once you've done so, your home will be unprotected and help will not be called in the event of an emergency.
Mere seconds is all it takes to determine whether or not you will survive a house fire. Smoke detectors can increase your survival rate by up to 50 percent. Hardwired smoke detectors eliminate some of the risk of systems that are operated solely by battery power and require a less frequent replacement schedule than other models. Hardwired detectors are affixed to your electric line so you do not have to worry about replacing batteries. Since multiple alarms can be connected together with hardwired smoke detectors, family members can all hear the smoke detector going off at the same time.
Smoke alarms are crucial fixtures in a home or business that can save lives and protect property in case of a fire. These alarms use sensors to detect smoke and emit a loud alarm sound to warn occupants when there could be a fire. Hard-wired alarms are installed directly into the home's electricity system, usually including a backup battery in case of a power outage. Hard-wired detectors can be installed during a home's construction, or after the home has been completed, by a certified electrician.
When properly calibrated, all of your Kidde wireless smoke detectors are interconnected -- so if a fire is detected in one part of the house, all of the smoke detectors will signal the alarm. Since they are not connected by wires, you need to set the dipswitches on all of the smoke detectors, before installing them, to ensure that they're wirelessly connected and working properly.
Having smoke detectors in your home can prevent fire damage and save lives. They are required by law in any and all buildings. There are two basic types of smoke detectors: those powered by batteries, and those hard-wired to the electrical system, with a battery backup. Hard-wired smoke detectors need to be disconnected by a qualified electrician, but wireless smoke detectors can be disconnected by anyone.
Homeowners planning the installation of smoke detectors have several options to consider. Although battery-operated smoke alarms are widely available, units hard wired into a home's electrical system avoid problems with batteries and may provide a better level of production. A smoke detector does not need to be on a dedicated circuit in most instances, but builders should consult local building codes to check any applicable regulations.
Smoke alarms are designed to detect the presence of smoke in a dwelling and provide early warning of the danger to the inhabitants. The fire codes in many communities require new construction of single and multi-family dwellings to include smoke alarms. Many types and configurations of smoke alarms exist, including single station and double station smoke alarms.
Snakes and large insects are beautiful animals -- as long as they're in their natural habitat. Inside your home, their presence is much less welcome. If you live in a part of the country where snakes or large insects are abundant, you'll want to stop them from entering. Sealing up chinks and crannies around your home is an effective way to stop snakes and insects from getting in.
Backyard and patio fireplaces are becoming a focal point in landscape and outdoor decorating schemes. Permanent fireplace pits, chimineas and other portable fireplaces are legal to operate it you follow local and state laws about burning outdoors. Exterior fireplace and burn laws are designed by local governments to ensure the safety of the community and homeowners. Violating the law may result in a fine plus the cost of replacing property if damage results from the violation.
The National Fire Protection Association reports that approximately two-thirds of fire-related deaths occur in residences lacking smoke detectors or with smoke detectors deactivated or disconnected. Almost all municipalities have building and fire codes requiring installed and activated hardwired smoke detectors in residences. Smoke detectors should be disconnected only to replace a defective unit or in the course of renovation or electrical work in the mounting wall or ceiling. Most hardwired smoke detectors today are interconnected. If one detector senses smoke and triggers an alarm, all other detectors on the system sound an alarm as well. Interconnected hardwired smoke detectors have…
Smoke detectors need checking every month to verify that they work properly. A smoke detector is often your first warning of a fire in the home, and a malfunctioning system does you no good. Smoke detectors often chirp when there is a problem that impedes their function. While a dying battery is the usual cause for this, even in hardwired detectors, it can continue even after you switch the batteries. More thorough troubleshooting is then required to ensure the detector does its job and that it's wired correctly.
