The damage resulting from a home fire can be enormous. All your hard earned belongings and precious memories disappear in an instant.
Even worse, you and your family may sustain injuries or even die in the fire. That is why buying and getting a home fire alarm system installed should be a priority in your home.
Knowing which type is best for your home can be a challenge. Below are tips to help you in making the best decision on which fire alarm to buy and install in your home.
Types of Fire Alarms
Before you decide which fire alarm to buy, you must know the available types of fire alarms. Basically, fire alarms are categorized based on the type of smoke detector they have.
a) Ionisation alarm
This is an alarm that contains a smoke detector which uses air ionisation to detect the presence of smoke in a room. The detector has small amounts of americium 241. This element, which is radioactive, ionizes air in the alarm which results in a current being set up within the smoke detector. In case of any smoke in the room, the smoke particles get into the detector and specifically into the ionisation chamber. This disrupts the electric current and the alarm goes off. The ionisation alarm is ideal if you want to detect the smallest smoke particles. It is therefore very sensitive.
b) Photoelectric or optical alarms
This alarm makes use of light to detect smoke presence in a room. They contain a light strobe which remains on throughout. In case of a fire, the smoke causes this light to diffract and the fire alarm goes off. Photoelectric alarms are best at detecting bigger smoke particles from bigger fires and are less likely to be set off by accident.
c) Dual sensor alarm
This one uses a combination of the photoelectric and ionisation alarms to detect smoke in a house.
Choosing the Best Alarm Systems
The ionisation alarm is usually recommended for other areas of the house other than the kitchen. Near kitchen, the photoelectric alarm is best because it cannot be set off accidentally by smoke from cooking.
If there is a deaf person in the house, you can buy an alarm that comes along with a pad. When set off, the pad will vibrate and a light flashes thus notifying the person. Some alarms are also equipped with lights to help people get out of the house when it’s dark.
As for power, fire alarms are usually powered by a battery. Homeowners are advised to replace batteries every year to ensure continued protection. Alternatively, a fire alarm can be wired into a home’s electricity grid but still have a battery for backup.
For the best protection, get alarms that are interconnected so that if one goes off, the rest also alert you to the presence of a fire in the house. Every once in a while you should test the fire alarms (by pressing a button) to see if they still work. The longest a fire alarm should last before being replaced is ten years.
Buying the best fire alarm system will keep your family safe and secure. Go check SD Fire Alarms and buy whichever fits your needs.
