How To Choose a Smoke Alarm

When it comes to life saving items such as smoke alarms, it is not enough to choose the cheapest model. It is very important that you choose the most reliable. Most companies offer a variety of styles, brands, and features. You can choose a particular brand or mix and match to meet the needs of your family. You may wish to consider a smoke alarm with additional features, such as a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector. However, experts indicate that buying these detectors separately will give you the most accuracy. The National Fire Protection Association sets the national fire alarm codes and standards. 

 

The following information will aid you in choosing a smoke alarm:

 

·        UL (Underwriter’s Laboratory) – Make sure your alarm is UL rated and tested. This means that the smoke alarm has been put through testing in all possible scenarios. The smoke alarm box should indicate that the alarm has been through UL testing. Smoke alarms fall under three UL standards: UL 217, UL 1730, and UL 268.

·        Hard-Wired Alarms – You can choose an alarm that is hard-wired to your home’s electrical system. This is the most reliable detector. The hard-wired alarms provide earlier detection and automatically revert to a battery backup should your electrical system fail. However, these types of alarms are the most expensive and must be professionally installed.

·        Battery Operated – You can choose an alarm that runs from a 9-volt battery. Batteries must be replaced on a regular basis.

·        Ionization Sensor – An ionization alarm uses an extremely small and harmless quantity of radioactive material to make the air in the detector chamber conduct electricity. Smoke from a fire interferes with the electrical current and triggers the alarm.

·        Photoelectric Sensor – This type of alarm uses a tiny light source shining on a light sensitive sensor. When the smoke from a fire interferes with the light the alarm is triggered. Photoelectric smoke detectors are much more effective with smoky fires, but are not as effective with high-flame fires.

·        Combination Ionization/Photoelectric Sensor - The best smoke alarm, reviews say, has a combination ionization and photoelectric sensor that can detect both flaming and smoldering fires with equal speed and accuracy.

·        Alarms for Hearing Impaired - If you or someone in your home is hearing impaired, and your home is equipped with AC wiring for interconnecting smoke alarms, experts recommend a model with a strobe light, like the First Alert Strobe Light SA100B (*est. $100). These types of models are ionization sensors, making them good for flames but not smoke; so separate photoelectric detectors should also be installed. Typically, an alarm for the hearing impaired make the lights in the house blink or create some other light pulsation to alert the person to possible danger. Often, alarms for the hearing impaired will also alert authorities.

·        Vocal Alarms - Experts say that more than half of children under five years old who die in fires are asleep at the time. KidSmart Corporation has developed a smoke alarm that uses a parent’s voice to wake the child through a recorded message. Studies have shown that children wake quicker to the sound of a parent’s voice. This type of alarm also has the benefit of parents giving a child repeated directions for getting out of the house quickly.