Smoke, Fire and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Tips

3/25/2020 (Permalink)

If your home or business experiences a fire loss call SERVPRO of South Atlanta, we can make it "Like it never even happened."

What if we lived in a world with no warnings or emergency services? How could one possibly know when danger is coming? That is why smoke detectors and other fire safety alarms are imperative to have in your home or business. SERVPRO of South Atlanta is dedicated to help you through the process of fully understanding smoke and fire detectors.

In today’s world, we have the capability to have various types of smoke, fire and carbon monoxide alarms installed in our homes. These devices play an important role in protecting us while we are away or in the safety of our own beds.  

Smoke and Fire Alarms

• Ionization smoke alarms continuously emit a low level, electrical current that senses if smoke particles enter the current. It then triggers the audible alarm.
• Photoelectric alarms detect smoke using a light beam and sensor.  Usually, the light beam points away from the senor.  If smoke particles scatter the mean, it redirects some light to hit the sensor, triggering the alarm.  This type of alarm will detect larger fire particles quicker than ionized alarms. 

*Click here for more information on Ionization and Photoelectric alarms.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

• Biomimetic sensors detect carbon monoxide using a combination of color-changing liquids.  This sensor can last for up to 3 years.
• A metal oxide semiconductor uses wired circuits to monitor carbon dioxide levels in the air.  This type of detector can last for up to 10 years.
• Electrochemical sensors are the “best in class'' when it comes to home protection.  These detectors work by generating currents that detect the amount of carbon monoxide through scientific combination.  
• Optochemical sensors use a color changing pad that changes when carbon monoxide is detected.  This is the most cost effective option, but is known to offer limited protection.  They only monitor the presence of the poisonous gas, but cannot detect levels, so danger could be closer than known.

No matter your situation having a fire alarm that sounds, strobes, or has voice evacuation, everyone is capable of having a life saving alert. 

A few tips with keeping your fire detectors up to date:

• Perform routine, monthly tests.  Each smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, has a test button to make this easy for every homeowner.  
• Check the battery annually. A good tip is to change the battery as time falls back in the fall season.  If you are to have a smoke detector that has a non-replaceable battery then it is recommended to change them every ten years. Each detector also has a battery fail-safe. If it ever starts to chirp, that is an indicator that your battery power is low and should be changed immediately! 

Here at SERVPRO of South Atlanta we want to educate you in all things fire safety and are dedicated to help in any way possible.  Our customer service representatives here 24/7 to help in any way possible. SERVPRO of South Atlanta has certified technicians and ongoing administration educational classes to keep the entire SERVPRO of South Atlanta team up to date on the latest safety, emergency guidelines and services.

Should you ever find yourself in a house fire tragedy, call us to restore your home, “Like it like it never even happened.” We are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.