Smoke alarms are essential installations for the safety of any home considering house fires cause more deaths than natural hazards like bushfires and storms annually in Australia. According to experts, these residential fires are avoidable by having functioning and well-maintained smoke alarms as most house fires are caused by smoking materials like cigarettes, tobacco pipes, burning wood logs etc. Thus, people who don’t have these safety items at home should seek the assistance of the best electrician in Australia and have them installed immediately.
For homeowners that have smoke alarms maintaining the safety equipment is required and can be managed without excessive efforts. Read on to know smoke alarm maintenance tips by professional electricians for optimum home fire safety.
Inspect the Detectors Regularly
Inspecting the smoke alarms in your home frequently is crucial to know whether they are working or not. Click the test button to check if the detectors are working, and if the alarm beeps, then the sensors are functioning. If the alarm doesn’t beep then change the batteries, reset the system and test again to see the alarm is working.
People who have hardwired smoke detecting units can also press the test button to see if the alarms are working. If the beep is not sounded, then a professional electrician needs to be contacted for replacing the non-functioning units.
Ensure the smoke alarm units in your home keep functioning, and their replacement date is not bypassed add the task of checking the alarms regularly in your home maintenance checklist for every season. Another way of making the process of inspecting systematic and memorable is to create a monthly maintenance checklist for the alarms with the months, unit number, and the status tabs.
Keep a Note of the Shelf Life of the Alarms
High-quality hardwired alarms have a shelf life of about ten years and need to be replaced after that. On modern units, the replacement date is mentioned that can be checked, and many newer models even sound a distinct chirp when their shelf life is about to expire. Monitoring and ensuring the smoke alarms are replaced on time is essential because these units may or may not stop functioning without any notification.
During and After Installation Ensure the Alarm is Working Properly
When a professional is installing smoke detecting alarms in your home, asking for testing of each unit that is set up is essential. Doing this activity is required because sometimes the equipment purchased may be faulty, or the wiring/battery is not correctly placed.
Besides ensuring the alarm systems are working during the installation, testing the different pieces of equipment after the placement will help you know they are functioning, your family will be alerted in case of a fire. Many companies offer warranties and will replace a faulty unit if it stops working within the stipulated time. Depending on the terms of the warranty, homeowners can make a claim and get a replacement/repair solution accordingly.
Clean the Units
Like other fixtures in your home, smoke alarms require frequently cleans to maintain optimum functioning. If not wiped regularly, these units can have dust, dirt, cobwebs, grime and germs accumulate over time, making them less efficient and malfunction. Smoke alarm systems situated on ceilings of areas that remain damp and cold can have mould growth as well, which should be cleaned immediately as mould can damage the units. For sanitising the detectors in your home, you can follow the cleaning instructions mentioned on the manufacturer’s manual. However, if the manual is inaccessible, then you can clean these units with microfiber cloths damp with a safe cleaning solution. While removing dust and other debris from the unit make sure to open the protective cover and perform a deep clean. Also, don’t let any moisture remain around or inside the equipment as it will cause damage or corrosion of the metal components.
Get to the Root Cause If an Alarm is Sounding Frequently or Sounding Off
There are times when an alarm unit may be sounding the warning beep frequently even when there is no fire hazard or threat. Instead of replacing the unit assuming it is faulty, get to the root cause by inspecting if the detector is placed near the kitchen or bathroom from where the smoke, steam or particles may be causing the alarm to go off. Placing the sensor a little further from these areas would be practical and observing if it still goes off is required because if the unit sounds the alarm after relocation, then it should be replaced.
In case the detector is detecting smoke but not sounding correctly, then it can have weak batteries, or its shelf life is about to get over. Other reasons why the detector may be sounding off can be dust, cobwebs, dirt, moisture, mould or other contaminants. Hence, checking the unit for the accumulation of such pollutants will help make the unit function optimally again without having to replace it.
Wrapping Up
Inspecting the smoke detectors in your home frequently and maintaining them is necessary to ensure they function optimally keeping everyone in the household safe in case of a house fire. Maintaining these units is easy and can be managed by following the tips mentioned above by the best electrician in Australia. Hence, if there are smoke alarms in your home, learn to maintain them like a pro through the guide.