One of the most important elements of safety in your home is your fire and carbon monoxide detector. Whilst they are built to stand the test of time, it’s important to be aware that they do tend to become less effective as time goes on. This is why fire alarm manufactures actually recommend smoke alarm replacement every 10 years. An efficient fire alarm system is the difference between a fire being quickly noticed and extinguished, or a fire spreading through your home and causing irreparable damage.
Why do fire alarms need replacing every 10 years?
When we recently completed a smoke alarm replacement on Queens Road in Buckhurst Hill, our customer said she had only recently become aware that her fire alarm needed to be routinely replaced after she came across a TikTok informing her of this. 10 years is the advised time because as time goes on, the sensors tend to become damaged due to airborne contaminants (dust, cooking fumes or the humidity) - this is extremely important as the sensors are the component in the alarm that is exposed to the chemicals and smoke detected.
They aren’t on their own with this misconception as when people hear of fire alarms expiring they often assume this is only applicable to battery operated fire alarm systems - this isn’t correct. The actual mechanisms that detect the smoke in the air expire, not just the batteries.
How to utilise your fire alarms 10 year life span
In order to ensure your fire alarm system is working to its full potential during its lifespan, we advise to regularly blow away any debris inside the fire alarm by using a hair dryer on the cold setting, vacuum the vents gently or use a damp cloth to give the outside a clean and pat try with a lint-free cloth. Simultaneously home owners in buckhurst hill should be regularly testing their fire alarms - at least once a month to check it is still working. These are all ways to prevent premature smoke alarm replacement. Don’t leave it too late to find out that it is no longer working.
Lastly, our best piece of advice for achieving the best reliability - hardwired alarms.
Why is a hardwired smoke alarm more effective than battery powered?
A hardwired smoke alarm is a much more reliable system as you will never face the problem of the batteries running low, as this is hardwired into your home's electrical system. The wonderful thing about hardwired smoke alarms is that while they may not be battery reliant, they do offer a feature of a battery back up system. This means that should a power cut occur, your fire alarm systems won't lose power as they will transfer over to battery power.
Hardwired smoke alarms are also beneficial as it means all of the alarms in your home can be interconnected - once one fire alarm starts to ring this will start to simultaneously set the other alarms off, ensuring all parts of the house or areas alarms are ringing.
Fire alarm replacement in Buckhurst Hill
Here at Tack electrical we are your trusted, and experienced fire alarm installation electricians. We are a family run business founded in 2012, we have a deep understanding of the area and our customers and aim to build long lasting relationship with our customers.
We are:
- NICEIC Approved
- TrustMark Endorsed
- Part P Registered
We hear all the time of customers booking an electrician and they either never show up or backtrack on their prices. Here at Tack Electrical we are keen to help our customers, no matter how small or big the job.
If you’d like to book fire alarm replacement or discuss fire alarm system maintenance, get in touch with our team today.
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