By Kathi Osmonson
Fire and Life Safety Educator
There are so many alarms on the market now; here’s a refresher to make sure you know what to tell your family, friends and that stranger who asks at the supermarket. Bottom line: A working alarm is better than no alarm.
Carbon monoxide alarms
We recommend the type with a digital readout and not combined in a smoke alarm unit. The readout indicates how many parts per million are in the atmosphere.
How much is too much? The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that most people will not experience symptoms if the level is below 70. The effects of prolonged, low-level CO exposure are unknown. It is recommended to get out of the house and call 911 if the alarm sounds, unless your department has other regulations.
Placement: State statute requires them to be installed within 10 feet of each sleeping room. We recommend that they also be installed on every level of the home.
Testing: Once a month.
Replacement: Every 5-7 years, depending on manufacturer’s instructions.
Smoke alarms
Placement: In each sleeping area and one on every level of the home.
Testing: Once a month.
Batteries: Change them at least once a year (twice a year when you change your clocks is best), unless they are the 10-year lithium battery type. These batteries are sealed into the device and should be replaced either every 10 years or when the end-of-life chirp sounds.
Replacement: Typically 10 years, even when hard-wired.
Hard-wired smoke alarms: They still need to be replaced, and it doesn’t necessarily take an electrician. The wires are hooked into a connector. Simply unplug the alarm from the connector and replace it with a new one. If the connections are different, adapters should be available wherever alarms are sold.
Photoelectric: These tend to be more sensitive to smoldering fires. They work by aiming a light into a sensing chamber. When particles (such as smoke, dust, or bugs) enter the chamber, the alarm sounds.
Ionization: These tend to be more sensitive to flaming fires. They have a small amount of radioactive material between two electrically charged plates. When smoke (and only smoke) enters the chamber, it interrupts the flow and activates the alarm.
The ongoing debate whether photoelectric or ionization alarms are better. It is impossible to predict which type of fire will occur, so for best protection, use both.
Combination alarms: These are available for photoelectric and ionization. Typically, there is not a digital read out.
Specialty smoke alarms: Interconnected alarms are available in both battery and hard-wired styles. Children may wake up better to a voice alarm, where a parent records a message to get out immediately. For the deaf and hard of hearing, a bed shaker alarm is available. There are alarms that will alert you on your smart phone if they are sounding. Keep an eye out for alarms that have lower tones that are more broadly heard.
Starting June 30 2021, (extended from the projected start date of May 30, 2020) smoke alarms will have to meet two important criteria in order to be UL Certified: First, they will need to be tested for increased sensitivity to both flaming and smoldering polyurethane foam tests due to the changes in home finish and furnishing materials over the last 30 years. Secondly, they must have the ability to distinguish between smoke aerosols from cooking sources and smoke aerosols from fire sources. This will minimize the false alarms due to cooking, which is why many people disable their smoke alarms.
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