Smoke alarms play a crucial role in the safety of your family at home, and a working smoke alarm can cut the risk of a fatality during a home fire in half. According to the NSW Fire Investigation and Research Unit; In NSW 21 deaths occur in residential fires annually, one third of them could be prevented if the homes had working smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms are designed to wake you up and give you time to escape, due to the highest risk of mortality from house fires being when you’re asleep.
Maintenance guide:
ONCE a month – test the batteries by holding the test button for 5 seconds until it beeps.
EVERY 6 months – get rid of any dust by vacuuming your smoke alarms. This will help reduce false alarms and allow smoke to easily reach the sensor
EVERY year – Replace the batteries
EVERY 10 years – Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years or earlier if specified.
In Australia it is law to have at least 1 smoke alarm on every level of a house or building where people live. It is recommended for a higher level of protection to install interconnected alarms in every living space and bedroom.
Why your smoke alarm is beeping:
Often this is the indicator that your alarm needs new batteries. Modern smoke alarms will have a low battery warning which sounds like a ‘chirp’. However if you do replace your battery and the noise continues it is best to call a professional and replace it entirely.
If you need any assistance on your smoke alarms or would like to have them checked by a licensed electrician, please call Omega on 1300 674 797