Proper Care and Use of Fire Alarms

12/1/2021 (Permalink)

Replace the batteries once or twice a year.

Fire Alarm Maintenance and Use

The correct use of a fire alarm in your home is one of the most important things you can do to keep your Tyler, TX, family safe from fire damage. It is more important than ever to have enough alarms positioned throughout your home.

• Inside of each sleeping room
  
• Outside of sleeping areas
  
• On every level of the home
  
• Additional alarms for larger homes
  
  

Interconnected smoke alarms are the most effective for increasing safety. Just make sure that all of the alarms are compatible with each other.

Proper Installation

When installing smoke alarms, there are several things to keep in mind, such as making sure each alarm has approval from recognized testing laboratories. Make sure you have an alarm located in the basement and in the most frequented rooms of the house, including family rooms and hallways. Install a fire alarm at least 10 feet away from your cooking appliances and mount all alarms high on the wall or on the ceiling. Consider installing both ionization and photoelectric alarms in your home.

Regular Maintenance

Proper maintenance is key to ensuring fire protection for your home and family. For instance, if you have an alarm positioned near a window or door, the drafts and moving air could clog the device with dust and make it unreliable. Never put stickers or other decorations on alarms and don't paint them. These could also prevent the device from working. Contact a fire damage professional if you have questions.

Monthly Testing

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends testing them once a month and replacing the batteries once or twice a year. (One common suggestion is to do this at daylight savings time.) Test your alarms according to the user manual. While testing, have a family member stand at the point in the home furthest from a device, so you know it can be heard everywhere in the home.

The fire alarm is an affordable device that could save your home and family from significant fire and smoke damage. If you don't currently have them installed, today is the day to fix that.