All Sun City homes are equipped with smoke alarms. They are connected to the houseās electrical power, and they contain a nine volt battery so that they will work during a power outage.
The battery will last about two years. When it gets low, the smoke alarms will begin to chirp. I know from experience that the chirping starts at three in the morning and it is impossible to sleep through. If you hear the chirp from the alarm in your bedroom and you get up and change the battery in that smoke alarm, you will probably not eliminate the chirp. The low battery may be in any one of the smoke alarms. My house has eight.
To eliminate this interruption of your sleep, change the batteries in your smoke alarm every year. I change them on New Years day. There is an arrow on the bottom of the alarm telling you which direction to turn the face of the unit to remove it. You will see the nine volt battery inside. Replace it with a new one. You should also blow out any dust or insects with an aerosol spray can designed for cleaning dust out of a computer. Dust, spider webs, insects, or moisture can falsely trigger a smoke alarm. Repeat for each smoke detector.
There is a test button on the bottom of each smoke alarm. The manufacturer recommends that you press the button on one of the alarms every four to six weeks to be certain they are working properly. Since they are hard wired together, you only need to test one.
The useful life of smoke alarms is ten years. When your smoke alarms reach the age of ten years, you should replace them all.
Following these simple maintenance procedures will make you safer in your home and could even save you some sleep.
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
