If the smoke alarms in your residence are more than 10 years old, there is a good chance they will not warn you of a fire. There are parts in the alarm that wear out, and all smoke alarm manufacturers warn on their websites that their alarms should be replaced after 10 years. The National Fire Protection association also urges replacing home smoke alarms after 10 years.
This is a rather simple job for a moderately handy homeowner, but you may want to hire a licensed professional to install and test your alarms.
aging smoke alarms do not operate efficiently and often are the source for nuisance alarms. Older smoke alarms are estimated to have a 30 percent probability of failure within the first 10 years. Newer smoke alarms do better but should be replaced after 10 years. In Sun City it is safe to assume your smoke alarms are the same age as your home. There are between five and eight alarms in your home.
Smoke alarms, when properly installed, give an early audible warning needed to safely escape from fire. That’s critical because 85 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home, and the majority occur at night when most people are sleeping. Last year, the NFPa documented 3,420 home fire deaths.
The NFPa offers the following smoke alarm safety tips:
— Install new batteries in all alarms once a year or when the alarm chirps to warn the battery is dying
— Test units at least monthly using the test button or an approved smoke substitute
— Clean the units in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
— Do not use an open-flame device for testing, because of the danger the flame poses
— Smoke alarms should be placed inside and outside each sleeping area and on each level of the home, including the basement. One should also be place in the furnace room and in each crawl space.
— alarms should be mounted on the wall 4-12 inches from the ceiling; ceiling-mounted alarms should be positioned four inches away from the nearest wall. On a vaulted ceiling, be sure to mount the alarm at the highest point of the ceiling.
If you have a damaged mounting bracket or power connector on a Firex smoke alarm, you can get a new one free. You can submit a request online for service at www.firexsafety.com/contact/ or call 1-800-445-8299.
You may have wondered why the red light on the alarm blinks once every 40 seconds. I know my wife does. The flashing red light every 40-45 seconds is normal operation. This is a battery test the unit performs. When the battery is weak, the unit will beep or chirp approximately once a minute and the red LED will flash approximately four times a minute.
The Firex Smoke alarms have what they call Quick Quiet False alarm Control. This false alarm control feature will quiet unwanted alarms when activated. To activate this feature, press the test button on the initiating alarm. This will reduce the smoke alarm’s sensitivity for a period of up to 15 minutes. During this time, the red LED will flash approximately once every 10 seconds. Some models will emit two short beeps when the smoke alarm is returning to normal sensitivity level.
Most importantly, if your smoke alarms are 10 years old or more, you must replace all of them or you risk sleeping through a fire. This is really important.
Reminder: The woodchucks will be holding their ask the Woodchucks day at the Millgrove Woodshop on October 17. This is an opportunity for Sun City residents to bring a broken or damaged chair, table, or other wooden object to the shop for repair. It is necessary to reserve a spot for this service. Look for the flyer in the October Lifestyles magazine and sign up early.
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home, submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com.
