Protecting your home and family from potential hazards starts with installing reliable smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. These devices provide early warnings of fires and carbon monoxide leaks, potentially saving lives.
How Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Alarms Work
- Smoke detectors identify smoke from fires, while carbon monoxide alarms detect odorless carbon monoxide gas, which can be deadly. Both devices provide early warnings that allow you to act quickly. Here’s why they are important:
- Detects Fires and Carbon Monoxide: Smoke detectors detect smoke from fires, while carbon monoxide alarms detect carbon monoxide gas, which is odorless and potentially lethal.
- Early Warning: Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms provide an early warning, allowing you and your family to evacuate the home and call for help in case of a fire or carbon monoxide leak.
- Saves Lives: Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms can save lives by alerting you to potential hazards and giving you time to take action.
Ensuring Your Alarms Are Functioning Properly
- Test Regularly: Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms regularly to ensure that they are functioning properly. Most alarms have a test button that allows you to test the alarm.
- Replace Batteries: Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a year. Consider replacing them twice a year when you change your clocks for daylight saving time.
- Replace Old Alarms: Replace smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms that are more than 10 years old or that do not have a visible expiration date.
- Install Enough Alarms: Install enough smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. At a minimum, install a smoke detector on each level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Install a carbon monoxide alarm on each level of your home and near sleeping areas.
- Hire a Licensed Electrician: Hire a licensed electrician to install hardwired smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. Hardwired alarms are connected directly to your home’s electrical system and are more reliable than battery-operated alarms.