How to Test Your Smoke Alarms

A smoke alarm is a crucial safety device that should be featured in every home. Plus, as of 1 January 2022 all domestic premises leased and sold; must have hard-wired interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms installed. And, as of 1 January 2027 all domestic promises; must have hard-wired interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms installed.

How do Smoke Alarms Work?

Smoke alarms are devices that detect smoke and sound an alarm when activated. Smoke alarms alert and wake people allowing valuable time to get out of a house during a fire.

Photoelectric smoke alarms are designed to detect changes in the intensity of light passing through the air as a result of the smoke. They can operate on two principles – light obstruction and light scattering. Plus, what makes photoelectric smoke alarms very effective is the fact that they respond fast to smoldering fires which have proven to be lethal in most cases of residential fires.

Hence, we may all conclude that installing smoke alarms at your home is of utmost importance. So, call Thomas Blake Electrical – the number one electrician in Brisbane offering expert electrical services including smoke alarm installation and replacement. Whatever your smoke alarm need is, Thomas Blake can assist you quickly and professionally.

How to Test Your Smoke Alarms?

In general, smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years to ensure that you have a reliable source of safety in your home. The reason for this is that over time, just like other electrical devices, smoke alarms develop mechanical issues and become less effective.

So, you have to test your smoke alarms from time to time to make sure they are in good condition. In this case, you’d better seek professional help from a qualified electrician, like Thomas Blake, to do the inspection.

Here’s a step by step guide on how to do a smoke alarm test:

Step 1 – Notify Your Family Members

First and foremost, you should tell everyone in your household that you are going to test your smoke alarms. Also, notify your security company if your smoke alarm is hardwired to a monitored security plan.

Step 2 – Check How Far the Alarm can be Heard

Evaluating the distance at which your alarm can be heard is also of crucial importance. To do so, ask a family member to go as far as possible when you do the test and tell you whether or not they can hear the smoke alarm.

Step 3 – Conduct the Test

To see whether or not your smoke alarms work you will need an aerosol spray that can be purchased at any home improvement store. Then, sprinkle some amount of the spray into the alarm and wait. If it produces a sound, then your alarm works well. Otherwise, you need to replace it.

Step 4 – Turn off the Alarm

Finally, once you have tested your smoke alarm, you have to turn it off. You can do so by vacuuming the aerosol spray from the alarm unit. Or, switch the silence button if there’s one on your smoke alarm.

To sum up, testing your smoke alarms is essential if you want to ensure that you and your family are safe. So, don’t hesitate and contact Thomas Blake today to test, fix, replace, or install smoke alarms in your home.