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Alarm Lady Bulletin #22
Smoke Detectors
On May 22nd, 2007 Channel 13-WTHR aired a story about consumer Smoke Detectors.
One part of the story featured a woman who, unfortunately, had lost loved ones in a fire. Something she said caused me to write this bulletin. "I just trusted it would work. I had no idea it wouldn't work. It's just horrifying. It surprises me that more people don't know."
Since 1964, General Alarm, Inc. has been designing, selling, installing, servicing and monitoring Fire Detection Systems.
Here are a few facts you must know:
- A Smoke Detector should be powered by the normal building or household power.
- In the event that building or household power is lost, the Smoke Detector should have battery backup.
- Photoelectric Smoke Detectors are superior technology to Ionization Smoke Detectors.
- There are certain areas that Smoke Detectors are ineffective in such as areas where the CEILING heat is more than 135 degrees. These areas are typically kitchens, garages, attics and utility rooms.
- Those areas where Smoke Detectors are ineffective should be covered by Heat Detectors.
- For a fire to start, three elements must be present: an ignition source (such as a spark), fuel (such as wood, fabric, plastic), and oxygen. If these three elements are present, fire can strike at any time and in nearly any environment. No where, no time is exempt!
- Quality Smoke Detectors have a life span of 10 years.
- Photoelectric Smoke Detectors should be cleaned annually. If not, they can get dirty due to normal household pollutants which create extreme sensitivity, hence potentially causing a false alarm.
- An inferior quality Smoke Detector not only may be less effective than it higher quality counterparts, it may also create a false sense of security.
The report on WTHR pointed out the inadequacies of so-called Ionization Smoke Detectors. When I started selling alarm systems in 1980, I carried an Ionization Smoke Detector, of which I had purchased, along with me to my sales appointments. To demonstrate the "effectiveness" of this type of device, I would perform a little test for the customer's benefit. {Test procedure follows}
- Make sure the battery in the Smoke Detector is good by pushing the button to see if it beeps.
- Light a book of matches, blow them out so the smoke goes into the Smoke Detector. It sounds.
- Let the smoke chamber clear out by blowing on it and remove the battery to "reset" the device.
- Light another book of matches, hold the burning book of matches about 14" away from the Smoke Detector and blow out the fire. Then, hold the extinguished book of matches, still smoldering under that same Smoke Detector. It doesn't sound. WHY?
The smoke had cooled and the IONS were greatly reduced. There were not any IONS for the IONIZATION Smoke Detector to detect, despite the fact that the burnt matches were still SMOLDERING. As the report on WTHR noted, many fatal fires are slow-developing smoldering fires. While Ionization Smoke Detectors may detect heated smoke, they may not detect thick but cool smoke which can be just as deadly.
To read the WTHR report or view the video online, please click here.
If you have questions, comments or referrals, please let me know and either myself or one of the terrific General Alarm staff will be privileged to respond.
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