Fire alarm system maintenance is not difficult but should not be overlooked.
As a homeowner, the review of your home’s security systems and measures should definitely include the fire and smoke alarm systems. Protecting your property and family from harm caused by fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide gas is extremely important, so making sure your warning systems are in place, and working, is paramount. Fire alarm system maintenance should be a monthly and yearly practice. You wouldn’t want to be put in a situation where you find out your life safety devices aren’t powered or inaccurate until it’s too late. Here are some of our suggestions for your home fire alarm system maintenance routine.
Are You Covered?
Many of today’s devices and systems are integrated to detect for more than one danger and communicate that with the other installed devices throughout your home. That is, when the alarm goes off, the rest of the devices in your home also sound an alarm. Depending on the sensor technology in each device, it can monitor for fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide gas. If your alarms do not detect for all three, be sure to purchase and install additional life safety devices to get these bases covered. Fire and smoke alarms should ideally be installed one per floor, near bedroom areas, and one in every bedroom. A carbon monoxide alarm detector should be installed at the entry-level of your home. Modern devices can be installed in kitchens and calibrated not to go off every time you use the stovetop or other heating elements.
Performing Tests
If you are installing new devices, or just realizing you don’t remember your last check of your fire alarm system maintenance, test them right away. Check that the devices are adequately powered, either from hardwired sources or batteries. Some devices are self-testing and will alert the homeowner when something is amiss. However, it’s best to perform manual tests at least once a month for better peace of mind. Perform a test check that the device and alarm are functional, that the volume is audible, and that everyone in the household knows what the alarm sounds like. Now would also be a good time to form an emergency fire evacuation plan with your loved ones in the home.
Maintenance Needs
As far as fire alarm system maintenance needs go, a monthly test for performance should be sufficient. It’s a good idea to make a record of when the devices were installed and the last test date, along with the previous time batteries were changed. Be sure to clean your detectors thoroughly at least once a year to remove any dust that may have collected that can impede your sensors from triggering. This should also help with preventing false alarms, and more importantly, not missing a real emergency.
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