Essential Smoke Alarm Features

When purchasing smoke alarms for your home, consider these essential features

Latest Smoke Alarm Standards: 

New smoke alarm standards have been recently implemented. These new standards:

• Reduce false alarms caused by things like cooking smoke, steam and dust.

• Better detect both fast burning and smoldering fires.

Quality and Performance:

Not all smoke alarms are created equal and cheaper alarms often don’t perform well in independent testing.

• Do your research on real-world testing performance from reliable sources.

• Choose a name brand manufacturer with a good reputation.

• Good manufacturers still make cheap quality alarms at a lower price point. Aim for alarms in the mid to high price points to get the best performance.

Power Source Options:

If your home was built after the 1990’s, it likely has interconnected, “wired” smoke alarms tied together and into your home’s A/C power system. They also contain a backup battery so they will work even in the event of a power failure.

• If your home has hardwired smoke alarms you should only replace them with hardwired alarms with backup batteries.

• If your home does not have hardwired alarms, you should look for wireless interconnected alarms (see below) with either replaceable batteries, or 10 year sealed batteries.

• Typical household smoke alarms use either 9-volt or AA batteries. Most homeowners tend to prefer the models with AA batteries because they are more common and less expensive than 9-volt batteries.

Interconnectivity:

Interconnected alarms can be connected either by the wiring in your home or wirelessly using radio signals.

• When one alarm detects smoke, it triggers all interconnected alarms in your home.

• This feature ensures that everyone is alerted, even if the fire starts in an area far away from occupants.

Carbon Monoxide Detection (CO):

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas emitted by combustion systems such as fire places, automobiles, and gas appliances. It is known as the “silent killer.” 

• It is highly recommended (and sometimes required) that all homes with combustion appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages have CO detection alarms. 

• Some smoke alarms come with built-in CO detectors, but they typically don’t also have dual smoke sensors. For this reason we always recommend dual sensor smoke alarms and add-on CO detectors that can be placed in any A/C outlet and have a backup battery.

• If you have natural gas or propane gas, also consider getting CO alarms with explosive gas detection to ensure your safety.

Remember to install smoke alarms properly, following guidelines from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and your alarm manufacturer. Place them in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on each level of your home. To help avoid false alarms do NOT place smoke alarms near kitchens or bathrooms with showers. Regularly test and replace batteries and clean them at least twice a year using canned air or a vacuum cleaner to ensure optimal performance.

Last updated: 3/5/2024