As a top Dallas Electrician we know that your family’s safety is one of the most important things on your mind throughout the day, so we decided that now would be a good time to re-visit the subject of Smoke Detector Replacement and maintenance. As the weather is cooling off, and we are coming into the holiday season, when heaters, cooking, and decorations can bring more potential safety hazards into your home, it is very important that you are certain your family is protected in the unfortunate event that you experience a house fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, “Each year fires occurring during the holiday season claim the lives of over 400 people, injure 1,650 more, and cause over $990 million in damage.” Remember these lucky 7 tips to keep your family safe this holiday season by ensuring that smoke detectors are installed correctly in your home, and that they are all in working order.

Smoke Detector Battery Replacement: At least once a year

One of the most important things to remember, if you already have smoke detectors installed in your home, is to replace the batteries at least once a year. An easy way to remember this is to change the batteries in your smoke detectors when you change your clocks for daylight savings time every year. Picking up this helpful habit makes it much easier to remember.

Smoke Detector Replacement: Every 5 to 7 years

Many smoke detector manufacturers recommend replacing the smoke detector unit itself every ten years, but a smoke detector’s reliability will actually decrease after 5 to 7 years. While this may seem like an extra cost, it is certainly a small price to pay for making sure that your family will have the most reliable method of early warning in the event of a fire, providing vital time for everyone to get out safely.

Smoke Detector Cleaning: At least twice a year

Dust, cobwebs, insects, and other airborne particles that make their way into our homes can collect on sensors and contaminate the circuitry inside your smoke detector, causing it to be less effective at sensing smoke. This is one of the most forgotten factors simply because many homeowners aren’t aware of the effects that dirt and dust can have on a smoke detector. Think about how dirty the blades of your ceiling fan would get if you never cleaned them. The same dust that accumulates on your fan blades will accumulate inside your smoke detector. At least twice a year, use your vacuum cleaner wand attachment to carefully remove dust and other contaminants from the inside and outside of your smoke detector.

Smoke Detector Types: Ionization, Photoelectric, or Both

There are two commonly used types of smoke detectors, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Ionization style smoke detectors are more responsive to quick moving, high flaming fires, while photoelectric smoke detectors are more responsive to smoldering fires that produce more smoke. You can never know what type of fire will happen in your home, so a great option to ensure the best protection is to choose smoke detector units that provide both ionization and photoelectric detection of smoke and fire.

Smoke Detector Location: Key guidelines for safe placement

Smoke detector placement is highly important in order for them to work properly. When installing smoke detectors in your home, it is ideal to have a smoke detector in each room, but at the very least, you should install smoke detectors on every level of your home, and in hallways near each bedroom to increase the likelihood that your family will be able to hear them even while sleeping. Smoke detectors should be placed 6 to 12 inches from the ceiling, and you should avoid installing them near vents, fireplaces, or kitchen appliances to reduce the accumulation of dust, soot, and oily residues from cooking.

Interlinked Smoke Detectors: Whole house warning

Modern smoke detector systems are more than simply individual detectors. It is recommended to install a system that allows all of the smoke detectors in your home to communicate with each other causing all of the detectors to alert of the fire if any single detector senses one. These systems can be wired directly into your homes electrical system, or allow wireless communication between each smoke detector. This has been a major advancement in smoke detector technology, allowing more time for residents to escape if a fire begins in any area of the home. These systems are especially valuable in late-model homes where the master bedroom is often on the opposite side of the house from children’s rooms.

Smoke Detector Testing: At least twice a year

We often take for granted that a smoke detector will simply work as designed once it is installed, but as you can see from this list, there are a lot of factors that go into a reliable smoke detection system. At the very least, make sure that you test your smoke detectors twice a year using the test button that is located on the smoke detector unit itself. When testing interlinked smoke detector systems, be sure to verify that all of the other detectors in your home alert when you test each unit individually. Even if a unit alerts when you test it, if it does not cause the other units in the home to alert, that means that there is an issue with communication between the units, and it should be inspected by a licensed Dallas Electrician.

If you have any concerns about your smoke detector system, or any other electrical projects in your home, the top Dallas Electricians at ElectricMan Inc. will be happy to help. Reach out to us by phone at 972-792-7270 or through the “Contact Us” page on our website at www.ElectricManInc.com, and let our professional electrical technicians ensure your family’s safety by guaranteeing that the job is done right!

Does it feel like there’s never enough outlets in your home? If your guests always ask where they can charge their phones or your family has hardly enough space to charge all your smartphones, tablets, and laptops, you’re not alone. This is a problem many homeowners face as they rely on technology more and more to keep up with work, in case of emergencies, and to look up recipes, directions, and more.

Fortunately there’s a simple solution: installing a USB port hub. Electrical outlet ports, or USB hubs, can be installed in convenient parts of your home, like your kitchen, as an easy way to keep all your devices plugged in, close by, and all in the same place.

The USB port hub allows you to keep pace with the ever-growing demand for access to technology; your cables can be plugged directly into the port without the need for an extension cord. They are ideal in key areas of your home that are used often or where you require access to multiple technologies at once.

We recommend installing your USB port hub in your:

Installing a USB port hub in your DC-area home allows for smarter electrical outlet placement. Consider the many benefits:

If you need help making smarter decisions about electrical outlet placement or installing outlets in a USB port hub, call Kolb Electric. We have a full staff of licensed electricians with experience in a variety of home wiring projects throughout the Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC areas, including installing USB port hubs. In fact, we’ve been helping area homeowners with their electrical outlet placement needs since 1925.

Call us at 877 287-1179 or click here to schedule an appointment today!