Some things in life are totally unpredictable and “Fire” is one of those those things. There are infinite things in a home that can cause fire such as, candles, electrical appliances, wires, cigarette thrown on a carpet and many more. As a matter of fact, most of the damage caused by fire is in those areas where people do not bother to use smoke detectors for protection. Thus, it is very necessary to install smoke detectors at home to save yourself and your family members from this deadly evil.
You must install smoke detectors in every room of the house, including bedroom, living room, hallway, basement or at least one in each floor. Smoke detectors are available in two types i.e ionized and photoelectric. You buy both of them or a combination detector to ensure that every kind of fire is detected on time.
However, if you want your smoke detectors to work properly make sure you take all the necessary precautions and follow the guidelines properly. At homes, most of the fire is the result of carbon monoxide as it is a toxic flammable gas. Thus, it should be noted that the smoke detectors installed in your home is able to detect carbon monoxide gas in the environment. To ensure safety and protection, it is always advisable to hire professional for the installation.
Installing Smoke Detectors
1. The first step to install small detectors is to walk through every nook and corner of your house and locate the places where you want to fix them. There might be some places with high tendency to catch fire. Also, smoke detectors should be fixed in hallways connecting your kitchen, basement, inside bedrooms etc. Detectors should be mounted only inside bedrooms, outside of bedrooms and in hallways leading to bedrooms
2. Now take a ladder and mark the points on the ceiling where you want to mount smoke detectors. It is always advised to have smoke detectors on the ceilings, rather than walls as the fire initially rises up and this is will let the detectors go off sooner before the fire expands.
3. If you are planning to mount detectors on a wall make sure it is 4-12 inches away from the ceiling. On the other hand, the detectors on the ceilings must be 4 inches from the wall. In case you have fall ceiling constructed in add shapes, consider placing the detectors on the highest point.
4. Do not mount smoke detectors near doors or windows of the house. This is because the smoke will gradually escape from the openings and detectors would not be much functional in such areas.
5. Do not use smoke detectors in kitchens, dining rooms or living rooms. Smoke from cooking, fireplaces, fire lamps etc. can result in false alarms.
6. Once you have chosen the points for mounting smoke alarms to detect carbon monoxide, follow the guidelines given on the package to fix them. You will need a good quality screw driver, ladder and a drill to fix them up.
