How To Test Your Smoke Alarms

3/30/2020 (Permalink)

A smoke detector is important for fire safety.

Fire safety should be at the top of every homeowner's list of concerns. While you hope that you never have to deal with fire damage in your home, having a reliable smoke alarm system in place is essential to protecting your family just in case a fire occurs. There are several things you need to do to make sure your fire alarm system staying in good working order.

Check the Age

A smoke detector can last a long time, but like everything else in your home, it eventually wears out and needs to be replaced. The process for checking the age of your detectors is simple:

Remove the detector.

Look on the back for the date it was manufactured.
Return the detector to the wall or ceiling if it's less than 10 years old.

If the date of your detector is over 10 years ago, you need to replace it. Your smoke alarm system is only as strong as its weakest detector, so check the dates at least once a year to make sure they're all still current.

Check the Alert

Even if your smoke detectors are all relatively new, they can still malfunction. Fire damage experts recommend that you check them every month to make sure they are still working. Push the button on the front of the detector. It should emit an alert. If it does not, you need to replace either the battery or the detector itself.

Check the Battery

The battery in every smoke detector in your home should be replaced at least once a year. Your monthly test may reveal that the battery is weak before the year is up, though. If the alert doesn't sound when you push the button, a new battery may solve the problem.

Your smoke alarm system is your first line of defense against being trapped in a burning home. Test your alarms on a regular basis, and replace them when necessary.