Smoke alarms are extremely important in keeping you and your family safe in the event of a household fire. However, they don’t necessarily sound when an actual fire threatens to break out from your home. Though fake alarms happen often, that does not mean you should ignore the sound if you don’t smell or see smoke. Smoke detectors can sense hidden fires, such as electric ones, before possible. When an alarm sounds, assume there’s a fire and follow appropriate safety precautions. To assist you better understand the smoke alarms work, here are the top causes of smoke detector false alerts.
10 reasons for smoke detector false alerts
1. Burnt Food Stovetop
If you don’t oversee the cooker when cooking, your dinner may produce smoke, which activates the smoke alarm. Sometimes, smoke isn’t even necessary — a sign of burnt food can be enough to set off the sensor. Additionally, make sure that your smoke alarm is optimally positioned, like in the hallway resulting in the kitchen, not at the kitchen itself.
2. Burnt Toast or Popcorn
Leaving bread in the toaster or popcorn in the microwave for a little too long can happen to the best people. That sends heavy particles to the atmosphere, which your smoke alarm picks up. To avoid this situation, in the long run, keep your smoke detector at a safe distance from these devices.
3. Fireplaces
Fireplaces can also cause smoke detector false alarms. Your fireplace can sometimes send smoke into your house, which sets off the alarm. This is not the alarm’s fault, however. Your chimney might not be clean, and the dampers might not be properly set. Employ a chimney sweep in case your chimney sends smoke into your home.
4. High Humidity
Smoke alarms don’t always distinguish between smoke particles and moisture content. Thus, the density of the moisture particles can activate your alert, even if they’re water particles. If you have high humidity in your home, use fans or windows to dissipate the humidity.
5. Steam
Dense water vapor is like humidity when it comes to triggering false alarms. When you take a bath or boil water on the stove, smoke sensors can feel the steam and sound the alarm. Make sure that you ventilate your toilet and kitchen correctly to prevent this.
6. Insects
Small bugs adore dark cracks inside your house, so they may crawl into your smoke sensors, triggering a false alarm. If you do not understand what triggered an alarm, then open the unit and check for small insects. Use pest control sprays around your smoke alarms when insects were the culprit.
7. Chemical Smells
Painting or using harsh chemicals may also trigger smoke detector false alerts. Smoke sensors pick up on these chemical odors fast. Ventilate areas where you paint or use chemicals to prevent the startling noise of your smoke alarm.
8. Dust and Dirt
Dust that arrives from activities like remodeling may set off your smoke alarms. To wash your smoke alarm, open it up carefully, and look inside for dust or dirt. Use a vacuum cleaner attachment or electronic aerosol cleaner to remove dust particles.
9. Low Batteries
When smoke alarm batteries are running low or aren’t properly attached, they generally make little chirping noises. While that is not the noise of smoke detection, it is a warning sign that you ought to check on your device. Replace batteries twice a year — if daylight saving time begins and ends.
10. Old Smoke Alarm
Smoke alarms normally have a lifespan of about 10 years. When they get to the end of the lifespan, smoke alarms can give off false alerts. If your detector is older than 10 decades, replace it with a fresh one right away.
For fire damage restoration, contact your local PuroClean office
Remember, smoke alarms are intended to be sensitive. If a detector sounds like a false alert, it doesn’t mean it is broken. Their objective is to help you grab a fire until it becomes benign. Install your smoke alarms not overly near, but not too far away, from possible fire hazards.
In the unfortunate case where the smoke detector didn’t give an alarm off, the smoke probably caused heavy soot damage to the house. That fire and smoke damage will have to be dealt with by specialist disaster restoration technicians. This is the area where PuroClean comes from. Learn more about our flame damage cleanup services. For fire damage restoration or smoke cleanup, contact PuroClean Dundee today.