The purpose of a smoke detector is to keep you, your family, and your home safe if there’s a fire in your home. However, not all smoke detectors are equal. Some are more effective than others. There’s no reason to put your safety in the hands of a smoke detector that won’t give you the safety that you deserve. Find out what kind of smoke detectors can give you the best protection.

The Truth About Smoke Detectors

All smoke detectors have the potential to save lives. However, many people don’t have them in their homes. Close to 3,000 people lost their lives in fires in 2014. Yet, over half of those individuals had homes without smoke detectors. When you consider that firefighters reported a fire every 24 seconds in 2014, it’s clear the fires are far too common. With a smoke detector, you can protect yourself.

Today, technology makes smoke detectors more effective than ever. While a traditional smoke detector can get the job done, new detectors have technology that makes them even more effective. Today’s detectors can save more lives than ever before.

The Various Types

Smart Detectors

One of the newest types of smoke detector is the smart smoke detector. Like other smart appliances in your home, this detector works through an app on your smartphone. Every smart smoke detector has different functions. However, many of them can alert you to where the fire is occurring. If you buy multiple detectors of the same brand, they may communicate with one another.

As an added benefit, your smart detector can alert you to a fire when you are out of your home. If you are at work, you can get an alert on your phone notifying you of the smoke or fire. Another benefit comes in the form of convenience. Some smart detectors notify you of the detector’s battery life. Instead of waking up to beeping at 3:00 AM, you can get a reminder to change the battery before you get an unwelcome wake-up call.

Multi-Functional Detectors

You may be on the lookout for a smoke detector that does more than alert you of a fire. For a smoke detector that does it all, you need to consider a multi-functional smoke detector. This type of detector incorporates a smoke detector with other types of alarms. Most commonly, they include carbon monoxide detectors. By bundling your alarms all into one piece of equipment, you can save space. You can also save yourself the time of setting up multiple alarms, and you have less to worry about.

Important Features to Consider

When you want to buy a new smoke detector, there are several factors that you need to consider. In addition to deciding if you should get a smart detector, multi-functional detector, or traditional detector, you need to think about functionality.

Battery-powered vs Hardwired

First, you should consider how you want your detector to work. You have two choices- battery-operated or hardwired. As you might imagine, a battery-operated detector uses batteries. Installation of this type of detector is straightforward. You can place these smoke detectors anywhere you want and can do it all yourself. However, there is a downside. The batteries can die, and this makes your smoke detector useless. If you don’t change the batteries as needed, you put your home and your family at risk. To remedy this, you can look into getting smart batteries. These batteries send a notification to your phone when you need to change them.

Hardwired detectors are the alternative option. These detectors connect to your electrical system. However, they do usually have a battery back-up. They are more reliable than battery-operated detectors. But they also are more difficult to install. You may need to hire someone with experience in the installation.

The Sensors

Another detail to consider is the type of sensor. Some detectors use photoelectric sensors. When you have an alarm with this type of sensor, it is best for notifying you of smoky fires. The sensors work by detecting smoke with a light. When they detect smoke, the alarm goes off.

You might want to consider ionization sensors. These sensors are best at detecting fast-burning fires. Even when there isn’t much smoke, they can detect a fire. To do so, the detector uses radioactive material and two metal plates. When there is no smoke, ionization occurs between the plates. As smoke moves through the detector, the ionization process stops, and the alarm goes off.

The final option is a dual sensor alarm. Equipped with both types of sensors, this alarm notifies you of smoky or fast-moving fires. It gives you the most protection for your home.

There are many different options from which to choose. Choosing the perfect smoke detector takes research and some shopping. However, every option increases the safety of your home. With the right smoke detector, you can make your home a safer place for everyone.