5 Things You Didn’t Know About Photoelectric Smoke Alarms In Queensland

Households in Queensland are set to become the safest in Australia in terms of fire safety due to the new smoke alarm legislation that is being adopted. In fact, you may have heard by now that the new legislation specifies that only photoelectric smoke alarms be used in Queensland – but what exactly is a photoelectric smoke alarm?

Our Pacific Smoke Alarms team has covered this before, so just to recap: a photoelectric smoke alarm uses the disruption of light to detect smoke and trigger the alarm to alert occupants of a fire.

These smoke alarms will be required to be:

• Interconnected
• Installed in every bedroom
• Installed in hallways connecting rooms with the rest of the house
• Placed on every level of the home

Seems simple right? Well, here are some facts about photoelectric smoke alarms that our team thinks you might find enlightening and useful.

Five Things You May Not Know About Photoelectric Smoke Alarms

We aim to keep you informed every step of the way. Read more about the photoelectric smoke alarm by looking through the following important pieces of information :

1. These smoke alarms do not contain any radioactive material.
2. The sensing chamber houses a light-emitting diode and a light-sensitive sensor that will trigger the alarm when suspended smoke particles scatter and disrupt the light beam.
3. It differs from an ionisation smoke alarm which uses electrically charged particles to help detect smoke in the air.
4. You can find out whether or not your smoke alarm is photoelectric by taking it down and checking the symbol on the back – ionisation alarms can be identified by the radiation symbol they carry.
5. The photoelectric smoke alarms can detect smoke at a much faster rate and are recommended by the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service.

Find Out More

Feel free to get in touch with us if you would like to ask the Pacific Smoke Alarms team about specific queries you may have regarding photoelectric smoke alarms in Queensland or if you would like to book our services. Call us on 1300 355 483 or use our convenient online contact form.