How Often Should Smoke Detectors Be Tested?

Having smoke detectors installed in your home is your first line of defence against a potential fire outbreak. Thousands of households and families have been saved thanks to this innovation, not to mention the years of memories and sentimental items that have been rescued from destruction. Smoke detectors in Queensland are an affordable and easily installed solution that you should strongly consider adding to your home if you want to ensure that it – and everything and everyone inside it – remains as safely protected as possible. However, it is important to remember that they are electrical devices and need to be maintained to keep working well. This is why proper checks and maintenance of your smoke detectors need to be conducted regularly.

In order to keep your smoke detectors working properly, it is advised that you have each unit and the entire system checked at least once a year. If you had your system installed in March, for example, be sure to make a note of this and schedule a check-up inspection for the following March. Between those professional inspections, you also need to keep an eye on your system yourself. Most safety authorities worldwide recommend that you do a monthly check of all your detectors. You can do this by pressing the ‘Test’ button and waiting a few seconds for the alarm to go off. If you find it does not go off, check the batteries in the unit and replace them with a new set.

Signs That You Need To Check Your Smoke Detectors

Sometimes things stop working all of a sudden, and in the case of smoke detectors, there are certain signs you should not ignore. Firstly, your smoke alarm goes off suddenly with no indication of there being a fire or cause for the smoke detector to go off. Secondly, the alarm makes random and short beeping sounds. As well, if you have had quite a few cooking mishaps in your kitchen, which has resulted in your smoke detector going off quite often you will also need to give extra attention to these units as they may have begun to wear out more quickly than other units around your home.

If your smoke alarms run on batteries and aren’t connected to your home’s main electrical system, keeping a few extra sets of batteries at home is always a good idea as you’ll need to replace them quite often. If your system is electrical, it will still have a backup battery unit for each smoke detector, which is why monthly checking is still important.

For professional advice about installing, testing and maintaining smoke detectors, Queensland homeowners trust Pacific Smoke Alarms for service excellence – and so should you.