Like most homeowners, you probably worry about the safety of your family. No doubt you already have a safety plan in place for events like earthquakes or other natural disasters. While earthquakes can be harder to predict, there are some emergencies that you can plan for. The following list gives you an idea of what these types of emergencies are and the type of detectors you should have in your house to lesson the dangers that come from these occurrences.
CO2 Detectors
The rules for a carbon monoxide detector are the same for a smoke detector. At a minimum, you should put at least put one CO detector on each floor, right outside each bedroom or sleeping area. That being said, if your home has forced air heating, then you should put a detector in each room because a carbon monoxide leak from the furnace can affect an individual room, without triggering other detectors on the floor. Carbon monoxide detectors do not detect carbon dioxide or CO2. If you also need a CO2 detector, you can add one alongside your CO detector for added safety. You should maintain your carbon monoxide tester as you would a smoke detector. If your detectors are not wired into your home’s main power system, then you’ll want to change the battery every six months or so. This rule goes for all safety detectors in your home.
Smoke Detectors
Smoke alarms should be located outside every sleep area, on every floor of the house including the basement, and any room where the doors are typically shut. You also want to make sure that they are located some distance from the kitchen. Aside from giving you better coverage for the rest of the house, it also prevents you from inadvertently setting off the alarm when you are cooking. A good rule of thumb is to place the smoke detector at least 10 feet away from any cooking area. If you do accidentally set off the smoke detector, a hairdryer can help. Just point the nozzle toward the smoke detector. The air from the dryer will blow the smoke away from the detector and stop the noise.
Heat Detectors
A heat detector gives you a different kind of coverage than a smoke detector does, although both are intended to keep you safe from fire. The difference is that a heat detector recognizes when the heat in an area gets too high. You would use these in rooms where there’s a lot of dust, humidity, or steam. They work well in places that are used more infrequently, like an outside storage unit in your backyard.
Having safety detectors in your home gives you peace of mind. These devices alert you of various dangers that might be present in your home, including smoke and CO. Taking the time to change the batteries on these detectors and vacuuming them with a soft brush each month ensures that they’ll be up and running should an emergency strike.
In order for your home to be safe, you also need to make sure you have a solid roof. Let us help you!