Having a fire alarm in your home is of utmost importance. After all, this little device is the only way to ensure the safety of your family and have greater peace of mind. In addition, in some countries, you are required by the law to have it in your home.
However, occasionally, false fire alarms can occur. Not only does this pose a great risk because the fire department will be sent to your location unnecessarily, but also, you will probably be presented with a large fine to pay. Due to this reason, you should do your best to prevent this from happening, which can be a bit challenging since many things can cause false fire alarms, and we will discuss some of them in the following text.
Maintain it regularly
The very first thing you have to do is to maintain the fire alarm system. Without a doubt, this is the best way to ensure that it works properly and to prevent false alarm at the same time. Our advice is always to complete this task with a certified company since it is the only way to be certain that everything functions perfectly.
This process includes a few tasks. Firstly, you should start by investigating the device’s heat and smoke detectors. Next, check out the device’s sensitivity, and don’t forget about batteries. When it comes to the last one, it may not be necessary to change batteries for quite some time, but this is something that entirely depends on the model of the smoke alarm. Nowadays, some of them have built-in lithium batteries, and you can learn about their maintenance on the X-Sense website.
Eliminate the dust
You would be surprised to learn how many false alarms were caused by visible dust. No, we are not talking about the regular dust that can be found everywhere in your home, but instead, the dust that is created during the renovation process.
If you are about to do any kind of redecorating or renovation in your kitchen or any other room with a smoke device, the initial thing you should do is cover it. This way, you will prevent false alarms from happening because this device isn’t always successful at recognizing the difference between dust and smoke.
Upon finishing with the construction, you should remove the covers, thoroughly clean the device, and inspect its sensitivity, just to be on the safe side.
Be smart when installing it
When it comes to purchasing and installing this device, you have to be smart about its placement. Most people’s first instinct would be to put a smoke device in the kitchen. After all, most fires happen there due to all the cooking and baking. Yes, this is true, but you have to remember that this is also the room where most false alarm occur.
Just think about the smoke that occurs when grilling the meat, or the one that fills out the entire room when your dish burns. Yes, it is inconvenient, but there isn’t anything firefighters can do about it. So, instead of placing this device in your kitchen and paying hefty fines every time it goes off unnecessarily, you should protect this area with heat detectors.
Is it installed properly?
This should be one of the first questions you ask yourself when faced with this problem. First of all, this isn’t a task you should turn into a DIY project. Even though the installation process can appear to be quite simple, there are still numerous Fire Code regulations that it must meet, meaning the ones you have to be familiar with. Due to this reason, you should always hire a certified company to complete this task. When looking for one to hire, make sure to check whether they possess this document because otherwise, they might not install the fire alarm correctly, meaning that you might face some additional problems in the future.
Use ventilation system
Upon reading the previously discussed potential cause of false alarms, this tip is quite understandable. As you can assume, alongside dust and smoke, steam and heat can also make this device go off. This is why it shouldn’t be installed in the bathroom, or near it, or in the laundry room. It is one of the main reasons why you should use the ventilation system in every room of your home. In addition, when it comes to covering these areas with fire protection devices, you should contact a professional that will help you make the right choice. You would be surprised to learn how many types of fire protection devices there are nowadays, so you will almost certainly need help.
Don’t forget about smoking
It is interesting how many people forget that these devices can be set off by cigarette smoke. This may be due to the reason that it won’t set off the sprinkler system, so they completely forget about fire alarms. However, depending on their sensitivity, they can easily go off.
Once again, remember to take this into consideration when choosing the best place to install this device. Naturally, if one of your family members smokes, it is probably a good idea to forget about installing it into the living room or any other area where you spend most of your free time and are likely to smoke a cigarette.
Update the system
A lot of people believe that the regular maintenance of fire alarms is enough. However, this isn’t always the case. With all the technology development that is constantly occurring, it is natural that some systems become outdated after a while. This can also be another reason why they don’t function properly, and therefore, why false alarms happen oftentimes.
So, it might be a good idea to inspect the market and inquire about the latest products. Take your time and conduct research. In addition, if you are not sure what you should be looking for and what requirements you should have, our advice is to contact a professional who will provide you with the necessary information.
