3 Tips for Buying the Right Number of Fire Alarms

11/22/2019 (Permalink)

Smoke alarms – triggered by ions in high levels of smoke

Most homeowners know that a smoke detector is a critical tool in reducing the chance of injury or smoke damage from a house fire. But that’s only part of the story. To be effective, smoke detectors and fire alarms must be properly used, and that means having the right number of them for your home. Determining how many is right for your Oklahoma City, OK, home doesn’t have to be confusing. Follow these tips to secure your home against fire the right way.

Fire Detector Facts

There’s more than one type of alarm to protect your home from a blaze. The main options include:

• Heat detectors – triggered by high temperatures
  
• Smoke alarms – triggered by ions in high levels of smoke
  
  

You may choose one or the other, or even a mixture of both types. Whichever you choose, it’s key that you have enough of them.

Number of Rooms

Smoke and fire alarms can only cover so many rooms. The National Fire Protection Association suggests you make up for this by having smoke alarms in every room and outside each sleeping area throughout your home.

Home Size

Room count is only one consideration when picking the number of alarms that’s right for your home. You also need to consider your home’s total square footage. A smoke detector will typically cover about 900 square feet. Divide your home’s total square footage by this amount to get a good gauge on how many alarms you’ll need.

Number of Levels

Experts say it’s key to have a detector on every level of your home. This includes the obvious living areas, but also less used places like unfinished basements and attics. These less-trafficked areas are exactly where fires can smolder unnoticed and cause lots of damage.
Fire alarms are easy to come by and effective – if there are enough of them. Use these rules of thumb from fire damage experts and your home should be safe.