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How do I maintain a fire alarm?
Home » Home Security » Fire Alarms » How do I maintain a fire alarm?After you have installed your fire alarm, run a test to make sure it is working properly. Simply press the test button (which should be a standard feature of all fire alarms) and wait for the alarm. Experts recommend testing fire alarms monthly or even weekly. In addition, it is also important to review with your family what to do in the event that the alarm goes off. Make sure each family member knows how to get out of the house and where to meet outside the house if the alarm sounds.
If your alarm regularly signals a false alarm, there could be several causes. First, you may need to move the alarm further away from a stove or other smoke-producing appliance, as appliances regularly cause these nuisance alarms. First Alert, Inc., recommends that smoke alarms should be kept twenty feet from furnaces and ovens, ten feet from humid areas such as bathrooms and laundry rooms, and three feet from heating and air conditioning vents. A second cause of false alarms is an abundance of dust or insects on the sensor. Use a brush attachment to a vacuum to wipe the alarm clean.
A final cause of false alarm may simply be the indication that you need a new alarm. You should change your fire alarm every ten years and the batteries in your alarm at least once a year (unless you have long-lasting lithium batteries). The chirp coming from your alarm likely indicates that you need a new battery, but you may need an entirely new alarm.
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