How often should smoke alarms be replaced?

Smoke alarms are an important feature of your home, keeping you and your family in the event of a fire. But as fixtures, they should be maintained, just like any other part of your home. In fact, roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or faulty smoke alarms. Don’t put you or your family in a similar situation. This Golden Home Management blog details the signs you should look for and how often you should replace your smoke alarms.

How often should you replace your smoke alarms?

Your home’s smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years. If you’re unsure of how old the alarms are, you can check the age on the reverse label. If you’re unable to determine the age of the alarm, it’s probably a good idea to replace it anyway, so you can avoid any potential problems.

Signs your smoke alarm should be replaced 

It’s yellow

Smoke detectors turning yellow is a result of age. The plastic in smoke alarms are often injected with bromine, a flame-retardant chemical. The bromine protects the alarm in the event of a fire. It also lets you know that it’s time to replace the alarm.

It chirps

Smoke detectors can often chirp letting you know that it’s time to replace the batteries. They’ll often emit a little *chirp* every 30 - 60 seconds until you switch out the batteries. The best strategy would be to replace the batteries every six months, just so you can avoid those not-so-dulcet tones of a fading smoke detector.

It doesn’t respond to testing

The US Fire Administration suggests that people test their smoke alarms at least once a month. However, if your smoke alarm doesn’t respond with sound after you push the test button, then it’s time to replace the detector altogether.

It goes off randomly

Smoke alarms are supposed to be sensitive. But as they age, they may respond to problems that aren’t actually there. If this happens, it may be more beneficial to replace the alarm overall, rather than just the batteries.

It doesn’t have a Carbon Monoxide Detector as part of it

Over the past decade, the trend has been to combine smoke and carbon monoxide detectors into one unit. If yours is still separate, it’s a good rationale to replace it.

Tips for handling smoke alarms

Here are some things to remember when you’re dealing with smoke alarms in your home:

●      Smoke alarms should be replaced every ten years

●      Smoke alarm batteries should be replaced annually

●      Smoke alarms should be in every bedroom in your home

●      They should be tested monthly

●      Don’t paint or cover your smoke alarm

Golden Home Management

At Golden Home Management we know that it can be a struggle coordinating all of your home’s maintenance and repair needs. Even something like replacing your smoke alarms can drift into the background if we’re not careful. That’s why our team of dedicated professionals can coordinate your home’s maintenance schedule with you. That way, you’re always ahead of projects. Contact us today to schedule your FREE home assessment to get started.