We’re all aware that smoke alarms should be regularly checked and regularly upgraded, but it’s one of those practical tasks that often ends up constantly at the end of the to-do list. I mean, when did you last test your smoke alarm? How often are you supposed to upgrade smoke alarms? If you’re asking yourself questions like this, it’s likely your home fire safety system could do with an upgrade. In fact, if you’re still focused only on smoke alarms it will probably need a total overhaul.
A smoke alarm alone isn’t enough
Many older properties and rented properties only have smoke alarms. But a smoke alarm alarm alone isn’t enough! In fact, a whole series of smoke alarms isn’t enough. A good fire safety system consists of both smoke alarms and heat alarms as they have different functions.
There’s too much smoke!
Specifically, you shouldn’t install smoke alarms in rooms that are prone to getting smokey, humid or dusty. That means they should be avoided in the kitchen, garage and in some cases the utility room or any rooms with open fires or wood burners. We’ve all experienced false alarms from smoke alarms, and they’re not very pleasant, especially when you’re trying to get dinner ready for the family! SafelyTeam’s smoke sensors are less prone to false alarms than older models, but when toast is burning there really is smoke! For that reason, when you upgrade your alarms system you should replace smoke alarms in the kitchen and any other room in which there might be dust or smoke as a matter of course with heat alarms. SafelyTeam’s compact, easy to install heat alarms are tamper-proof and have a 5-year battery life. Heat alarms don’t detect smoke, but they are activated by excess heat. If you leave a pan of on the stove, for example, and the water boils away, a heat alarm will sense the pan and its contents overheating and will alert you before there’s a serious situation.
To adhere to legal requirements
In some parts of the UK, particularly Scotland, there are laws about the fire safety systems in residential properties. In fact, the Scottish rules changed in 2020 and must be adhered to by 2021. Other countries in the union may well follow suit, or at least update their guidelines to reflect the increased effectiveness of modern fire security appliances. The rules in Scotland are pretty extensive, and require all homes to have both heat and smoke alarms, and all systems to be linked.
Your alarms may not be in the right place
Perhaps your home has been renovated, or you have simply changed the function of some of your rooms. Or maybe there just weren’t enough smoke and heat alarms installed when you moved in, or the previous tenants installed their system in a less than ideal way. Whatever the cause of badly placed alarms, you should remedy the problem ASAP. Official guidelines state that there should be smoke alarms in every circulation space, that is every corridor or landing, and that a minimum of one alarm per floor is needed even in a small property. Ideally, though, you will have a heat or smoke alarm in every room with the units placed as close to the room’s centre as possible, preferably attached to the ceiling. With SafelyTeam smoke and heat alarms, installation takes just a few minutes. There’s no drilling or holes in walls or ceilings – you simply stick the alarms to the ceiling with the strong adhesive pads that SafelyTeam provides with the alarms and your home is protected!
Your alarms should be interlinked
Older smoke and even heat alarms are unlikely to be interlinked. Yet having linked alarms is increasingly becoming at least recommended, and in some parts of the UK and in new build homes it’s even a legal requirement. Alarms being interlinked means that if one of the alarms in your home goes off, they all go off. This might just be all fire and smoke alarms, or if you have a more extensive security and home safety alarms system it might involve things like your flood alarm. SafelyTeam’s alarms are all linked, and emit an 85 decibel sound that’s pretty hard to miss! With a SafelyTeam alarm system you can easily check which alarm has caused your system to alert you to a problem by checking the Safely Connect app.
Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years
Even if your alarms already comply with all laws and recommendations, you should replace them every 10 years. If your system is interlinked, extensive and consists of both smoke and heat detecting alarms, it still needs to be changed every decade. This rule is based on extensive testing of both wired and battery operated alarms, all of which tend to lose functionality after 10 years. On top of that, technology moves on in a decade, and your new home alarms system is bound to be more discrete and reliable than your previous system was, if not contain new technology entirely. SafelyTeam’s smoke alarms have a three-year battery life, and SafelyTeam’s fire alarms have a five-year battery life. They both alert the user when batteries need changing with a flashing light. Post battery-change is a great time to test your alarms, making sure they are just as functional as when they were first installed.
It may make your home insurance cheaper
An up to date fire safety system that includes both smoke alarms and heat alarms, and is regularly tested for functionality, can have a positive effect on your home insurance premiums. Conversely, if you claim to have working smoke and heat alarms when you apply for your home insurance policy but are found upon making a claim not to have a fire safety system, your claim is likely to be denied. Fire damage is one of the most common reasons for homeowners to claim on their insurance in the UK, so don’t assume it couldn’t happen to you! Be proactive about protecting your home.
To create an integrated safety and security system
You have smoke and heat alarms, and you have alarms on your windows and doors, and maybe some motion sensors. Why deal with two separate systems for keeping your home and family safe when you could do everything with one? When you choose a holistic, modular home security system from SafelyTeam you can also take care of the safety of your property. SafelyTeam’s heat alarms, smoke alarms, contact sensors, motion sensors, and much more are all part of a single smart home system that you can control from your phone.
To create a smart home system
Smart homes can go far beyond smart home security. SafelyTeam are the only smart home security solutions provider to offer multi-use sensors for everything from heat and smoke to flood or motion. This, in combination with our use of Zigbee networks, means that we are primed for extensive third-party integration within months. That basically means that our sensors and app are smart-home ready, and soon your smart home appliances will be able to use data from our appliances as signals to turn on or off. For example, when your smoke alarm’s temperature sensor tells your home hub it’s below 16c, your hub (the brains of your smart home security system) will inform your smart thermostat and it’ll crank up the heat. It’s not quite flying cars and robot butlers, but it’s pretty impressive!
It’s easy, so why not stay as safe as possible?
When you upgrade to long-life battery powered, tamper-proof alarms like SafelyTeam’s it’s incredibly easy to make positive changes to your home smoke and heat alarm system. Our alarms all come preconfigured, and ready to install right out of the box. Your system will not only be installed in 10 minutes, it will also be functional in ten minutes! And we offer much more than just smoke and heat alarms. To learn more about the modular smart home security solutions available from SafeltyTeam, check out our website. And to hear about new products, as well as upcoming third-party integrations that will help turn your property into a smart home, why not join our mailing list or follow us on social media?
