What Kind Of Smoke Alarm Should You Buy?

Smoke alarms are something that you have to have in your home. They are the best way to alert your family in the event of a fire and ensure that they have time to get to safety. However, you need to know which kind of smoke alarm you should be getting. There are 2 types that you can choose from and you need to know what they have to offer.

Ionization Smoke Alarms

The first type of smoke alarm that you can get is the ionization alarm. These alarms will ionize the air which is between 2 electrodes, one which is positively charged and the other which is negatively charged. This will create a small current inside the chamber of the alarm.

When smoke particles enter the chamber, they will upset the balance of the current. This imbalance will be the signal that the alarm needs to sound the alert to your family. These alarms are more sensitive than optical alarms and this can lead to false alarms.

These alarms are considered the best for dustier areas and the areas around your home where people may smoke. However, you should try and keep them away from the kitchen because the particles released during cooking can cause a false alarm. The food particles which become airborne during cooking will enter the chamber and upset the current balance causing the alarm to go off when you cook at high heats.

Optical Smoke Alarms

The other type of alarm that you can get is the optical or photoelectric alarm which uses light sensors. These alarms will contain an infra-red LED which pulses a beam of light into the chamber to check for smoke particles. This beam of light will be emitted every few seconds.

When there are smoke particles, the light will scatter onto the photodiode light receptor and this will tell the alarm to trigger an alert. These alarms are better at detecting larger smoke particles which come from slower smoldering fires when compared to the ionization smoke alarm. With this being the case, they are less likely to have false alarms.

The optical smoke alarm is ideal for the bedrooms, hallways and close to the kitchen. However, they will not be good for dusty areas or areas with a lot of steam like the bathroom landing. If you want to cover these areas, you should look at using an ionization smoke alarm.