Smoke Detectors

SMOKE DETECTORS SAVE LIVES!

TEST YOUR DETECTOR EVERY MONTH

CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS - CHANGE YOUR BATTERIES

Choose your alarm...

• Be sure the smoke alarms you buy bear the label of an independent testing lab.
• Some alarms run on household current, with a battery backup, and may require professional installation.
• Some smoke alarms run on batteries; you can usually install this type yourself.
• Alarms powered by 10-year lithium power cells are ideal for anyone who would have difficulty changing batteries.
• Some alarms use an "ionization" type smoke sensing system; others use "photoelectric" sensors. Both types offer adequate protection if properly installed and maintained.
• Some alarms have "hush" buttons so you can briefly deactivate them if cooking fumes or steam set off a "nuisance alarm". These models reactivate automatically after eight (8) to ten (10) minutes.

How many do you need?

• Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home - and near or inside all sleeping areas. New construction requires smoke alarms in each bedroom.
• AFCI's (arc-fault circuit interrupters) are new devices that are now required for bedrooms in new construction. They detect abnormal arcing in a circuit which can cause overheating and lead to electrical fire.
• On floors without bedrooms, install alarms near the stairway leading to the floor above, in or near dens, living rooms, family rooms, and other living areas.
• NFPA also suggests installing alarms in dining rooms, utility rooms, and hallways.
• Don't install alarms in kitchens, bathrooms, or garages - where conditions might set off nuisance alarms routinely.

Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke alarms.

Where to install...

• Smoke rises. Mount alarms on a wall or the ceiling.
  • Wall mountings: Position the top of the alarm four (4) to twelve (12) inches (10 to 30 cm) from the ceiling.
  • Ceiling mounting: Position alarms at least four (4) inches (10 cm) away from the nearest wall.
  • In a room with a pitched ceiling: Mount the alarm at or near the ceiling's highest point.
• In open stairways (no doors at top or bottom): Mount alarms anywhere along the path smoke would travel up the stairs.
• In closed stairways (a door at either end): Mount alarms at the bottom of the stairway.
• Don't mount an alarm near a window, outside door, or forced-air register.

Never "borrow" a smoke alarm battery.

Installation...

• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Most battery-powered and plug-in alarms can be installed using only a drill and a screwdriver. Plug-in alarms must have a restraining device at the plug.
• Have a qualified electrician install alarms if they're hard-wired into your house wiring.
• Never connect a smoke alarm to a circuit that can be turned off from a wall switch or through the operation of a ground-fault circuit-interrupter.

NUISANCE ALARMS:

Try moving the alarm away from the source of the problem. Or buy an alarm with a "hush" button.

Maintenance...

• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Test all your alarms monthly or more often if recommended by the manufacturer's instructions.
• Install new batteries at least twice a year - when you set the clocks back in the fall or forward in the spring, for example - or when your alarm "chirps" to tell you the battery is low.
• Clean your alarms regularly, following manufacturer's instructions. Usually you can use a vacuum cleaner without removing the detector's cover.

Smoke alarms don't last forever. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than ten (10) years old.

Information provided courtesy of Home Smoke Alarms, National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269-9101.

City of Crystal Lake, Illinois
100 W. Municipal Complex
P.O. Box 597
Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0597
Telephone 815-459-2020
Fax 815-459-2350
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.