Did you know not having a working fire alarm in your home can double your chances of dying in a fire situation?

Over time your smoke sensor will degrade and or become contaminated causing false alarms and ultimately may prevent the detector from working, because of this British Standard EN14604:2005 recommends fire alarms are recommended to be replaced every 10 years.

The date that the alarm needs to be replaced by is usually found by removing the alarm from its base and locating the replace by date. If a replace by date is not given, all alarms will have a manufactured date and if the unit is 10 years old or if the date has expired you will need to replace the alarm as soon as possible.

We recommend it’s always a good idea to mark the replacement units with the date of replacement for future reference and keep a record somewhere safe.

If your smoke alarm is in date you will still need to test your smoke alarm once a month by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds. If the alarm does not sound it will need replacing.

We like to follow the “Test It Tuesday” regime.

Usually for detectors with replaceable batteries when a battery needs to be changed you will hear a high-pitched chirping noise; however, it is best to replace the battery before this happens. The battery will need to be changed once a year as a minimum.

For smoke alarms that are 10-year lithium powered, you won’t be able to change just the batteries as these are designed to last the lifetime of the detector. When replacing one battery in your alarm system, make sure to replace them all.

At Fire Detection Shop we also recommend to carefully clean your fire alarm with a vacuum cleaner that has a soft brush. Please don’t use a wet cloth or sponge though as this could damage the electrical equipment. Any smoke or heat detectors that have been painted should be replaced.

If you need to replace your smoke alarms, we have the widest range of suitable units available on our website from top brands including FireAngel, Kidde, Aico and our own brand FireSmart.

https://www.firedetectionshop.co.uk/domestic-smoke-and-heat-alarms/

If you have any questions about our smoke alarms, call us on 0800 999 2661 or email us on: [email protected].