When it comes to furnishing your home, several other safety accessories are worth the investment. The number of residential fire accident deaths dipped to 20% in 1998, after which the figure remains pretty stable. Most of the fire deaths occur due to the inhalation of toxic smoke at the site. And thus, smoke alarms have become an impeccable essential in residential areas that may be prone to fire.
Especially in residences with multiple closed doors can quickly accumulate fire smoke, causing choking and other breathing complications in no time. In such scenarios, smoke detectors that are interconnected within the rooms or different levels of a home can help evacuate soon after the smoke starts spreading.
How does a smoke alarm work?
Smoke alarms sense and promptly respond to the smoke and flashes of a fire. However, the mechanism behind this detection involves several phases and steps.
- To begin with, smoke detectors will sense the smoke particles in the air. On a reflex, the detector creates a warning sound or signal.
- With smoke alarms, the mechanism can be of two types since there are two different detectors.
- Both types of detector consist of a chamber. Once the smoke is severe enough to enter or diffuse into the chamber, there is a reflection of light and, eventually, the light sensor gets triggered along with the alarm.
Types of Smoke Detectors
In 2013–14, Australian fire agencies attended 101,867 fire-related incidents, after which the figure has been stably linear. Some of the most common types of smoke detectors are,
- Photoelectric detectors
As already said, certain smoke detectors detect smoke and involve a light sensor to indicate a possible fire accident. As the smoke enters the chamber, the diffusing layers block the light sensors. As a result, the amount of light reflected gets minimised. However, some amount of light manages to pass via the smoke layers and reflect onto the sensor, which eventually triggers both the light sensor and alarm.
They work best in quickly detecting slow yet severe fire, called smouldering fire. Photoelectric alarms best suit bedrooms, hallways and kitchens where the electric wires can overheat.
- Ionisation detectors
Ionisation smoke detectors are the most common type of smoke alarm system you will find in the market. An ionisation detector has two electrically charged plates along with a detection chamber. Between the plates is a stipulated amount of a radioactive substance- it ionises the air in the gap and creates a current flow.
However, when smoke enters the chamber and disrupts the flow of current between the plates, the alarm gets triggered and starts ringing. Unlike photoelectric alarms, ionisation alarms work best in detecting flaming fires that can cause more physical damage than respiratory damage.
- Heat alarms
Heat detectors are pretty different from typical smoke detectors. Instead of detecting a fire or smoke passage, heat detectors sense an unusual rise in the temperature. With that said, they also identify intense fires and smoke from heated devices. Heat alarms work the best in the kitchen, where regular smoke detectors can often give out a false alarm which can turn annoying in the long run.
Benefits of smoke detectors
Some of the best benefits of installing a residential smoke alarm are,
- Smoke detectors take the upper hand over fire alarms as they are capable of detecting fires that aren’t very flamy but fumes well.
- When you live in a storey building and have more than one level, interconnected smoke alarm systems can play a vital role in saving lives with zero injuries when the fire has started from a different level.
- Also, when you decide to install a smoke alarm system at your residence, you have the choice to make combinations of the types so that your family gets protected from all fire kinds.
Author name- Hannah Gilbert