Checking your Smoke Alarm is important.

Having working smoke alarms is a responsibility that we can’t afford to ignore. The consequences of ignorance can be catastrophic. It’s really easy to have the smoke detectors tested. Even you might be able to check the alarm yourself in a matter of minutes.

How long does a smoke alarm last?

Smoke alarms have a ten year shelf life. Replace smoke alarms before the expiry date. We recommend hard wired smoke alarms to be replaced by yourself or a licensed electrician. Even if they are still working . If the alarm in your home is over 10 years old, the alarm will need to be replaced.

There should be a ‘replace by date’ sticker on the smoke alarm. It might be on the outside of the unit or sometimes they are located on the inside of the door. Check the expiry date to see when it should be replaced. The maximum life for a smoke detector is 10 years. What happens if there is no sticker or legible date? We recommended to replace the smoke detector or book in with your electrician to have it replaced.

Testing your smoke detectors

Press the test button and the alarm should sound emphatically. Do you have a smoke alarm that is a battery powered alarm? Does the alarm have a weak signal or perhaps it doesn’t sound at all. Change the battery and retest the alarm. If it’s a hardwired alarm and it doesn’t work then contact your electrician immediately, the Hardwired smoke alarms can be installed by a licensed residential electrician.

Make a record

After you have checked your smoke detector and it is working. Put a note on your calendar or put a note in your phone. you should record the date of when the alarm was tested. Schedule a re-test every month. Especially if it’s a battery operated unit.

You can’t be guaranteed that your alarm will provide you with a persistent beeping when it’s on the way out.