Preventative Maintenance Tips

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Get ProActiv With Your Smoke Detector Maintenance

We get it, you’re in a summer kind of mood, and your home smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are the last things on your mind. Instead, you’ve been sipping on lemonade and enjoying your outdoor landscape. However, we want to ensure that you keep your home safe and running well, so you and your family can rest soundly knowing that all of your appliances are operating correctly and are ready to be used in an emergency.

Start with Knowledge

Before we get into the maintenance logistics, let’s discuss common operational facts. Did you know there are three different types of smoke detectors?

1. Photo Electric Smoke Detector – Great at detecting large partials of smoking fire. So this is better in your kitchen area and bathroom.

2. Ionization Smoke Detector – Detects smoke, so of course this would not be so great in the kitchen and bathroom area

3. Smoke/CO2 Detector– A smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector combination. (A carbon monoxide detector is needed if you have appliances like gas stoves, oil furnace, fireplaces and/or car garage.)

Most homeowners don’t know the difference, and this can be a vital part of how your smoke detectors function in your home. For example, my wife loves to cook for our family, and when we first purchased our home, the smoke detector located next to the kitchen in one of the bedrooms went off every time she cooked. This was very frustrating. I then realized quickly that we needed to switch out the ionization smoke detector in that room for a photoelectric smoke detector. This brings me to my next point:

Where are your smoke detectors located?

It is advised to place your detectors.

● In the hallway outside of your bedrooms

● On every level of your home

● In the utility room

● In the basement

● Near an attached garage

Smoke Detector Maintenance

It is recommended to replace your smoke detector device every 10 years. However, please find below our smoke detector maintenance tips.

Replacing the Battery: If you have a battery-operated smoke detector, it is important to maintain the battery. There are 10-year smoke detectors on the market, and with this, the battery need not be changed every year, but you still need to test it. Also, you can get a lithium battery that lasts for 10 years; again, your smoke detectors still need to be tested. If you do not have a 10-year battery or device, batteries are to be replaced once a year.

“If you haven’t done it this year, now is a good time!”

Also, when changing your battery, you will want to take out the old battery and replace it right away! Keeping your family safe is important, and you don’t want to forget to add it.

Testing the smoke detector and monoxide detector:  On every detector, there is a test button you can push. Simply push that button until you hear it beep. Once you hear the beep, you know it works.

Also, you can push it while it is still mounted on the wall; you don’t have to take it off. The second way to test the detectors is by having your local fire department come and check them. They use pressured smoke in a spray can to make sure your detector is functioning properly.

“Please remember, it’s better to be ProActiv than to be reactive, so enjoy the experience of being ProActiv!”

How We Can Help

Staying proactive in your home has great benefits. Use your proactive fix-it-list to keep track of your summer maintenance needs in your home, and remember, we are here if you need help. Also remember keep track of the date you changed your battery and tested your detectors. Lastly, have fun and enjoy your family and friends in your home.

Customer Testimonial

“Thanks to ProActiv Prevention, everything is working good.”

– BV Chicago

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