A smoke detector can save your life. It is highly recommended to test all the smoke alarms in the house at least once a month or few times a year. The detector should always be checked after a battery change to ensure that it is working properly because only a functional alarm serves its purpose.

All buildings need to have smoke alarms installed as a part of their safety measures against fire. These self-contained devices detect smoke or fire during the early stages for quick evacuation of the premises by triggering an alarm. These devices are usually enclosed in disc-like or circular plastic fittings that are fixed to the ceiling. There are a number of brands and manufacturers who make these smoke alarms and these have their own characteristic shapes and sizes. Detectors that have a power back up are a good choice as they function even when there is a power cut. There are mainly three types of smoke detectors available in the market and these should be installed only by qualified electricians.

The ionization smoke alarms are highly sensitive to even particles of smoke that indicate fast flaming fires that are produced due to oil. They are inexpensive and among the most widely available smoke alarms. However, they also trigger a lot of false alarms and are not very sensitive to slow and smoldering fires. These are best suited for the kitchen for controlling fires that are triggered by cooking.

Optical alarms are less prone to sending out false alarms. Though they are more expensive that the ionization smoke alarms, they are highly effective when it comes to detecting smoke particles that are produced by slow and smoldering fires. These smoke detectors detect the smoke produced by the burning of PVC wiring insulation and foam-filled upholstery, but are not very effective in the detection of fast flaming fires.

The combined smoke alarms harness the technology of both the types of smoke detectors and these alarms can detect a slow, smoldering fire as well as a fast-flaming one. Interconnected smoke and fire detector systems are those in which a single detector activates all the other detectors in the house and these are good for people with special needs and for those who have hearing disabilities, they also come with emergency flash lights that glow when they detect smoke.

Home security systems have smoke detectors that run on either batteries or electricity. Some of them use a combination of both while others need their batteries replaced every year. A few smoke detectors come with batteries that have a warranty period of 10 years and these are slightly more expensive than the ones that require yearly battery replacement. Ask your electrician for more advice about smoke detectors.