Serving Tampa & Surrounding Areas Naturally, as soon as you’ve curled up on the couch under a blanket, drink in hand, and a new movie to watch, the smoke alarm has started beeping. Instead of relaxing, you’re just annoyed. While the immediate struggle of having to go find the shrieking perpetrator ruins whatever you were trying to do at the moment, it’s better than the alternative.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are vital to staying vigilant for things that can sneak up on you and your family – things that, while you’re not worried about them at the moment, have the potential to be extremely dangerous should the proper safeguards go unchecked. You’re probably aware of how critical it is to ensure these pieces of equipment stay functional because most people are. However, it’s easy to become complacent toward them if you haven’t ever urgently needed their services.
To help hammer home how crucial they really are, Home Service Heroes has a quick guide to the importance of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Our licensed electricians can install or repair any alarm you may have or want, and we’ll make sure it’s done correctly.
Smoke Alarms Can Be the Difference
The white, circular things hanging on your ceilings can, quite literally, save your life. In a 2015 report by the National Fire Protection Association, 53 percent of homes that reported fires had smoke alarms installed.
- When a home did have an alarm installed, the death rate was .53 per 100 fires. When they didn’t though, that number skyrocketed to 1.18 deaths per 100 fires.
- There are roughly 2,000 deaths caused by residential fires per year. Most of them are caused by the fire forming and spreading while residents are unaware.
Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home. Get one with both ionization and photoelectric capabilities – you can buy one of each type or invest in one that possesses both. No matter what your home’s smoke detection makeup is like, you’ll need an escape plan – even more so if young children are present. Discuss what the scenario would look like and formulate a strategy with everyone.
The Colorless, Odorless Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is just as important to install protection against as regular smoke, but it’s arguably more dangerous. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, meaning you won’t be able to tell it’s infested your home until you start feeling symptoms – that is unless you install a detector.
It’s produced by the exhaust that comes from burning: fossil fuels, engines, or burning wood can all produce CO. The best way to avoid it is by ensuring proper ventilation is present in all areas where the gas might be present, but you can’t be 100 percent sure all the time.
A carbon monoxide detector serves as an early warning when the gas enters your home. The alarm will often go off well before an amount of carbon monoxide that could pose a threat has built up, giving you time to get you and your family out of the building and to an area where you can safely call professional help.
These small pieces of equipment may cause a ruckus every now and then, but the payoff they provide – alerting you to a scarily imminent danger – isn’t one anybody ever wants to experience, but it’s one you’d be grateful for if the time came. Don’t let your alarms’ batteries run dry, and don’t forget to test them often! Home Service Heroes offers comprehensive smoke and carbon monoxide alarm services, often together. Give us a call today at (813) 696-3398 and schedule an appointment!
