Category: Wireless Smoke Detectors

  • What You Should Do in a Fire Emergency Situation

    What You Should Do in a Fire Emergency Situation

    Fire Exit - Emergency
    what to do in a fire emergency at home

    Did you know?

    Only about 30 per cent of Americans actually have an action plan for fire escape and have practiced it!

    In case you hear your smoke alarm beeping, there is a reason, and it is advisable you evacuate the building immediately before the exit pathways are blocked by fire or smoke.

    Depending on the smoke detectors installed in your home, you may get different warnings.

    [yellowbox]For example, some interconnected talking smoke alarms will even warn you of the location of the fire and this is very advantageous because you have a rough or precise idea of where the fire was detected first.[/yellowbox]

    Fire spreads quickly! Although smoke alarms based on the photoelectric sensing technology are very sensitive to heavy particles of smoke and can detect smoldering fires that take some time before bursting into flames.

    3 Helpful Tips that Could Save Your Life

    1. If you are in a house with one or two levels of floors, invest in fire escape ladders. We recommend : Kidde KL-2S Two-Story Fire Escape Ladder with Anti-Slip Rungs, 13-Foot

    We have a complete guide on the best portable fire emergency escape ladder.

    2. Have a fire extinguisher to put off small fires. We recommend: Kidde 21005779 Pro 210 Fire Extinguisher, ABC, 160CI

    Take advantage of this emergency safety package:

    Stay festive & Safe with Emergency Safety Package, Kidde FA110 Multi Purpose Fire Extinguisher https://t.co/3notPlXxbU @amazon

    — B.L.O.A.T (@BottomLineAlarm)

    3. Plan and practice ahead with your family on how you will escape in case of a fire emergency. This builds up confidence and calmness when the real emergency situation happens.

    Since the beeping of your smoke detector is the trigger of your emergency action plans, it cannot be emphasized more: the most important thing that you MUST ensure ALWAYS is that your smoke detectors are working properly. You can do this by testing them regularly – at least on a weekly basis by using the TEST button.

    According to NFPA, having a functional smoke detector reduces chances of dying in a fire by 50 per cent!

    4 of the Most Leading Causes of Fire

    1. Cooking

    2. Candles

    3. Electrical

    4. Smoking Materials like cigarettes

    Some of the common causes of electrical fires are as a result of poorly designed circuits that do not meet electrical standards. Therefore, it is important that you ensure you engage the right people for this work.

    Common mistakes include combining cookers, heaters and other appliances together with the lighting systems! Another causative factor is the use of low quality materials for high current protection e.g. circuit breakers, cables and lighting elements.

    We would advise that if you are using a fluorescent tube that has a choke in its circuit, consider replacing with LED types that do not require the choke. The choke is known to be a leading cause of fire where electrical lighting was the cause of fire.

    The bottom line is: BE PREPARED WITH A FIRE ESCAPE PLAN.

    Visit our homepage to see a review of the best smoke detectors.

  • Where to Place Smoke Detectors

    Where to Place Smoke Detectors

    smoke detector placement guide / overview

    Most people are not sure where to place smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detector. Hence you are not alone….

    Generally, smoke detector placement should be done where there is vulnerability of fire and where you can hear the detector going off.

    The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) recommends that smoke alarms should be placed in every floor of the home and in every sleeping area. At the same time, fires become deadly by the minute and therefore where to locate your smoke alarms matters as much as the type of the smoke alarm you are using.

    NFPA standard 74 provides the guidelines on locations to install your smoke detector.

    [yellowbox] Please take note that you need multiple interconnected smoke alarms to meet fire expert recommendations.  [/yellowbox]

    You can have the best fire alarm technology but if wrongly placed, it is not as good as it should be. Without a doubt, it will not serve the purpose!

    Experts also recommend that smoke alarms should be installed at least 10 feet away from all cooking appliances! Cooking areas are more prone to having false alarms. You do not want your burning toaster to trigger the alarm.

    The interconnection of alarms really helps for the simple reason that there are increased chances of you hearing an alarm sound irrespective of the location of the fire. Additionally, some smoke detectors have an inbuilt voice technology that lets you know where the fire started. For interconnected fire alarms, when one senses smoke, it triggers all the alarms to sound.

    How can you know whether your smoke alarm is interconnected?

    That is pretty simple. If you press the test button of one smoke detector, all the smoke detectors should sound.

    If only the pressed detector sounds, then you do not have interconnected smoke detectors and it is time you invested in one. We recommend you install the wireless smoke detectors. For a detailed review of top smoke alarms, click here.

    The earlier you can hear the smoke alarm warning, the sooner you can escape safely from the dangers of fire.

    Special Places to Consider NFPA Smoke Detector Placement

    ✒️ Stairway – at least one detector at the top

    ✒️ Laundry and shower places have high humidity – at least 10 ft

    ✒️ Heat or Air Conditioning Vents – at least 3 ft away

    Fire experts recommend strongly that you avoid installing your smoke or carbon monoxide detectors at the corners of your home. At least install 5 inches from the corner due to air circulation. Contrary, air flow containing the smoke or harmful carbon monoxide gas may miss the corners!

    Smoke Detector Placement |Conclusion

    To sum it up and as a rule of thumb, install smoke detectors in each room. If you are worried about cost, there is a variety of cost effective solutions for you.

    You may also be interested in the best place to position your carbon monoxide detector.

    Check the best deals in Amazon today.

  • First Alert Carbon Monoxide Detector Review

    First Alert Carbon Monoxide Detector Review

    First Alert provides some of the best and most well known fire safety products that are compliant with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) UL2034 standard for safety. This article reviews their top first alert carbon monoxide detector and smoke alarms according to consumer feedback.

    “From children and family to your home and business, our mission is helping protect the lives, well-being and valuables of our customers. Our products offer a sense of preparedness and assurance that enable a higher quality of life.”First Alert Website

    Benefits of a first alert carbon monoxide detector

    first alert carbon monoxide detector

    The greatest advantage of first alert carbon monoxide detector is the ability to filter false alarms. In addition they possess cool features that enhance their reliability and accuracy.

    [yellowbox]Our no. 1 first alert carbon monoxide detector /smoke alarm is the First Alert SA501CN2 Interconnected Wireless Smoke Alarm [/yellowbox]

    The product has 10 years warranty. You will not likely need a technician to install it in your home as it is a pretty straightforward process to install and there are no cables to run or connect.

    Features of First Alert SA501CN2

    • It is a wireless smoke detector. If you would like to know the importance of wireless smoke detectors, you may click here.
    • It comes as a pair (2 – PACK). The ONELINK interconnects the detectors and
    • It uses photoelectric smoke detector technology as the sensing technology as opposed to ionization technology. This makes it very suitable to detect smoldering fires.
    • It comes with a button that can be used for silencing the alarm especially when testing it
    • Of course to match other similar products in the market, it has inbuilt function to detect low battery and sound a warning. Battery replacement is made very easy as this device comes with a pullout battery drawer. It uses standard two AA batteries that are so easy to find.

    If you have 4 rooms that you need to install smoke detectors, then you only need 2 pairs of First Alert SA501CN2 Interconnected Wireless Battery Operated Smoke Alarm. In case of fire in any of the rooms, then all the smoke detectors will go off. This increases the chance of knowing there is a fire emergency without loss of time. Every second counts in a fire emergency situation.

    The expected range of communication between the wireless smoke detectors is 30 feet but could reduce due to interferences.

    The limitation to this product is that it has no way of detecting carbon monoxide gases.

    First Alert SCO5CN Combination Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Alarm

    Unlike our first product, this product can detect both carbon monoxide gases and smoke. It uses photoelectric sensing technology to detect smoke. Additionally, it employs the most up-to-date accurate technology to detect carbon monoxide by using electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor.

    First Alert carbon monoxide detector SCO5CN has a 5 year limited warranty. The downside is that it is not wireless and hence interconnecting is difficult.

    The alarm is strong enough to alert you of danger (85dB). It has a different combination of alarm and lights for either carbon monoxide alert or smoke alert.

    First Alert CO615 Dual Power Carbon Monoxide Plug-In Alarm

    The multi-function back-lit digital screen is a special feature of this first alert carbon monoxide detector. You get to easily see status level of the device such as the battery power indicators and even much better, the carbon monoxide gas level in the area of measurement. You need not to press any button, all you have to do is look.

    This device comes with a 7 year limited warranty.

    Other cool features of First Alert Carbon Monoxide detector CO615

    • It has dual Power (plug in/electric and front load battery) that ensures continuous protection. You are therefore certain that the alarm will work at all times, even during power outages.
    • The Peak Level feature displays the highest concentration of carbon monoxide measured since the unit was last reset
    • You can easily plug into any standard electricity outlet with no additional mounting necessary or it can also be mounted on any wall using the convenient power line cord which is approximately 6 feet long.
    • The detector meets Underwriters Laboratories (UL) UL2034 standard for safety

    First Alert SA520B Smoke Alarm


    This is another of the wireless smoke detectors that is based on photoelectric sensing technology. Consequently, you get to enjoy the ease of wireless connectivity and the high costs associated with hard wiring to interconnect several of such devices together are eliminated. the OneLink interconnection takes care of that.

    [yellowbox] You can check our expert review of carbon monoxide detectors based on actual customer feedback. [/yellowbox]

    First Alert SA521CN

    • Hardwired to 120V AC mains power, interconnected wireless smoke alarm with battery backup
    • It uses photoelectric sensing technology which is environmentally friendlier.
    • Comes with low battery warning; a simple to use silence/test button; and a pullout battery drawer for easy replacement of batteries.
    • You can add several battery operated First Alert ONE-LINK alarms to expand without wires
    • Power Source: 120-volt with 2 AA battery backup

    This first alert smoke alarm is hardwired to 120V and has batteries that backup even in cases of power outage.

    You can easily use this First Alert SA520B to expand your existing system of wireless smoke detectors without the need of a technician. It can support up to 18 units and can work together with other first alert carbon monoxide detector, heat sensors and relays.

    In summary, a wireless first alert carbon monoxide detector saves you money, gives you the ease of interconnection and provides you with a quality reliable protection from fire and CO gases for a long period of time to come.