Choosing a Smoke Alarm
Last Updated Oct 4, 2011 · Written by Jaclyn Fitzgerald
Smoke alarms are a must in home safety and no home should be without them. To make sure your home is protected, we’ve put together what you need to know about choosing smoke alarms.
Hard Wired Smoke Alarms
A hard wired smoke alarm is a 240 volt smoke alarm that is directly connected to the home’s electricity supply, hence the term hard wired. It also has a battery backup in the event of a blackout so that it works even when there is no power coming into the property. The battery is long life lithium and it is fully built in so that it cannot be tampered with or removed.
Hard wired smoke alarms are preferred where it is possible to install them as they are very reliable over the long term. You can also connect the smoke alarms together so that if one goes off, every smoke alarm starts to sound; increasing the likelihood that someone in the home will be alerted. Hard wired smoke alarms also come with a test button so that you can ensure that it is working correctly and a “hush” button so that you can turn the alarm off if it’s been set off by something such as cooking.
You do need to be aware that while hard wired smoke alarms are incredibly effective and reliable, they are more expensive to purchase and they do require an electrician to install them. It is not something that you can do yourself. However, you can reap the additional cost back in the simple fact that you don’t have to replace batteries when they wear out. They are an install and forget solution for the most part.
Battery Powered Smoke Alarms
A battery powered smoke alarm is also called a 9 volt smoke alarm and these operate on batteries. The battery is solely responsible for providing power to the alarm so you don’t have to worry about what happens if the power goes out. Battery powered smoke alarms are very easy to install and can be done by any occupant in the home – just place them in the required places (such as outside bedrooms, in the hallway, etc). With some types of battery powered smoke alarms, you may be able to connect them together so that they all sound if one is activated but most models are standalone.
Battery powered smoke alarms do last for a long time and they are reliable but you do have to be sure to test the batteries regularly. All alarms come with a special test button for this purpose and many are also additionally fitted with a low battery indicator to take the guesswork out of when the batteries need to be changed. Most of these types of alarms also come with a battery missing indicator, to remind you to replace the battery. If your smoke alarm does go off as a result of cooking or something else small, you can push a hush button to quiet it.
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