The smoke alarm is an essential safety feature of any home, if your home was built after 1992, then you should by law have a mains-wired smoke alarm, if you live in an older home built before 1992 you should have a smoke alarm either wired to the mains or battery operated.
If you haven’t got any smoke alarms installed in your home, then you must get some ASAP
If your smoke alarms are over ten years old, then they should be replaced
There are five different types of smoke alarm Heat, Optical, Ionisation, Combined Optical & Heat and Combined Smoke & Carbon Monoxide. Smoke Alarm Types are a worthwhile consideration the next is whether to install mains-powered or battery-powered alarms.
Battery Powered Alarms cheaper and easier to install than hard-wired alarms insert the battery, attach to the ceiling and away you go. Batteries will need replacing every twelve months (the alarm will chirp regularly when it needs replacing) Some alarms are pre-installed with a 10-year battery which cannot be replaced when the battery dies you’ll have to replace the alarm (alarms only have a lifespan of 10 years anyway). Battery alarms cannot be interconnected with other battery alarms.
Mains-powered alarms run off the mains power supply and are linkable with other alarms a more efficient warning system if a fire breaks out on another floor. All new homes built are required by law to have at least one mains powered smoke alarm this applies to extensions on existing homes as well. The regulation states that qualified Electricians fit these alarms. Back-up batteries are installed in mains powered alarms as a back up so the alarm will always sound even in the event of a power cut (a common occurrence in fires). Mains powered alarms will periodically ‘beep’ aswell when the battery is getting low, full of internal dust or the alarm’s reaching the end of its lifespan.
Mains Wired Alarms Are Best
The only advantages of battery-powered smoke alarms are that they are cheaper, can be installed anywhere (not limited by cable placement) and don’t require an Electrician.
Mains powered smoke alarms are much safer and efficient with two power supplies, their interconnecting abilities allow for the earlier warning of fire it’s for these reasons that we always recommend mains wired alarms over battery-powered alarms.
Our Electricians install mains smoke alarms at a very reasonable price, please get in touch for a free no-obligation quote