Life-Saving Safety Tips for Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. Most manufacturers list the date a smoke alarm was made on the back. That's helpful information if you remember to look for it. Give yourself a proper reminder, and write the date you installed the alarm in big, bold letters on the base plate so you'll notice it every time you change the batteries.

Three things you need to do:

• Check smoke alarms once a month.
• Change batteries once a year.
• Replace alarms every 10 years.

Excessive dust and paint overspray can wreak havoc with a smoke alarm's sensors. Before starting that messy remodeling project, temporarily cover or remove any alarm in harm's way. And if you are painting the ceiling, don't paint over the alarm—that will probably destroy it. Make cleaning your smoke detector part of your post-project cleanup routine.

If a fire triggers an alarm in the basement, will you be able to hear it from your second-story bedroom? Interconnected alarms provide better protection because if one goes off, they all go off, and early detection is key to safely escaping a house fire.

Smoke alarms in new homes are required to be hardwired or interconnected, but now you can get the same protection in your old house with smoke alarms like this one that speak to one another wirelessly. They cost more than a standard alarm, but they're a much cheaper option than installing new wires all throughout the house.

Not all smoke alarms operate the same. Three chirps every minute may indicate 'low batteries' for one unit and 'end of life' for another. Save the instruction manual so you won't have to guess what your alarm is trying to tell you. Keep the manual in a place you'll remember. If you don't have a file or drawer for manuals, start one. If you have an unfinished basement, nail one up right next to the alarm itself.

Where to install smoke alarms

• At least one on every level
• Bedrooms
• Outside of bedrooms (hallways, etc.)
• Kitchen (at least 10 ft. away from stove)
• Living rooms
• Basement
• Ceiling near the bottom of stairs leading to the next level

Positioning is critical

• Walls, 4 in. to 12 in. from the ceiling
• Near the peak of a vaulted ceiling (within 4 in. to 3 ft.)
• In accessible areas (for easy battery replacement)
• Not in the garage ? but make sure there's a self-closing door between the garage and house
• Not in the attic
• Not in the utility/furnace room

If you don't like the look of smoke alarms, then smaller is better. Smoke alarms don't have to be big to be effective. This little guy from First Alert is called the Atom. It's a fraction of the size but performs just as well as its larger cousins. Consider a smaller alarm in highly visible areas such as your living room (especially if you have a fireplace).

People who can't hear an alarm need an alarm they can see. Some strobe alarms include smoke detection. Others are strobe lights only and need to be connected with a compatible smoke alarm.

You should always make sure you're minimizing your risk of home fires, but smoke alarms are your last line of defense, so you need to make sure they're clean. Dust can cause a smoke alarm to malfunction. Run a vacuum fitted with a soft brush over them every time you change the batteries, at least once a year.

Painting or retexturing a ceiling is no fun. If you have a hole from a hanging lamp, or a small water stain, cover it up with a smoke alarm. Who cares if it's not interconnected with the other hardwired alarms? There's no such thing as 'too many' smoke alarms ? definitely make sure you have one near your dryer.

Kitchens are particularly susceptible to 'nuisance' alarms. The horn on a typical alarm won't stop sounding until there's no more smoke to detect, which in a kitchen could take a while. Nuisance alarms are one of the main reasons people disable smoke alarms, and that's not a good idea, especially in the kitchen where the majority of fires start. Now there are smoke alarms available that have a 'hush' button on them. Pushing it will kill the noise long enough for you to air out the room.

Some sensors are more sensitive than others, even if they're the same model. Before you go buy an alarm with a hush button, try swapping out the one in the kitchen with one from another part of the house.

Hardwired: Hardwired smoke alarms operate off a home's electricity, but still rely on batteries as a backup if the power goes out.

Battery-operated: These units work on battery power alone. Some newer models have batteries that last 10 years.

Interconnected: Most hardwired alarms are interconnected, meaning if one goes off they all do. Battery-operated models can now be wirelessly interconnected.