Photoelectric Smoke Alarm – One Of Two Types Of Smoke Alarms
If you're considering installing a smoke alarm within your home and are a little confused about the various types of devices available to you, one could forgive you for feeling a little lost. With such a wide range of devices available for purchase, smoke alarms can be defined into two categories. The first is known as ionization smoke alarm, the second is a photoelectric smoke alarm.
Still confused? Let's take a look at the differences between these two types of smoke alarms and how they work, this will allow you to make an informed decision as to which is suitable for your home and family.
A great analogy for the way in which an ionization smoke alarm works is the same way in which your sense of smell functions. The device tests and detects the presence of smoke particles in the air. Ideally, these kinds of smoke detectors are suitable for industrial areas where fires ignite due to chemicals or explosive materials fueling the fire. Many people have made the mistake of installing these within their home, either not knowing or flat out ignoring the advice to do otherwise. Because fires within the home ignite in a different manner, this has left many people at risk of injury or death.
So if ionization smoke alarms are ideal for industrial areas or office buildings, lets look at why the photoelectric smoke alarm is the ideal smoke detector for your home or small office. Photoelectric smoke alarms differ in the way ionization smoke alarms work. Using an analogy again, a photoelectric smoke alarm functions in the same manner as your eyes do. It looks for the presence of smoke.
Photoelectric smoke alarms contain a Light Emitting Diode that scans the room for smoke. Being an optical device, should any smoke block the projected light, it will trigger the alarm. These are most effective for the home or small office because fires within these types of buildings generate a lot of smoke before a fire really takes hold. Whether it's electrical blankets, faulty electrical wiring in the laundry etc, home fires produce much more smoke than chemical or industrial fires do in their early phases.
Now that you understand the fundamental differences between the two smoke alarms, it's a no brainer that you should opt to install a photoelectric smoke alarm within your home. There is one last thing I'd like to share with you though. What if you want smoke alarms that detect the presence of fire in both ways? The great news is you can purchase dual ionization-photoelectric smoke alarms.
These devices utilize both methods of detection and because of that, they are a little more costly than a singular device. Having said that, if the cost is a non-issue for you, they're a great item to purchase. If value for money is a larger consideration, opt for the photoelectric smoke alarm over the ionization type. Photoelectric smoke alarms are far better in the detection of fire in your home, ionization smoke alarms are known to have a much higher failure rate which could put you at risk.
You can purchase photoelectric smoke alarms through Amazon.com for prompt delivery at an affordable price.
The photoelectric smoke alarm is your answer to annoying false positive fire alarms
Do you have a smoke alarm that constantly makes noise any time you begin cooking a meal for the family? It can be quite frustrating to hear the on-going noise and you might just be wondering if your smoke alarms are effective at all. False positives can be very frustrating. You don't even need to burn something to trip the alarm. You might be inclined to remove the batteries but it's not the wisest decision to make either. So what can you do about this problem while still maintaining an effective smoke detector in case of a house fire?
First of all, you may not be aware that there are two different types of smoke detectors and they both function differently. Which design you have can be all the difference between effective and ineffective detection of fire. The two types of technology used in these devices are known as ionization and photoelectric.
So what's the difference and which is suitable for your home?
Ionization smoke alarms work by detecting the presence of heat. If the smoke alarm in your kitchen is constantly going off, this may be the type of alarm you have installed. At first when you think about it, these types of alarms make sense given that fire produces heat, but are they the most effective type of smoke detector?
Unfortunately, they are not. So which is the best fire detector for you home? The photoelectric smoke alarm.
A photoelectric smoke alarm differs to the ionization model by detecting the presence of smoke. This is a fundamental difference in the design of the unit. While fire does produce heat, it also produces smoke. As is often the case in house fires, fires begin slowly by smoldering away, producing little heat but much smoke. A photoelectric smoke alarm is obviously better suited for environments such as the home.
If you want to have the best protection against fires for you home, I suggest removing your ionization models and installing photoelectric smoke alarms instead. They can be purchased affordably from Amazon.com and delivered to your front door in a timely manner. This way you can "hit two birds with one stone", ensuring your home has adequate smoke detectors and you'll avoid the false positive alarms that ionization models are associated with while cooking.
