A home smoke detector or smoke alarm is the best safety device you can use to protect yourself and your loved ones. Most homes in which a fire breaks out and someone is killed don't have a working home smoke detector. These are inexpensive devices that can save lives.

You can spend a lot on smoke alarms or you can buy very cheap models. The more expensive models are made by brands that have been making smoke detectors and other safety devices for years. You shouldn’t trust your life to an off-brand smoke detector that may or may not work when a real emergency hits.

Anytime you're shopping for a home smoke detector, look for the UL rating on the package. UL stands for Underwriter's Laboratory. You'll only find this on smoke alarms that have been heavily tested in different situations and worked well enough to get a UL rating. If you can't find this, then the home smoke alarm probably has never been officially tested.

Don't risk it. Choose a detector with the highest rating you can find!

The smoke detectors most of us are familiar with look like small discs and are mounted high on a wall or on the ceiling. They run on a battery, typically a 9-volt battery. They're inexpensive and can be moved if you should need to do so. It's a good idea to have a home smoke detector outside every bedroom door, especially if you have children. They're the least likely to hear a detector in another room and wake up. An alarm going off right outside their door has a better chance of rousing them.

You'll want at least one home smoke detector on each floor, at a bare minimum. Once centrally located on each floor and one outside each bedroom door is the ideal scenario for these types of detectors. The only real failing of these types of alarms is that if the battery's dead, they're useless. Change them twice a year, spring and fall. Get in the habit of changing the battery and then testing them each time you change your clocks for daylight savings.

It's also a good idea to write on the detector where you can easily in marker the year in which you purchased it. Each time you change the battery, you'll see the year and be reminded of the age of the detector. It's a good idea to replace them after 7 or 8 years, just in case. Also, use a vacuum hose regularly to remove dust from the outside of the unit.

Another home smoke detector option is the hard-wired alarm. You'll want to have this type of alarm professionally installed, because it's hooked directly into your home wiring. This adds to the already higher cost of these types of smoke alarms. These alarms are the most reliable, and have a backup battery in case of outage, but if your budget doesn't allow, then invest in battery-operated detectors and make sure you change the batteries regularly.

Photo Credits: niteseeker

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