A fire can force its way through your home at any moment. A call goes to a fire department about a house fire every 93 seconds in America.
That’s why owning smoke detectors is so important. Yet many people hesitate to buy one because they can’t distinguish between the different types of smoke detectors.
What is a photoelectric detector, and how does it compare to an ionization detector? How can you choose between the two? How can you make use of the detectors in your home?
Answer these questions and you can keep your home safe every minute of every day. Here is your quick guide.
Photoelectric Smoke Detectors
Smoke creates a haze, preventing light from traveling across a room. Photoelectric detectors use lights to shine into chambers located away from the sensor. The lights bounce off the smoke back into the detector, triggering the alarm.
These detectors do not detect the light that flames create. But they can detect several different kinds of fires, including smoldering ones that produce low amounts of smoke. They are effective during the day and night.
Ionization Smoke Detectors
Ionization smoke detectors rely on radioactive substances. These substances remove electrons from the air, creating a current of electrically charged particles that pass between two plates in the detector. They operate at a low level so they cannot cause cancer or cellular problems.
When smoke passes between the plates, it disrupts this current. This causes the smoke detector to go off.
Ionization detectors are just as common as photoelectric detectors. They work during significant fires, detecting massive amounts of smoke. But they can also detect small flames, including when fabrics catch on fire.
How to Choose a Smoke Detector
Many people feel as though they have to choose between the two types of smoke detectors. In reality, you can choose both.
Install a photoelectric detector and an ionization detector side-by-side. You should place detectors in spaces leading away from your kitchen and fireplace. You should also put them in bedrooms and meeting areas in your home.
If money is a constraint, you can buy dual-sensor devices. As the name suggests, these are products that have photoelectric and ionization functions in them.
How to Use Your Detectors
It is not enough to put your detectors on the ceiling and forget about them. You need to replace their batteries whenever they run low. Many modern detectors have lights that glow red when the batteries drop.
Your detectors may go off just because the batteries are low. Dust and insects can set them off as well.
But you should evacuate your home every time they start to ring. If you stay in your house, you risk breathing in toxic smoke or substances.
What to Know About Different Types of Smoke Detectors
Different types of smoke detectors keep you safe. Photoelectric detectors detect smoke by shining small lights across a room. Ionization detectors create ions that smoke can affect.
But there is no such thing as the best smoke detectors. Every fire is different, so buy both types or get dual-function devices.
Replace their batteries whenever you see they are running low. Keep them free from dust and insects, but leave your house when they go off.
Smoke detectors are just one tool for home safety. Find out more by following our coverage.
