Since 2002 Cabling Systems, Inc., your locally owned and operated residential and commercial security company, has been providing exceptional quality and value to our clients. We created our quarterly newsletter to provide you with value-based information you can use. We hope you find it beneficial. Please reach out if you have any questions or need any additional information.
Current Issue
March 2023
Do Smoke Detectors Have an Expiration Date?
According to the National Fire Protection Association, hardwired smoke detectors should be replaced every ten years. This is because over time they lose their effectiveness. Older smoke detectors may not detect fire as quickly as a new one would. In addition, they may cause false alarms and eventually stop working altogether.
How do you know how old your smoke detector is? Most smoke detectors have the date printed on the back or if you had them installed as part of your alarm system, the installing alarm company should have a record of when they were installed.
Wireless smoke detectors should also be replaced. Some models have a battery life of eight to ten years and once the battery dies—you simply replace the entire smoke detector. Some models say to replace the batteries at least once a year. Again, the date should be printed on the back of the detector.
A Helpful Tip—The National Fire Protection Association recommends this action:
When you change your clocks—change your batteries.
On March 14th, states throughout the U.S. will be turning their clocks forward. Many people will use this opportunity to change their home’s smoke detector batteries as well.
Which Smoke Detectors Are Going Off?
We are asked this question often. Are my homeowner-installed smoke detectors sounding or are the smoke detectors connected to my alarm system going off?
If it’s a smoke detector connected to your alarm system, you will receive a call from your 24-hour monitoring center. Another way to find out is to check your alarm keypad. Depending on which system you have, you can enter the following:
Concord: Press the * or status key
DSC Neo: Press the * key and then the 2 key
GC3: Click on the Notifications icon inside the flashing yellow bar at the top of the screen.
Make sure your smoke detectors are protecting you and your loved ones.
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