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False Fire Alarms and How to Prevent Them

Fire detectors are an important part of the security system of every safe home. In case of a fire, they can save lives and millions of dollars in property damage by allowing homeowners to take immediate action and by allowing for immediate dispatch of the fire trucks while humans are busy evacuating.
In fact, according to the government of Canada, they’re essential for home fire safety. However, fire alarms can be a source of inconvenience if you experience a lot of false alarms.
Here are some common causes of false alarms and how you can avoid them.

Cooking Fumes

You can install simple stand-alone (not monitored) detectors to alert you to burning toast without an embarrassing truck roll!  Or, install monitored heat detectors that will trip for a real fire but not for the toasted toast!  Monitored detectors should be in the common areas, where smoke and fumes shouldn’t be.

Shower Steam

A lot of steam building up can cause false alarms. There should be ventilation in shower rooms to prevent this from happening. Relocating troublesome detectors can also help.

Smoking

The only way to keep cigarettes from triggering the alarm is to smoke in a place where there are none (though, you shouldn’t be smoking in the first place).

Aerosol Sprays

Products containing aerosol—like hair spray and deodorant—will set off detectors when used in their vicinity. The solution is to use these products away from the detector or go for alternative products that don’t have aerosol.

Dusty work

When dust is created due to renovation or construction work, detectors should be covered with something noticeable like a plastic bag or a bright detector cover available at the Alarmtech office.  This will extend the life of the detector and limit false alarms.   Do this during extremely ‘fumey’ work as well.  The brightly coloured cover means you won’t forget to remove it when the work is done, while avoiding false alarms.

Faulty Detectors

Sometimes, a detector can go off without any triggers. There can be two reasons. Either the detector has become faulty or it was installed improperly. So make sure you buy high-quality detectors for your house and get them installed by an experienced professional.
Alarmtech has years of experience in providing top quality detectors to its customers in London Ontario. The only provide top of the line detectors that performing the most efficient manner, without any faulty behavior. We specialize in all kinds of residential and commercial security solutions. Let us secure your home today!