Smoke detectors need love to.

3/29/2021 (Permalink)

We have certain things in our home that we may take for granted. The smoke detector for example. We walk underneath it not even looking up at it. We take it for granted that it will work in the time of need. It will let us know that something is wrong with it, right? Usually at 3 am. We usually only think about them twice a year during the time changes or when we are reminded by a public service announcement, or 3 am chirping.

What happens if you change the batteries and that doesn’t fix the problem? Well according to Bob Villa The problem could be three other possibilities.

• Spider cobwebs in the works the fix remove cover and blow out with a can of compressed air.

• Sharp contrast in temperature changes. Living in Winston Salem we can have winter in the morning and summer in the afternoon. If the detector is in the attic it could think it’s on fire because of the changes or the cold may drain the battery to the point it can’t deliver a reliable charge to the sensor.

• Some smoke detectors have a beam of light that is part of the normal operation. Dust or debris could be interrupting that light beam again the fix could be a can of compressed air.

• One last thing to consider is how old is the smoke detector. Capacitors and other electronic parts may only last so long. The life expectancy of a smoke detector is about 10 years.

We hope that you never have to experience fire damage in your home or business. But if you do, you can rely on the professionals at SERVPRO of West Forsyth County to help make it “Like it never even happened.” Call us directly at 336-946-1131