Fire outbreaks are usually very devastating because of the loss of property and sometimes even lives in severe cases. Early detection of a fire is an excellent way of being prepared for a fire because people can be isolated as early as possible and the fire extinguished before it develops into something more catastrophic. Smoke is always a warning sign that there is a fire somewhere. For this reason, you will find smoke detectors/alarms very useful in your home and that's why it's important to have some knowledge about them. These devices can quickly detect smoke particles even from fires that give off very little smoke. Therefore, when looking for a smoke detector for your home (contact a fire safety equipment outlet for further assistance), here are smoke detection technologies you should know about.
Ionisation
Ionisation smoke detectors are highly sensitive to small smoke particles typical of fast and flaming fires from things such as wood and paper. Smoke detectors operating on ionisation technology will detect a fast-flaming fire before the smoke becomes too thick. However, these types of detectors won't work well for smouldering and slow burning fires that give off large smoke particles.
Ionisation smoke detectors are prone to false alarms, especially from steam and burnt food because of their high sensitivity. For this reason, when installing them, you may want to consider mounting them a little far away from your bathrooms or kitchen.
Photoelectric
Photoelectric smoke detectors operate on a system of a photo sensor and light beams to sense the presence of smoke particles. In the case of a fire, the smoke particles scatter these light beams, causing the redirection of some light. The light that's being redirected then hits the photo sensor, activating the alarm in the process. These detectors are less sensitive to fast and flaming fires, but work exceptionally well for slow-burning and smouldering fires from things such as overheated PVC wiring.
Unlike ionisation detectors, photoelectric detectors are not prone to false alarms and will, therefore, do well near but not in your kitchen or bathroom. For devices inside your kitchen or bathroom, consider heat alarms that are less sensitive to smoke but detect temperature increases in case of a fire.
Dual Sensor Detectors
Instead of installing two separate detectors, consider a dual-sensor detector, which is a combination of both the ionisation and photoelectric technologies.
Tip: Going for all these types of technologies is important. Understanding how each of the technologies work will help you know the best place to install these detectors to get the most desirable results.
