Safety
Smoke Alarms Expire, Battery or Not
Every smoke alarm carries a manufacture date and a ten-year service life. The test button checks the sounder, not the sensor.
Ionisation alarms rely on a radioactive source that decays; photoelectric alarms rely on an optical chamber that accumulates dust and yellows. Both drift out of specification over roughly a decade, which is why manufacturers print an expiry date inside the housing.
Pressing test confirms power and the horn. It cannot confirm that the sensing chamber still responds to smoke at the right threshold. Check the date stamp on every alarm in the house — it takes five minutes.
Put this into practice
- Home Maintenance ScheduleWhat should I be doing to my home this month?
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