How To Choose the Best Smoke Alarm

Learning the basics of fire safety is the first step in fighting fire – and it just so happens to be the most important.  

Understanding the best ways to help protect your home, family or business from fire should always be at the top of your to-do list. Having working smoke alarms is priority number one.  

In home fires, early warning is critical. So don’t wait until it’s too late

Smoke alarms are one of the best and least expensive ways to provide early warning when a fire begins. When properly installed and maintained, smoke alarms can help prevent injuries and minimize property damage. And when you look at the facts, it’s clear that, in many cases, they mean the difference between life and death. 

• On average, a home fire is reported every 95 seconds in the U.S., while a home fire death occurred every three hours (National Fire Protection Agency). 
• Almost three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no working smoke alarms. The causes are generally due to dead, missing, or disconnected batteries (NFPA). 
• Having a working smoke alarm can double your chances of escaping a house fire safely (NFPA). 

Know your types of smoke alarms

To help ensure that your home is protected, it’s important to understand the nuances between the different types of smoke alarms available to you.

• AC/DC Alarms (wired): This type of alarm is wired into your home’s electrical system to provide its primary power, but has a battery backup (DC power) that kicks in during power outages.
• DC Alarms (battery-powered): This type of alarm runs entirely on battery power (DC), completely independent of your home's electrical system.

To ensure you have the latest smoke detection technology, look for smoke alarms that meet the latest Underwriters Lab (UL) standards (ULC 531), which are the 9th Edition UL 217 in the US. Kidde’s newest line of smoke alarms, DETECT, meet the UL 9th edition standards, and improve detection for both fast flaming and smoldering fires with up to 25% faster detection and up to 3x more precision.  

Simple Smoke Alarm Safety Tips for Your Home

Installing working smoke alarms or making sure your existing alarms are in good, working order is critical to ensuring your safety in the event of a fire. See below for some smoke alarm tips.  

Install smoke alarms with the latest technology 

Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home, in hallways, inside bedrooms and outside of sleeping areas. On average, families have less than two minutes from the time the first smoke alarm sounds to escape a fire.  

Replace smoke alarms every 10 years

Alarms monitor the home every minute of every day and their lifespan is not infinite. If you don't know how old your alarm is, you should replace it. It is recommended to replace after 10 years from the time of installation. If you don’t know the date it was installed, you can use the date of manufacturing as a reference.  

Test your smoke alarm

Test your smoke alarm according to the manufacturer’s instructions, at least monthly, and replace the batteries as needed or choose a 10-year sealed battery alarm and you don’t have to replace batteries for the life of the device.  

Vacuum your smoke alarm monthly

Gently vacuum your smoke alarm monthly to prevent dirt and accumulated dust from blocking the sensor. 

Do not disable smoke alarms in nuisance situations

If your smoke alarm goes off while cooking or due to steam from the shower, do not remove the battery or disconnect the alarm. Instead, try to clear the air by opening a window or using a fan. Disabling the alarm can leave you at risk in case of a real fire. Kidde offers smoke alarms that cause fewer nuisance alarms!  

Do not "borrow" smoke alarm batteries for other uses

Smoke alarm batteries should never be used for other devices such as toys or radios. Always ensure that your smoke alarms have working batteries to maintain their effectiveness in providing early warning in case of a fire. We highly recommend upgrading to 10-year built-in battery alarms, that last the lifetime of the device*.  

Practice a fire escape plan

Develop and practice a fire escape plan with the family twice a year during the day and night, so that everyone knows what to do if the alarm sounds. 

Make fire safety education a priority

Visit our Cause for Alarm page for fire and carbon monoxide safety tools, tips, and activities the whole family can enjoy.  

^{*Not a battery performance claim}