Check Your Smoke Detectors

Daylight saving time officially ended on November 5.  Aside from getting to sleep in another hour and suddenly having to drive home from work in the dark, it’s also the time when the experts advise you to test your smoke alarms and change out their batteries.   The American Red Cross recommends doing this smoke alarm check and battery replacement twice a year, both when DST ends and again in the spring when it begins again.

It’s really simple to do. Just get on the stepladder, press the “test” button on your alarm and make sure it sounds. Warning: if you have sensitive ears, you may want to put in earplugs first, oh, and be prepared for the dogs to freak out. To change out the batteries, unscrew the faceplate and replace the batteries.   Easy Peasy.

If you don’t like having to do this twice a year, both Kidde and First Alert have come out with new 10-year battery technology, meaning you only have to replace the battery when it’s time to replace the smoke alarm itself. Yes, experts recommend you replace smoke alarms every ten years for optimal performance.

If you don’t have any smoke alarms in your home, shame on you! They’re not expensive. You can find highly rated smoke alarms for only about $20. They’re also easy to install, only requiring a couple of screws and a screwdriver. You’ll want to put at least one in every level of your home, preferably on a ceiling or high up on a wall in a hallway outside of your bedrooms, and one near the kitchen.

Saving your life, and the lives of your family, is as easy as checking your smoke detector.

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