We've all experienced the panic of hearing a smoke alarm go off and immediately jumping into action mode -- only to realize there's no emergency. The loud beep is grating and you may even be tempted to remove the batteries, but that could leave your home vulnerable to a real fire.
Before your frustration builds to the point of battery removal -- or insanity, follow these safety and prevention tips. Read more to find out why your smoke detector goes off and how you can deal with the false alarms.
How smoke detectors work
There are two different types of smoke detectors. Ionization smoke detectors have two plates with an electric charge flowing between them. When something -- like smoke -- flows between these two plates, the electric charge is interrupted and the alarm is triggered.
Photoelectric smoke detectors have a small light inside. When something enters the detector and reflects the light onto a sensor, the alarm is triggered.
Notice how both of these types of detectors don't really detect smoke. They're triggered by foreign objects interacting with parts inside the detectors. This means that anything that can float into your smoke detector, like vapor, steam, smoke and large puffs of dust, can trigger your smoke detector.
This is why it may go off when you're cooking, even if you're not burning anything. The steam coming off of the food is triggering the alarm. Hair spray and other aerosols sprayed near the detector can set it off, too.
The hows and whys of monitoring air quality in the home
How to cope
The most obvious way to cope with annoying smoke detectors is to take them down. But that leaves you vulnerable if there is a real fire and isn't safe at all. Don't do it.
Instead, install your smoke alarms in strategic places, ventilate the area and replace old alarms.
Place your smoke alarms carefully throughout your home. Photoelectric smoke alarms are best near bathrooms and kitchens where there's a lot of steam because humidity doesn't affect them as much. Note that the National Fire Protection Association recommends placing detectors 10 feet (3 meters) from your stove to help prevent false alarms while cooking.
Next, be sure to use your kitchen's exhaust fan when cooking. If you let the smoke and humidity out through the fan's duct, it'll be less likely to set off your smoke alarm. Be sure to also use your exhaust fan or crack a window in the bathroom to prevent humidity or aerosols from wafting out to the alarm.
If you don't have smart smoke detectors, you may want to consider installing them. Some smart detectors include Nest Protect, Halo Smart Labs, First Alert and Roost.
You can quickly shut off these detectors using an app on your phone if there's a false alarm. Smoke detectors are far less aggravating when you don't need to climb on a chair to shut them off.
If your smoke alarm is old or malfunctioning, it might be time to replace it. Here’s what to look out for.
Types of Fire Alarms
First, get a dual alarm with sensors for both fast-moving (ionization) and slow-moving (photoelectric) fires. Fast-moving fires include a candle setting a curtain ablaze, while slow-moving fires include electric fires that start in walls.
Type of smoke alarmIonizationPhotoelectricDualFast-moving firesYesNoYesSlow-moving firesNoYesYes
Cost
Of the smoke detectors that we’ve tested out, the average cost is around $44, varying by make, manufacturer, and capabilities.
Power
You can either get a battery-powered or a hardwired smoke detector, the latter of which will most likely have a backup battery. If it’s the former, take battery life into consideration.
Noise Level
It’s best to get a smoke alarm of at least 85 decibels so you can hear it even when you’re sleeping. Better yet, all of your smoke alarms should be interconnected so that if one goes off, they all go off. It’s best to get either an electrician or the fire department to install hardwired alarms, though.4
NOTE: 85 decibels is louder than a garbage disposal but not as loud as a blender.5
Operating Temperature
You’ll need to keep your home at a certain temperature range to suit your smoke alarm, typically about 32 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Below or above those temperatures, the alarm will stop functioning.
CO Detection
These days, most smoke alarms are bundled with CO alarms, which detect deadly carbon monoxide. If you don’t already have one, we recommend buying a combination smoke/CO alarm like the Nest Protect, one of the best smart home devices available. Learn more about how to install CO alarms.
Extra Sensing
Speaking of the Nest Protect, this device senses temperature, humidity, occupancy, and ambient light in addition to smoke and CO. While these features aren’t typical of smoke alarms, they’re cool extras to look out for if you’re willing to spend considerably more.
Self-Testing
Many smart smoke detectors test themselves periodically and automatically, ensuring that they’re good on power and are connected to professional monitoring, if applicable.
Smart Platform Integrations
It’s no secret that we love living in smart homes, where our smart lights turn on automatically, our smart garage door opens for us at the end of the day, and our smart locks make sure we’re always safe when working from home. So why wouldn’t our smoke alarm be smart as well? We prefer alarms that work with our voice assistants, allowing for voice commands as well as home automation. For us, that meant that our doors unlocked when our smoke alarm went off, allowing an easy exit.
Alert
The average smoke alarm has sound alerts, but others have voice alerts, color-coded light alerts, and even low-battery alerts.
Silencing
Since false alerts are the name of the game, it’s important for smoke alarms to have silencing features.
Certification
The smoke alarm should be certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or a state’s fire marshal.
App
If the smoke alarm is an IoT device, it should have a mobile app free of bugs. Check out the ratings and reviews on your mobile device’s official app store before purchasing a smoke detector.
Monitoring
The most protection means signing up for a smoke alarm with 24/7 professional monitoring. That means that if your alarm goes off and you’re not home and/or miss your mobile notification, someone can contact the fire department for you, no matter the time or day. Vivint is one company that offers professionally monitored smoke alarms. For more information, read our page on Vivint’s pricing.