Adding Fire Monitoring to Your Home Security System.

When you’re trying to plan out and built your home security system, an often overlooked aspect is fire monitoring. Many people tend to focus on security cameras, motion sensors, and smart home automation, and forget something that’s as basic as fire monitoring. While a fire alarm won’t save you if there’s a home invasion, it actually provides a different type of security, one that’s much more crucial.

Why is this the case? Well, a lot of people assume that they will smell smoke, even if they’re asleep, and they’ll have enough time to wake up and escape if there’s a fire emergency. The thing is, this is not true at all. Multiple studies have proven that you can disrupt sleep with noise, but you can’t do that with the smell. Our sense of smell is pretty much lost when we’re asleep, and regardless of how strong the smell of smoke is, it won’t wake us up.

How do you incorporate a fire alarm in your security system?

The first thing you’ll want to do is decide what kind of fire monitoring you’ll opt for. When you have a home with a large, open space, and high ceilings, an optical beam smoke detector is a good pick. It’s very sensitive to diluted smoke, but it’s a bit more expensive than a regular one. By regular, we mean an ionization detector. These work by monitoring the air itself, and are perfect for home use. They’re actually pretty inexpensive and tend to react very quickly.

Positioning a fire alarm is done according to your home’s ceiling. You’ll find instructions in the manual, which will tell you all the details concerning sensitivity and placement, but there are two general tips to keep in mind. With a flat ceiling, it’s ideal to have it in the center, at least 300mm away from anything surrounding it.  This gives it good airflow, and the sensor works at its best. Smoke rises first, then spreads out, and such a sensor will be able to react quickly. With a sloped ceiling, you measure positioning vertically, from the ceiling’s peak. A smoke sensor shouldn’t be more than 600mm from the peak, and you should try to put it as close to the center of the ceiling as possible, again away from items surrounding it.

Adding Fire Monitoring to Your Home Security System.
Copyright: Pixabay | CC0 Public Domain

With these two things in mind, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. First, you’ll want to have a fire alarm in every room of your house. This is especially important for rooms where you sleep and is crucial if you want the detector to react quickly and have the most effect. To add to this, you should never paint over a fire alarm, or stick anything on them. This may significantly impact how they work, which is something you want to avoid at all costs.

It’s not just about having one – you should make sure it’s in working order at all times

This is the second most common mistake, aside from not installing a smoke alarm. You realize it’s important, and you get a good, high-quality system, set up in every room and placed carefully. But you don’t test it often. Many people don’t take the alarm seriously and don’t check them regularly. A fire alarm’s sound is the only thing that can alert you from a fire, 24/7.

To make sure it works well, you should check batteries for signs of corrosion. Replace them often, to be sure that the alarm will work when you need it to. You should test it at least once a month, as this will give you peace of mind. If you have children, it’s a good idea to teach them what they should do when they hear the sound of a fire alarm.

Adding Fire Alarm
Copyright: Pixabay | CC0 Public Domain

Such an alarm will give you early signs that something potentially tragic might happen, and basically save your life. A fire alarm works when you’re sleeping, or when you’re busy. It allows you to take action early on, before any serious damage takes place, and thus save you from renovating your entire house, and prevent any tragical accidents from happening. You should definitely have it, and more than one.



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