RadioBanter - View Single Post

George Cornelius · September 6th 15, 05:36 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna

In article , (George Cornelius) writes:
And to avoid everyone just repeating whomever their favorite
pontificator is, let's inject something a bit more authoritative.

Courtesy Consumer reports' "CO & smoke alarm buying guide",
last updated, June 2015:

None do it all

Our tests of two dozen alarms show that effective protection from fire and CO remains far too complicated. For example, smoke
alarms that use ionization technology were great at detecting a fast, flaming fire such as burning paper, but poor at detecting a
smoldering fire, as in a couch or mattress. The opposite was true of photoelectric smoke alarms. A few alarms combine ionization
and photoelectric technologies to cover both types of fire, but they don't detect CO. And those that combine CO and smoke detection
are effective for either type of fire, but not both. Our challenge to manufacturers: Produce a single device that senses both types
of fire and CO.

[...]

Test smoke and CO alarms weekly and vacuum them monthly. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations on battery replacement. Alarms
have a limited useful life. Replace CO alarms every five years and smoke alarms every 10 years. In addition, prepare a plan of
evacuation in case of a fire or CO emergency, and have everyone in the family practice it like a fire drill every few months.

George