As we enter the heating season, and as we’ve just had our clocks adjusted back for fall, I thought it would be a good time to talk about fire safety, particularly the differences between photo-electric and ionization smoke alarms. The information below is taken from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) website.
The two most commonly recognized smoke detection technologies are ionization smoke detection and photoelectric smoke detection.
- Ionization smoke detection is generally more responsive to flaming fires.
How they work: Ionization-type smoke alarms have a small amount of radioactive material between two electrically charged plates, which ionizes the air and causes current to flow between the plates. When smoke enters the chamber, it disrupts the flow of ions, thus reducing the flow of current and activating the alarm. - Photoelectric smoke detection is generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering (called “smoldering fires”).
How they work: Photoelectric-type alarms aim a light source into a sensing chamber at an angle away from the sensor. Smoke enters the chamber, reflecting light onto the light sensor; triggering the alarm.
For each type of smoke alarm, the advantage it provides may be critical to life safety in some fire situations. Home fatal fires, day or night, include a large number of smoldering fires and a large number of flaming fires. You can not predict the type of fire you may have in your home or when it will occur. Any smoke alarm technology, to be acceptable, must perform acceptably for both types of fires in order to provide early warning of fire at all times of the day or night and whether you are asleep or awake.
The best evidence has always indicated that either type of smoke alarm will provide sufficient time for escape for most people for most fires of either smoldering or flaming type. However, research is ongoing, and standards are living documents. If at any time, research points to a different conclusion, then that will lead to proposals for changes in the NFPA standard or the closely related Underwriters Laboratories standard for testing and approving smoke alarms. Both organizations currently have task groups looking at smoke alarm performance in the current home environment.
For best protection, use both types of smoke alarm technologies
For best protection, it is recommended both (ionization and photoelectric) technologies be in homes. In addition to individual ionization and photoelectric alarms, combination alarms that include both technologies in a single device are available.
For best protection, it is recommended both (ionization and photoelectric) technologies be in homes. In addition to individual ionization and photoelectric alarms, combination alarms that include both technologies in a single device are available.
I have them all over my place. Just for safety.
ReplyDeletephoenix fire systems
I've gone as far as to use both fire alarm systems in my home. I think that the level of detection offered by most modern devices is incredibly effective anyway. The only problem that whenever I open my oven the alarm goes off and I have to reset it, any ideas on how to fix this?
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Smoke alarm is the best security alarm.It is great to have this in our home for the family safety.
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It is always best to have both types at home or at the office, as it can act as a way to check for false positives (triggering from other sources other than actual fire) or false negatives (one type not triggering at all).
ReplyDeleteOdessa Hanton
Another way of utilizing the different fire alarms is by putting them in the most appropriate locations of the house. Place photoelectric smoke alarms in areas that might be more prone to smoldering fires, such as storage rooms and garages, and use the ionization for areas such as kitchens and places near appliances. While the safer discourse is to place both types in all the said spots for redundancy issues, sometimes there is such a thing as being too redundant.
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