Electrician in Wittier

Home electrical fires are one of the leading causes of fire outbreaks and deaths in Whittier, CA.

Statistics show that home electrical fires account for over 51,000 deaths each year, about 500 deaths, 1400 injuries, and $1.3 billion in property damages.

Similarly, arcing faults started more than 28,000 home fires and caused over $700 million in property damage.

Our experts at RG Electric have taken the time to highlight smoke detector installations as one of the Whittier electric services you can rely on.

Unfortunately, many people do not pay much attention to electrical fire safety until they are faced with a serious fire disaster. It would be best if you put safety measures such as smoke detectors to reduce the risks of fire disasters.

According to the National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA), installing a smoke alarm in your home reduces the risk of losing your life in a fire accident by 55%. But what exactly is a smoke detector.

What is a smoke detector?

A smoke detector is a device that senses smoke that may result from fires. Using several technologies, smoke detectors detect specific particles above a certain limit and signal an alarm.

Residential smoke detectors are also known as smoke alarms. They issue an audible alarm from the detector.

How does a smoke detector work?

Smoke detectors function by detecting particles in the air.

They achieve this by employing two main types of detection technologies.

Ionization detectors

Ionization detectors utilize tiny bits of well-protected radioactive materials that electrically charge or ionize the air molecules between two metal plates.

As a result, a small electric current that flows from one plate to the other in the air gets produced. As particles enter the chamber, they attract the ions, which reduce the current.

Once the number of particles in the chamber can reduce the current below a certain threshold, the device would register the particles like smoke and sounds off the alarm.

Note that the radiation gets blocked inside the device and so it causes no harm.

Photoelectric Detectors

Photoelectric detectors work by detecting light that gets reflected off from particles from a light beam inside the sensing compartment.

If there are no particles in the sensing compartment, the light from the bean does not strike the light detector, indicating all is well.

However, once particles are present in the chamber and the amount of light registered by the light detector reaches a certain limit, the alarm goes off.

Photoelectric detectors are more sensitive to larger particles that are light-colored or white.

As a result, they are more reflective than those emitted by smoldering fires. On the other hand, ionization detectors easily detect small black soot particles from flaming fires.

Should I Hire An Expert To Install My Smoke Detector?

If you plan to install a battery-powered smoke detector, you might not need to hire a professional. You need to insert batteries on the device and place them at a strategic point where everyone can hear them.

However, if you are looking to install a hard-wired smoke detector, we suggest hiring a professional to get it done with ease. Hard-wired smoke detector installation could be pretty challenging and complex to install. So you would need an electrician that understands all the details of safely installing a smoke detector.

Your home floor plan plays a role in determining the number of smoke detectors you should have and where they get placed.

A licensed technician would help you carry out your smoke detector installation and ensure the appropriate amount in just the right places.

Note that poorly installed smoke detectors would not achieve the purpose of reducing the risks of a fire disaster.

Where should I install my smoke detector?

Hiring an electrician to install your smoke detector would save you from worrying about placement.

A professional is adequately trained to know just the right areas around the home to place a smoke detector.

However, we recommend you install your battery-powered smoke detectors inside your bedroom or just outside the door of your sleeping area.

We also suggest you place a smoke detector on every floor of your home and the basement. You should also install a smoke detector in your kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom.

Best way to install a hard-wired smoke detector

All hard-wired smoke detectors should be best installed in a series. By so doing, multiple smoke detectors would sound off regardless of whether the smoke is emanating.