At SouthSota Mister Sparky, we will help you ensure you stay on the right side of the law, with the right protection. Let us help you with your Northfield, MN, smoke detector installation.
The National Fire Protection Agency recommends replacing all smoke detectors every five years. Even a hardwired smoke detector should be placed at least every ten years. Why?
All appliances age, including smoke detectors. Over time, they lose their sensitivity, and that means that they won’t work when you actually need them.
3 Signs You Need Smoke Detector Installation Northfield, MN
There are three main signs that it’s time to schedule your smoke detector installation in Northfield.
Call our team of licensed electricians if you have chirping sounds, bad test results, sensitivity, or discoloration on your current smoke detectors.
Discoloration
The biggest sign is that your smoke detector is discolored. As a smoke detector gets older, it turns yellow. This yellow is often attributed to the sun bleaching it or dust in the air, but it’s actually a result of the flame retardant, bromine, in the smoke detector getting old. As the bromine gets exposed to oxygen, heat, and UV light, it turns yellow and that means it’s no longer functioning as it should.
If your smoke detectors aren’t white, you need smoke detector installation in Northfield, MN today.
Chirping
Another sign is constant chirping. This might be much more noticeable in your home because it’s more irritating. If your smoke detector goes off without any smoke and it’s continually chirping, that means it’s breaking down.
Older models might chirp if they need new batteries but if the chirping continues after a battery change or you have a newer model that’s hardwired, this chirping means you need a repair or a replacement from our certified electricians in Northfield, MN.
Testing, Testing
The U.S. Fire Administration recommends homeowners test their smoke detectors regularly. To test your smoke detector you simply press the “test” button on the unit. When you do that it should trigger the alarm loudly enough that you can hear it throughout your home.
However, if that doesn’t happen, it’s time for a replacement. Studies indicate that 60% of all fire related deaths take place in homes that have smoke detectors, but those smoke detectors didn’t work. This is preventable with our Northfield, MN smoke detector installation.
Northfield, MN Smoke Detector Installation
Our team of local electricians can help you with a carbon monoxide detector or smoke detector installation in Northfield, MN today.
Smoke Detector Laws
In Northfield, MN, local laws require that all properties include smoke detectors, installed and maintained in accordance with Minn. Stat. § 299F.362. This ruling stipulates that all residences include smoke alarms, mounted in appropriate locations, and that owners must maintain them with proper inspection and maintenance reports fired with local fire marshals where appropriate too.
For example, if you plan to rent your Northfield home, as the homeowner you need to ensure the smoke alarms are tested and maintained, with new smoke detector installation in Northfield, MN if they are outdated or no longer function.
Failure to do so means penalties, and willfully disabling a smoke detector or breaking one is a misdemeanor.
Carbon Monoxide Laws
Minnesota Statute 299F.50 also requires homes now have carbon monoxide detectors.
Smoke Detector Installation in Northfield, MN
Smoke detectors serve an important role in preventing fire fatalities. There are two main types of smoke detectors:
- The first are traditional smoke detectors that run on batteries. It’s up to homeowners to regularly replace those batteries so that the smoke detectors can function normally.
- The second is modern hardwired detectors that are actually connected to your electrical system, hardwired into your existing electricity with battery backups in the event that the electricity goes out.
There are also dual units that serve as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide is particularly dangerous because it doesn’t have a smell, color, or taste and yet it’s one of the most common poison related deaths.
Homes in Northfield that have charcoal grills, chimneys, fireplaces, furnaces, gas ranges, space heaters, or stoves are at risk for the release of carbon monoxide.
At SouthSota Mister Sparky, we can help you determine which type of smoke detector installation in Northfield, MN is best to ensure your safety.
Call our team today to schedule your appointment.
What to Expect from Our Northfield, MN Smoke Detector Installation
When you call our team of licensed electricians in Northfield, MN we will start with a quick assessment of your space. This assessment will verify whether or not you currently have the right number of smoke detectors in the right locations.
For example:
- Every bedroom should have an individual smoke detector
- Your basement should have a smoke detector
- Your living room or shared area on every floor should have a smoke detector
- Carbon monoxide detectors should be within 15 feet of bedrooms
- You should have one carbon monoxide detector on each floor
If you don’t have all the smoke detectors that you need or the appropriate carbon monoxide detectors, our team will provide an assessment based on the installation.
When we make our recommendation, we will also discuss things like hardwired smoke detectors or interconnected smoke detectors where all of your detectors go off if one of them is triggered, making it more likely that you will hear it.
Based on the recommendations and your decision, our team will get to work on your installation immediately.
Smoke Detector Installation FAQs
It is not recommended, as smoke detector installation in Northfield, MN requires a specific level of electrical expertise. Moreover, incorrect installation could put you at risk of penalties for failure to provide appropriate smoke detectors.
We know where Minnesota statutes say to install smoke detectors and where not to. We never install smoke detectors near windows, ducts, or doors where the draft could compromise their efficacy. After your smoke detector installation in Northfield, MN, our licensed electricians will provide guidelines on how to keep them working long-term.
Yes, even a hard-wired detector ages. If you run tests at home and your smoke detector isn’t working properly, call SouthSota Mister Sparky. We recommend replacing smoke detectors every ten years.