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Battery Powered or Hardwired – Which Smoke and CO Detector is Best?

Smoke detector
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There are some things that we don’t have much control over in our homes – like a fire or carbon monoxide leak. Of course, you can take safety precautions, but your home may still be at risk! You can lessen the likelihood of these unfortunate and dangerous events in your home with a smoke and CO detection system. Some models are battery powered, while others are hard-wired. If you are unsure which system is best for your home, here’s some information that may help you decide:

Battery vs. Hard Wired

When installed by a professional and maintained over the years, smoke detectors can detect even the smallest amount of smoke or carbon monoxide. When the sensors are alerted, a loud alarm sounds that warn everyone nearby of the potential danger. This is essential for early detection, as well as fires or leaks that may occur when everyone in your household is fast asleep.

There are two main types of smoke and CO detectors that are available today. Battery powered and hard wired models are both easily accessible as well as affordable. However, these models differ in many ways:

Battery Powered

These smoke detectors are readily available, but they aren’t the safest system that you can get for your home or business. Because they are battery powered, they may have delayed reactions or areas that go without coverage. All batteries die eventually, and if you don’t realize they need to be replaced, the detector could shut off with little warning. If you do have battery-operated smoke detectors, you should have several scattered around your home and you should test them frequently.

Hard-Wired

These detectors are much more reliable than their battery-operated relatives. Because they are in fact hard-wired into your homes electrical system, the need for battery changes and frequent testing is eliminated. Once the detector senses that smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide is present, all the different detectors around your house will be notified simultaneously. When one alarm sounds – the rest will too. This means that if smoke is present in one area of your home, you’ll hear the alarm throughout your entire house.  You won’t have to wait till it escalates before you realize it. The sooner you can respond to the issue, the sooner you can get your loved ones to safety and call emergency services. These detectors will give you high-quality performance as well as peace of mind knowing that your home and loved ones have added protection in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide leak.

Excel Electric Can Help Keep You Safe

Through our fully-insured electrical services, our electricians with several years of fire and CO safety experience will give you smoke and CO detector installation services with these features:

  • Custom-made, reasonable quotes based on your unique home
  • Latest and greatest in smoke and CO detector tools and equipment
  • Scheduled maintenance services for all your detectors to ensure efficiency
  • An array of smoke and CO detector brand selections appropriate for your home

Don’t wait until it’s too late – call Excel Electric today for smoke and CO detector installation!

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