Best Practices for Smoke Detector Maintenance

Smoke detectors can help protect you and your family in the event of a fire, but they need proper maintenance to work. Here are some tips for keeping your smoke detector running:

• • Test a smoke detector monthly by pressing the test button. If the detector chirps, then it’s operational.
  • Replace smoke detector batteries once a year, even if you still get a positive battery response when you test it. A great time to do this is during spring cleaning.
  • If your smoke detector does not emit a positive test tone after putting in a fresh battery, replace the detector.
  • Replace your smoke detector once every 10 years, even if it passes the chirp test. Write the installed date on a piece of masking tape and stick it to your detector for easy reference.
  • Check your detector for a “replace by” sticker. If you can’t find a date, replace it immediately.

Follow all these tips and you can keep your home and family safe!