How to Test Your Smoke Detector

According to this article from the New York Times, 7 siblings died in a house fire in Brooklyn, New York.  The cause of the fire was a hot plate which warmed food while the family slept.  Due to Sabbath restrictions, the Orthodox Jewish family was unable to light a flame, so the hot plate was used to keep food warm overnight.

This tragedy is made even worse because the family could have been warned about the fire if there had been working smoke detectors throughout the home.  Instead, only one smoke detector was found – and it was in the basement.  There were no working smoke detectors on the first or the second floor of the home.

While we grieve for this family, we can also learn a lesson from their tragedy:  make smoke detectors a priority both in your home and in your business. But having smoke detectors present is not enough if they are not checked and maintained regularly.

Here are some tips from Tim Gibson of Expert Village on how to test your smoke detectors:

1.  When you push the test button on a smoke detector that is interconnected with the other smoke detectors in the house, make sure you hear the test beeps from the other detectors.

2.  Press and hold the test button for one to two seconds until you hear the series of short beeps.

3.  If you press the button and you do not hear the beeps, you may need to change the batteries, replace the smoke detector itself or have the wiring checked.

Watch the whole video here.