Daylight saving time begins at 2:00 am on Sunday 2 October 2022, and while some of your devices will update automatically, you probably have one or two clocks that you will need to manually reset. When you do, this is a great time to put the safety of your household first and change your smoke alarm batteries.
Here’s an interesting fact: when you are asleep, you probably won’t wake up because you smell smoke.
This is why working smoke alarms are a must in every home. A smoke alarm provides early warning and time to leave.
Unfortunately, a dangerous number of fires occur in homes where smoke alarms did not activate due to poor maintenance or there were currently no smoke alarms installed.
With so many digital devices in homes, many house fires are caused by electronics such as laptops, smart phones, and overloaded power boards. It is therefore recommended to install additional smoke alarms and power points in bedrooms, studies and home offices, three places where a large number of preventable house fires start.
Only working smoke alarms save lives so here are four simple steps to maintaining your home smoke alarms:
- Test your smoke alarms monthly.
- When you change your clocks for daylight savings, vacuum in and around your smoke alarms and change your smoke alarm batteries-even if there is no beeping noise.
- Replace your smoke alarm every 10 years.
- If you hear your smoke alarm ‘chirping’, immediately replace your battery.
