Northwest Iowa — It’s almost time to “spring ahead” again. Daylight Saving Time in most of the United States returns early Sunday morning, and you’ll need to set all your manual clocks ahead one hour.
Fire safety experts remind us that as long as you’re going around your house changing clocks, you might as well take some batteries with you on your journey around the house and change out your smoke alarm batteries as well.
Fire safety experts say that not only should you have smoke alarms installed on every floor of your home but in every bedroom as well. The U.S. Fire Administration says that you should change the batteries at least every year, unless the alarms are over ten years old. If that’s the case, the whole alarm should be replaced.
At least once a month, the U.S. Fire Administration says you should press the test button on each smoke alarm to make sure it sounds. It helps to do this the same time that you do other monthly tasks like changing furnace filters. Experts also say you should periodically clean smoke alarms using a vacuum attachment. This removes particles that could interfere with the alarm’s proper operation.
Incidentally, although “smoke alarms” are also called “smoke detectors,” officials with smoke alarm company, Kidde, say that actual “smoke detectors” are technically part of a larger alarm system, while “smoke alarms” are the stand-alone units that detect smoke and then alarm — like the ones most of us have in our homes.
