Devices to Deal with Home Dangers
As Ben Franklin once noted, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Use these basic detection-device tips to help keep you and your family safe and sound.
Smoke alarms
- Install one in and outside each bedroom, with at least one on every level of the home.
- Test once a month, and replace after ten years.
- Consider interconnected smoke alarms—when one goes off, all of them do.
Carbon monoxide alarms
- Install one outside each bedroom, making sure that one is on every level of the home.
- Install a few feet from the ceiling, and keep them away from heat and humidity sources.
- Test at least once a month.
- Consider interconnected alarms and combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms.
Radon detectors
- Test for radon—a dangerous, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas—twice a year.
- Use short-term kits (which test from 2 to 90 days) for quick results and long-term kits (several months) for greater accuracy.
- Contact an expert about remediation if you get high readings.
