Fire Alarm Beeping?
“It’s better falling prey to thieves than fire”, as most people say, for the reason that thieves take a person’s possessions but leave the house whole, while the fire leaves nothing. Fire is very useful to man. However, it can also be a source of destruction. Late actions towards its occurrence entail loss of property, or worse, life. This is the main purpose of having a fire alarm at home or at any business institution.
Fire alarms have been designed to prepare people to a probability of fire occurrence in the house or business establishment. Though all types of alarm systems can be beneficial, choosing a specific type of fire alarm system for homes or business organizations is often suggested. There are various types of fire alarms that suit certain place and people. Read on and learn what type of fire alarm fit for your house or business.
A fire alarm is a system designed to detect the presence of fire by observing any combustion within the environment. The fire alarm beeping sound is intended to alert the occupants of the house or building to evacuate whenever there is fire, to call for emergency services, and to control the spread of smoke and fire. It is classified as manually actuated, automatically actuated, and both. Generally, there are two types of fire alarm: the photoelectric and the ionization.
Photoelectric
This type of alarm detects smoke by “seeing it”. It is particularly receptive to fuming fire or type of fire that releases or creates a lot of smoke. It has a T-shaped chamber with (LED) light-emitting diode that shoots a shaft of light across its horizontal bar. At the bottom of the chamber’s vertical base is a photocell positioned to generate a current whenever exposed to the light. The beam of light crosses the top of the chamber uninterruptedly in a straight line without striking the photocell. This light gets scattered when smoke is present. The smoke particles cause the light to go down the vertical part of the chamber and strike the photocell. The sufficient light hitting the cell creates a current and triggers the fire alarm beeping sound.
This type of fire alarm is ideal for locations where things such as PVC or foam are found. It is a little expensive compared to the ionization fire alarm. It should also be maintained clean as it gives false fire alarm beeping sound due to insects and dust.
Ionization
In contrast to the photoelectric, this type of fire alarm system “feels” the smoke. It detects the unseen particles coming from combustion. It detects flaming fire without visible smoke. It has a source of ionizing radiation and an ionization chamber. It has a 1/5000th of a gram or 241-americium on its source of ionizing radiation and alpha particles or helium nuclei. The ionization chamber comprises two plates with about a centimeter distance from each other. A battery is used to apply voltage to both plates. One plate is charged with positive ions, while the other plate is charged with negative ions. The americium continuously discharges alpha particles that knock-off electrons from the atoms found in air, ionizing both nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the compartment. The negative plate attracts the positively-charged nitrogen and oxygen atoms, while the positive plate attracts the electrons. These processes generate a small and continuous electric current. When smoke gets in the ionization chamber, it gets neutralized so it does not reach the plate, causing a drop in the electric current between the plates and triggers the fire alarm beeping sound.
Placing this type of fire alarm in the kitchen is not recommended as it’s prone to false fire alarm beeping. It is also less expensive than the other type of fire alarm system. It’s also advisable to use it with caution as it contains a little amount of radioactive material.
Both types of fire alarm system are effective. The ionization detector responds quickly to flaming fire while the photoelectric detector responds quickly to smoldering fire. In either type of fire alarm system, the high humidity or steam leads to condensation on the sensor or circuit board, triggering the fire alarm beeping sound. Sometimes the ion current falls in an ionization detector due to a failing battery. It also triggers the fire alarm beeping sound. Thus, when the low-battery warning is seen, change the battery before the fire alarm system becomes ineffective. Using back-up batteries is also recommended.
The fire alarm systems nowadays come with various features to choose from:
Standard-battery alarms
Also called as ionization battery alarm, the standard-battery alarm is the most basic and the cheapest fire alarm system available. The optical battery alarm is a bit pricey. Both operate with 9 volt batteries.
Battery alarm with emergency light
Most battery-operated fire alarm systems are fitted with emergency lights, which automatically turn on when the fire alarm beeping sound is triggered.
Alarms with 10-year batteries
Alarms with 10-year batteries are a bit expensive; however, it’s also cost-effective because replacement of batteries is no longer necessary. It is available in the ionization fire alarm system and comes with long-life lithium batteries that last for ten years.
Alarms with a silence or hush button
Some fire alarm systems come with a hush or silence button that silences the fire alarm beeping sound for a short time. This is commonly used when cooking. However, during instances where a real fire is present, the hush system gets superseded and the fire alarm beeping sound turns-on.
Main-powered alarms
These alarms are powered by an office or home’s electricity supply. It needs to be installed by a qualified electrician. One advantage of this alarm is that battery-check is no longer needed. It’s also available with a back-up battery in cases of power outages.
A fire alarm system is important to the family’s safety towards the natural environment. The local fire and rescue services also give recommendations in choosing the best fire alarm system that suits various circumstances.