If you ask any homeowner, they’ll tell you that they have smoke detectors in their homes. After all, these small gadgets are extremely important, mostly because they warn us of potential fire hazards. Though most people know the importance of having these devices installed, do they know the reasons why they should never save money when purchasing smoke detectors?
If your answer to this question is “I don’t know”, you should know that ensuring that you purchase a high-quality smoke detector from a reputable and trustworthy manufacturer is one of the most crucial things that you could do and you’ll be able to find the reasons why you should do this in the article below. So, let’s take a look at the list of six reasons:
Cheaper Models Might Not Be Accurate
A paper that was published in 2024 stated that there were more than 550.000 fire incidents in the UK from 2018 to 2019. But, more than 40 percent of these incidents were actually false fire alarms. This means that approximately 275.000 incidents led to the fire department losing resources and time.
Why did so many false alarms take place? Well, in most cases the smoke detectors weren’t accurate, nor were they purchased from a reliable manufacturer. This is why you should always strive to purchase a high-quality device, one that will be accurate and that won’t go off whenever it wants.
The Response Time And Detection Could Be Lowered
In a situation where there is a fire, you’ll need to immediately be notified about it, mostly because you’ll need to get yourself and the people living with you to safety. Some of the best fire detectors will have the quickest response time, which means that you’ll be capable of quickly exiting your home.
For instance, in a conducted study, scientists proved that the best alarms out there took 95 seconds to play the alarm, while some of the lowest quality detectors took more than 5 minutes to respond, meaning that by the time it turns on the alarm, the fire might have already spread. Hence, ensuring that you purchase a high-quality alarm could be a matter of life and death.
The Power Source Might Not Be Secure
Alarms that are powered by batteries have a high chance of failing. And, if the batteries inside of the device are weak and unreliable – such as the ones featured in gadgets that are cheaper – the entire system might not even sound an alarm when there is a fire in your residence.
On the other hand, mains-powered alarms are more suitable and reliable, especially since the odds of them failing are lower. So, when you’re browsing for a device, ensure that you buy a reliable one that’ll have a stable power source such as the smoke detectors featured on x-sense.
Low-Quality Models Cannot Be Connected to Each Other
If you did some digging online, you probably learned that most specialists suggest that you place these alarms in almost every room in your residence, including the halls and basement. Now, you must know, high-quality models can in most cases connect to each other, meaning that, if one device identifies smoke, it’ll prompt all the other devices to go off.
But, choosing to purchase a low-quality model might mean that the devices cannot connect to one another, hence, if there is ever a fire in your house, you might not hear it, if you’re, for example, sleeping. This can result in some serious consequences for you, ones that you can avoid by purchasing a more reliable model.
They Might Be Difficult to Install
Most of the models that you could purchase are simple to install, meaning that you might not need to call an experienced electrician. However, one of the things that people don’t realize about cheaper fire detector models is that they’re often difficult and complex to install, mostly because the design and layout of the machine are different.
This means that you might not be capable of installing the gadgets by yourself, which will probably result in your calling an electrician, something that can easily increase the overall cost. With a model that is more expensive, it’s possible that you’ll be able to install them by yourself, especially since they’ll feature user manuals with the pack.
They Might Not Feature a “Silence Button”
As we mentioned, cheaper models often go off without any reason. Now, you must know that this is something that can be prevented by pressing the silence button, however, the cheaper models that you might choose to purchase might not have them, which means that you won’t be able to turn it off quickly and before the fire department arrives.
Besides a silent button, it might not have a remote control mute switch. This switch is one that you could connect to your phone or remote control. It operates in the same way as the silence button, however, you could press it from anywhere in your house or apartment.
Before we conclude this article, there are a few things worth mentioning. For starters, you must always read all the reviews posted about a particular smoke detector model, mostly because you’ll be able to determine whether or not it worked for individuals that have already purchased and used it.
Besides this, you must also learn all the features particular devices have, especially if you want it to have a silent button or other features that you want and need it to have. By doing this, you’ll be able to purchase a gadget that will keep you and your family safe, hence, read everything there is about a particular device.
Conclusion
By now, it’s pretty obvious why you should always choose to invest a little bit more into the smoke detectors you choose to purchase. After all, purchasing a more costly model will ensure that you get notified about a potential fire on time, and more importantly, you could ensure that it works at all times.
So, now that you know why you should never save money when purchasing fire detecting devices, you might not want to waste any more of your time. Instead, open up your browser, and start searching for a company that will provide you with a high-quality and reliable device for your home.
