How Do Smoke Detectors Work?

The Short Answer

When installed in a building such as a home or place of work, smoke detectors are working to sense fire in a couple of efficient ways and will sound the alarm to alert you when you are in danger. The built in sensors identify an increase of particles in the air and when the level becomes excessive, this sets the alarm off.

Introduction

Having fully operational smoke detectors installed in your home as part of your security system will improve your safety, in the event of fire breaking out. Integrating a complete fire alarm system along with state-of-the-art detectors will significantly increase your chances of survival when you have the right fire detection equipment fitted, because they are constantly monitoring and will react the instant they sense a problem.

If you are thinking of installing smoke and heat detectors in your home in Ireland, make sure you are aware of how they work and how they manage to keep you safe from the risks of fire. This guide discusses smoke detector principles and how they work, the different technology that is available and what they detect before sounding the alarm.

How Do Smoke Detectors Work?

The most common designs of smoke detectors are fitted with clever sensors that will assess the air quality and if a build-up of smoke particles occurs, the alarm will sound to warn the inhabitants of the developing and potentially dangerous situation.  

The different styles of smoke detectors can pick up either rapid, fast burning fires or the slower, smouldering types of fires. But remember to pay attention to the style of detector you are thinking of installing as the individual designs may react more efficiently in certain types of fires than others. If you have a home alarm system fitted, detectors could be included to offer a higher level of protection.

Types of Smoke Detectors

Ionisation Smoke Detectors

This specific design of smoke detector is more efficient at identifying and responding to raging fires and flames when they occur. A tiny amount of radioactive material is passed between two electrically charged plates to create an ionisation chamber and when smoke particles enter this space, they attract the ions causing the electrical current to be disturbed which will cause it to be reduced and if this drops below a set level the this will trigger the alarm to sound.

Photoelectric Smoke Detectors

Photoelectric detectors rely on a sensor and light beams inside the detector to identify dangerous situations. If a fire should break out, the light beams will be broken by the smoke entering the sensor chamber, which will in turn activate the alarm and alert everyone in the property.

These detectors react more efficiently to slower burning, smouldering fires that take longer to take hold. The sensor detects the light being reflected off larger smoke particles from the beam and if it goes beyond a safe threshold, the alarm is activated and warns everyone in the property.

Dual-Sensor Smoke Detectors

To give you the best level of safety and protection against most types of fire, a modern dual-sensor smoke detector will provide a higher level of protection as they combine the technology of the ionisation and photoelectric sensor style of detectors to provide a heightened amount of protection.

Dual sensor detectors are equally efficient at detecting slower burning and fast acting fires and will provide the earliest warnings to inhabitants should any type of fire break out.

What Is The Difference Between Smoke Alarms and Smoke Detection?

It is important that you understand the difference between smoke alarms and detectors to ensure you make the right choice when considering installing them in your home.

A smoke alarm is an independent piece of equipment which operates by itself in isolation and it will provide an audible warning if a fire breaks out. The sensors inside a smoke alarm will pick up the presence of smoke and trigger the alarm to sound to alert people of the danger. Households can have multiple smoke alarms fitted, but they are not linked and only the sensor that picks up the presence of smoke will activate. Other alarms in the property may well not sound the alarm.

By definition, smoke detectors will pick up the presence of smoke and fire but as they are connected to a complete fire alarm system, which operates through a main control panel, if fire or smoke is detected, the whole system will sound the alarm rather than an individual detector.

Integrating Smoke Detectors With Home Security Systems

If you take your safety seriously and want to ensure that your home is fully protected from the risk of any type of security issue or emergency situation such as a fire breaking out, modern technology will allow you to integrate the different systems together in a property-wide home security system.

The home security benefits that you’ll gain from adding smoke detectors to your alarm system will give you the confidence that whenever you are at home or away on holiday your home is being monitored continuously.  If anything should happen, someone is on hand to alert the emergency services to visit your home and add an additional protective element for your home.

Most modern home security systems are adaptable and can include the provision of smoke detectors. They can be connected to the control panel allowing continuous external monitoring by security companies.

Conclusion: The Importance of Smoke Detectors in Fire Safety

Having smoke detectors in your home will give you the peace of mind to know that in the event of a fire, you are being protected from the danger. Having them connected to a fully integrated home security system ensures that should anything happen; the monitoring service is taking care of your property.

So, if you’ve asked yourself ‘how do I know if my smoke detector is working?’ the above should explain how they sense the danger and what they do to alert you to the situation. Stay safe at home and keep yourself protected.