Are You Re-aa-lly “Testing” the Smoke Detector?
I’m sure most of us have reached up and pushed the “Test” button on the smoke detectors in our homes. Whether we did it as a routine to check it for operation, or to check the battery, or curiosity, the shrill noise that the appliance emits was enough to wake the dead, right? What you may not know is that the onboard “Test” button does not actually indicate whether the detector alarm will work in an actual smoke and/or fire condition. That button will test the audible alarm (i.e., Does the noise part work?) and the battery (i.e., Is there enough “juice” in the battery to detect anything?). The way to test the electro-chemical circuitry in the device is to test it with what some folks call “canned smoke” or actual smoke. We NEVER RECOMMEND the actual smoke method, and neither does the local fire department. The “canned smoke” method is the preferred method. We use it to test a home’s smoke detectors during our inspection; that is, unless the home has a security system. When a home has a
