So, you are looking to buy smoke alarms for your home but website after website provide so many options its overwhelming to know which ones to select. We have provided the following guide to explain it for you.
Standard Smoke Alarms – 9V Battery Only
These are the most basic smoke alarms that are available. They are not wired into the home and require yearly 9V battery replacement.
evaculife.com.au/product/red-r9-photoelectric-smoke-alarm-9v-battery/
Standard Smoke Alarms – 10 Year Battery
These are a standard stand-alone smoke alarm. They are not wired into the home and do not require battery replacement for the life of the alarm.
evaculife.com.au/product/red-r10-10-year-battery-stand-alone-smoke-alarm/
Standard Smoke Alarms – Hard Wired: 9V Battery Backup
Most houses when they are built have this type of alarm wired into the home, it generally requires the 9V battery to be replaced every year which requires people getting up ladders to change batteries in alarms yearly and adds to landfill with yearly battery disposal.
evaculife.com.au/product/red-r240-240v-smoke-alarm-with-9v-battery-back-up/
Standard Smoke Alarms – Hard Wired with Rechargeable Battery
These are a more recent style of alarm that is wired into the home but have a lithium-ion battery that lasts 10 years so never needs to be replaced. Whilst more expensive than the 9V battery units, it does not require people getting up ladders to change batteries in alarms yearly and reduces landfill with yearly battery disposal not required.
evaculife.com.au/product/red-r240rc-240v-smoke-alarm-with-rechargeable-battery/
Interconnected Smoke Alarms
Following the tragic fire where eleven people, including eight children were killed in the 2011 house fire in Slacks Creek Queensland (evaculife.com.au/blog/queensland-smoke-alarm-law-change/) introduced requirements that required all smoke alarms to be interconnected. This means when one smoke alarm activates, all alarms in a home activate to wake everyone. These are currently a mandatory requirement in Queensland with other states hopefully following soon.
Hard Wired Interconnected Alarms
When a home is being constructed, it is very easy to run the interconnection cable throughout the walls and ceilings of the home to interconnected alarms. These are also used when refitting to single storey homes where ceiling access is possible.
Wireless Interconnected Alarms
In most cases it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to run the interconnection cable within a 2-3 storey home. This is where wireless interconnection is beneficial as all alarms can be linked or interconnected wirelessly.
Two Types of Wireless Interconnected Smoke Alarms
We offer two types of interconnected smoke alarms
Hard wired (Electrical Supply) Wireless Interconnected Alarms
To interconnect our standard smoke alarms, we provide a wireless interconnect base that includes the RF wireless interconnect hardware. These must be installed by a registered electrician.
evaculife.com.au/product/red-reb-wireless-base-for-240v-smoke-alarms/
Battery Powered (10-year Lithium Ion) Wireless Interconnected Alarms
If it is not possible to run a power supply to the proposed smoke alarm location, we provide a smoke alarm that includes two sealed batteries. One for the alarm and one for the wireless interconnection. These units are compatible with our wireless interconnection base so you can have a combination of both in your home.
evaculife.com.au/product/red-r10rf-10-year-rf-wireless-smoke-alarm/
How Often Should I Replace My Smoke Alarms?
Smoke alarms do not last forever and must be replaced every 10 years. Please read our blog post that explains why evaculife.com.au/blog/change-your-clocks-check-your-smoke-alarms/
