OT: Smoke alarm batteries, When do you change your batteries? Options

[Pam]

I recently had a debate with a person who shall remain nameless and owns a purple car. We disagreed on the most common time to change smoke alarm batteries. Please participate in this poll to help prove that I am right. If you do not wish to participate - please accept this as a reminder to take a few minutes to check the batteries in your smoke alarms to protect your home and family.

Thanks - Pam

[GWN7]

CO2 detectors come in various styles. Some are just battery, some are bat/110v and others are hardwired only. They can build up a residualy charge of CO2 which will cause them to go off. Sometimes they can be zeroed out by removing them to a outside area for a few days, but if a unit goes off and your local department comes and checks out the CO2 levels in your home and they find a 0 reading why not replace them.

If a unit costs $35 and it works for 5 years that works out to less than 2 cents a day to protect your familys life.

As to having more than one CO2 unit in a home, the co2 builds to a point where it effects the O2 level in the home, that is what sets the unit off. Unless you have airtight rooms in your home one should be sufficent.

That is not what is recommended for Smoke detectors where one per level is recommeded. The smoke rises to the highest level on a floor and if you have a unit per floor this will allow you enough time to get out alive.

As to a leak detector, yes you will smell it ....if your awake.....if you have a leak and a spark you won't have to worry about smelling it.

It boils down to personal safety, how much you figure is safe enough, is that seat belt good enought or do you need a shoulder harness.

Personally I think a moat with alligators is the best home defence, but they don't allow them to be imported up here.