Is Your Home Truly Protected? The Full Cycle Guide to Smoke & CO Alarms
At Full Cycle, we put your safety first. That’s why inspecting your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is a core part of the Full Cycle experience. In my time working in the field, I’ve come across far too many homes with missing detectors or units that have been expired for years. If you haven’t checked yours lately, replacing existing expired smoke detectors should be next on your list.
What the Code Requires
To keep your home up to the latest Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and National Building Code standards, your protection needs to be strategic:
- Every Level: You need smoke alarms on every storey, including the basement.
- The Bedroom Rule: Alarms must be installed inside every individual bedroom and in the hallways outside sleeping areas.
- Instant Communication: Detectors must be interconnected. If a fire starts in the garage, the alarm in your bedroom needs to wake you up immediately.
- The CO Factor: If you have an attached garage or fuel-burning appliances (like a gas furnace or water heater), Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms are required on every storey, placed within 5 metres (16 feet) of all bedroom doors.
Our Top Recommendation: 10-Year Sealed Units
For maximum reliability, we recommend installing combination Smoke and CO detectors with built-in 10-year lithium batteries. These “worry-free” sealed units are a game changer because:
- No Battery Swaps: You don’t have to remember to change 9V batteries every year.
- No Low-Battery Chirps: Say goodbye to that annoying 2:00 AM chirping that happens when alkaline batteries get cold or weak.
- Tamper-Proof: Because the lithium battery is sealed inside, it can’t be removed or “borrowed” for a TV remote, ensuring the alarm is always ready to save a life.
- Coincides with Expiry: Since sensors only last about 10 years anyway, these units are designed to be replaced entirely once the battery runs out, ensuring you always have the latest technology.
Let’s Get Your Home Up to Code
My goal is to ensure your home isn’t just powered up, but fully protected. If you aren’t sure how old your detectors are or if they are chirping and driving you crazy give us a call. We’ll walk through your home, identify the “dead zones,” and ensure your family is sleeping soundly.
Is your home protected? Contact Full Cycle today for a safety inspection!
