Ken Savage Making IT in Massachusetts

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Investigation reveals the differences between smoke detectors being sold to consumers.

Statistics show that approximately 90 percent of U.S. homes have what are known as ionization smoke detectors, despite research that shows they may be slow to sound in smoldering fires. Photoelectric smoke detectors are generally believed to be better at detecting smoldering-type fires.

Smoldering fires typically break out in the middle of the night, when families are asleep and depend on smoke detectors to wake them up. Fires caused by improperly disposed smoking materials (cigarettes, ashes) or electrical fires are generally considered to be smoldering.

If you want to know what kind of smoke detector you have in your home:

• Check to see if the detector has a small radioactive symbol, or states that it contains americium-241. If so, you likely have an ionization detector.
• If your smoke detector does not contain a small radioactive symbol or americium-241, it is likely, but not definite, that you have a photoelectric smoke detector.

Newer detectors often state whether they are ionization, photoelectric or a combination. Remember to test your detectors and replace their batteries, no matter what kind you have.

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