Another year has flown by. We are now well into autumn and heading quickly into winter. Part of the Fall ritual for nearly everyone in the U.S. is the changing of the clocks, coming up in just a couple of weeks. “Spring ahead, Fall back” is the slogan we’ve heard for years. And this year that ritual happens at 2am on Sunday November 3rd, 2019. But for many years now, there has been an ongoing public awareness campaign to do something even more important; another ritual to do at the same time we change our clocks in the fall. What’s that? Put new batteries in your home’s smoke alarms.
What kind of smoke alarm do you have? Battery powered? Then change the batteries. Is it hardwired to your home’s electrical system? Then change the back-up battery. Do you have several hardwired smoke alarms that are interconnected so if one detects a fire, they all sound the alarm? Great! But change the back-up batteries. Are you getting the picture? Change the batteries.
Let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment. Are the batteries dead? Do they really need to be replaced? How much power do smoke detectors consume? Are they going to drain a battery in just a year? The answer is: “Change the batteries!” Here’s why:
Even if the batteries you take out of your smoke alarms still have some life in them, that doesn’t mean they will help you in the event of an emergency. Smoke alarms draw a very low amount of power day in and day out. It isn’t much but they are constantly monitoring your home for fires. If there is never a fire in your home, they could go on monitoring for a long time, years even. However, at the moment they DO detect a fire, and need to save your life, they need a good strong supply of power. They need to be loud! They need to scream at you! A battery that is not completely dead, but not fresh, might not have enough power to save your life and the lives of your family members.
If you want to still use those partially used batteries, then set them aside for something not as important, like your remote controls, or your kid’s talking toy. But don’t put your life in the hands of worn-down batteries.
How does this relate to your home’s central heating and cooling system? Actually, it doesn’t. So why is this topic on the blog of our website here at GAMA Air? Because reminders like this just may save lives, and for that, it’s worth it. Better safe than sorry.
There’s even more you should know and do, as part of this ritual, and as part of your routine. Come back here for the next installment of our blog for more information. If you have a problem with your central heat and air, the folks here at GAMA Air are happy to help. Give us a call at (310) 651-6936 or fill out our online form to schedule a visit at time convenient for you.
Curious about something related to your heating and cooling system? Visit our “Ask an Expert” page and let us know what’s on your mind.