Extreme Humidity can set off Smoke Alarms

Using a smoke detector in your home or office is of course a smart choice. It is like a bodyguard that will keep you protected from fires. But sometimes it misjudges the danger and makes fire alarms without any actual fire. This happens because of extreme humidity and moisture. Thus this problem occurs especially during hot summer days. Also, the positioning of the smoke detector can be responsible for its misinterpretations. Here are some tips that you can follow to prevent false fire alarms.

High humidity can affect smoke detectors set off

• It is found by many people that humidity and false alarms have connections between them. Thus we decide to put this question forward as the summer is approaching near. Do smoke detectors get affected by humidity? If yes, then why? What you can do to stop it?
• Why: This is one of the prevalent questions. How simple steam or humidity can make the intelligent smoke detector fool? It happens simply because both smoke and moisture particles set off to the sensor of the smoke detector in the same manner. So the smoke detector can't distinguish between them. This lets us question that, how a smoke detector works?

Two types of smoke detectors are available in the market. Some of the smoke detectors are run by photoelectric technology. And some use ionization smoke detection. Both of them work differently thus they can catch different things. It is recommended by the fire marshals that you should combine these technologies for a better result. However, ionization smoke detection technology is more prone to false alarms out of humidity.   

How to prevent the humidity cause false alarms

So the question arises that, can we stop or reduce false alarms out of humidity? What are the solutions to it?

Don’t worry as we are here to help you. Thankfully you can reduce and stop these false alarms if you take some precautions. To do this, at first, you need to identify the high-humid areas of your home with respect to the location of the smoke detector. Then try to lessen the humidity level of those particular places. You will have to increase the ventilation process of your home anyway.  For example, if you have a smoke detector near your bathroom then you will have to switch on the exhaust fan of your bathroom while showering. For a better result, you can buy a dehumidifier. It will purify the air and remove excess moisture from indoor air. We suggest you change the air vents of your home at least four times a year. This will keep the vents clean or fresh and help them to better ventilate your house. As for kitchen make sure that you got an exhaust fan here. It is better to have it over the cooking stove so that it can immediately exhaust the warm humid air.  While during drier days try to open the windows of your house to get fresh air inside. Also, switch from ionization technology to photoelectric technology to stop unnecessary fire alarms.

Everything comes with its pros and cons. It is up to you and your methods that how you can handle it. By taking these small precautions and care thus you can handle and solve this one flaw of the smoke detectors.