Smoke detectors are more than just beeping machines; they are life-saving devices that guarantee fire safety. We talk about two kinds of smoke detectors: ionization and photoelectric, and what is best to have in your home.
By code in Massachusetts, it is required to have smoke detectors in any home or property. Most houses also need to have carbon monoxide alarms. But for today’s blog, we focus on smoke detectors.
Ionization vs. Photoelectric
Smoke detectors have two main types: ionization and photoelectric. We look into their differences and relevance to fire safety.
What Is an Ionization Smoke Detector?
Ionization detects smoke from flaming fires faster. They will go off when you have a fire caused by flammable things such as cloth, wood, flammable liquids, and burning papers.
Ionization smoke detectors detect fires with a small amount of smoke and heat that is combustible. For this reason, it is more prone to false alarms. Especially if installed in the kitchen, even smoke from burnt toast can trigger it to go off.
What Is a Photoelectric Smoke Detector?
Photoelectric detects fires or smoke from smoldering fires. These are fires caused by things like candles or anything electric in nature.
Generally, false alarms are less likely to occur with photoelectric smoke detectors. A photoelectric detector works differently, as it detects light particles of fire. This includes burning embers and flaming ashes that ionization detectors won’t pick up on.
We recommended installing photoelectric smoke detectors close to the kitchen and bathrooms. This is because it can distinguish cooking fumes, shower steam, and actual fires better than its ionization counterpart.
Which Smoke Detector Is the Best?
It is best to have smoke detectors of both types in different appropriate locations on your property. Ionization and photoelectric respond faster to different types of fires, so you cover more bases by having both.
For maximum safety and less cost, you can also choose the dual-type ones with sensors for both types. It is unpredictable which type of fire may occur, so having both types guarantee more protection.
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