Smoke alarm quell is a reputable brand with years of experience protecting Australia homes. They have an excellent range of smoke and gas alarms to suit all budgets.
Photoelectric smoke alarms detect slow burning fires such as smoking foam, rubber and synthetic material in bedrooms or hallways. They also alert to fast flaming fires such as those started by paper, wood or flammable liquids in living areas.
Detects slow burning fires
Smoke alarms are designed to detect a variety of fires, but photoelectric smoke alarms do the best job at detecting slow burning fires. These are fires that smolder for hours before they burst into flame.
A photoelectric smoke detector uses a beam of light to detect visible particles in smouldering fires. The resulting smoke then deflects a small amount of light into the sensor, which triggers an alarm.
Detects fast flaming fires
A smoke alarm is a small, battery-powered device that sounds an audible alarm if it detects smoke or fire in your home. Smoke alarms come in two basic types — photoelectric and ionisation — with each having a different detecting system.
Ionisation smoke alarms contain a very small amount of radioactive material that reacts with particles emitted in a fire to trigger an alarm. These detectors are best for catching fast-flaming fires that don’t produce much smoke.
Ionisation alarms typically respond about 30 to 90 seconds faster to flaming fires than photoelectric smoke alarms, but they’re not as quick at detecting slow smouldering fires that aren’t visible yet. They can also be prone to nuisance alarms caused by cooking and steam, so don’t install them near kitchens or bathrooms.
Detects carbon monoxide
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every level of your home, including basements, and outside bedrooms. They should also be tested and maintained.
Smoke alarms can be powered by battery or house-current wiring, and either type does a good job of alerting you to smoke before it gets out of control. Some of them also feature backup batteries to keep functioning during power failures.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, tasteless, potentially lethal by-product of gas burning appliances. It can be produced in a variety of ways, including from heating and cooking systems, vehicle engines, fuels, or a blocked chimney.
Detects smouldering fires
The Quell smoke alarm has a photoelectric sensor to detect visible particles associated with smouldering fires. This technology is more responsive to smoldering fires than ionisation sensors.
Ionisation detectors use an ionization chamber and source of ionising radiation to detect smoke. Smoke enters the chamber and disrupts the flow of ions, which reduces the current and triggers the alarm.
Ionisation smoke alarms are less sensitive to smoldering fires than photoelectric sensors, but they are better at detecting fast flaming fires. The NFPA advises people to have both types of smoke detectors installed in their homes.
Detects smoke
If one of your smoke detectors sounds off for no reason, it could be because there’s a problem with it. The most common cause of false alarms is that the batteries are running low.
Photoelectric smoke detectors are the best type for homes because they’re great at detecting smoldering fires, which typically last a long time before flaming out into flames.
Ionization smoke detectors, however, are much better at detecting fast flaming fires. They use ionisation to detect smoke, and if the current in the ionization chamber is disrupted by a piece of smoke, it triggers an alarm.
Detects nuisance alarms
If you’re a smoker, you may notice that your smoke alarm goes off sometimes for no reason. It’s irritating, but it’s important that you keep your detectors working and in good condition to protect your family.
Detectors can be made very sensitive so that they can detect almost any kind of smoke or fire, which would also make them much less likely to trigger nuisance alarms. However, in a real fire, that means they could miss or delay detecting the smoke you don’t want them to pick up.