A recent call came from a house the fire department had just left. A 60 year old switch (pictured below) had overheated and begun to burn. The homeowner smelled something and called the fire department. If she had not been home, it could have been very bad.
She was perplexed because the smoke detector didn’t do its job. Pushing the test button sounded the horn but it had lost its ability to detect smoke a long time ago. Ten years is what manufacturers recommend for the life of a detector. They aren’t trying to sell more detectors, they’re trying to save lives!
Pushing the test button and hearing the horn on a 10+ year old detector only means the horn works. That is no guarantee it will detect smoke.
Newer detectors are available with a ten year battery. That means no yearly batteries to replace. After 10 years, simply buy a new detector. That is the safest investment for any home.
-Frank
Electricity is a modern convenience so taken for granted, that the hidden dangers of age related deterioration can be overlooked. Recently while working in a customer’s storage room I turned on a light. Within just a few minutes I detected a burning smell eventually traced to the fixture pictured at right. The exterior shell is porcelain which can’t burn and appears fine. However, the electrical failure had taken place in the interior components which had deteriorated with age. The fire hazard occurs when the light is left on for an extended period. Sparking melts wires and ignites flammable items nearby.
smelled the odor and called the fire department. No doubt the house would have been a loss had he been absent. This was another case of electrical components failing with age.
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