The importance of a working smoke alarm… is surely pretty obvious, right?! 
No one wants to go through the truly horrific experience of losing their house and, even worse, a family member.
So, how can we protect our homes and family, especially in the colder months when heaters, candles, and fires are more commonly used?
Ensuring that your batteries are working and yearly testing is so important.
While it is recommended to change your smoke alarm batteries regularly, the timing of this depends on the type of smoke alarm and battery you have installed. There are 4 main types of smoke alarms used in Australia.
9-volt battery power – needs to be changed YEARLY
10-year-life lithium – needs to be changed every TEN YEARS, minimum
Hard-wired with a 9-volt backup battery – the battery needs to be changed YEARLY.
Hard-wired with 10-year-life lithium backup battery – battery must be changed every TEN YEARS, minimum.
We strongly recommend testing all of these yearly, though it’s not something that you can be confident in it working as it is supposed to unless you check it regularly.
Please, don’t be complacent regarding your smoke alarms…it is simply not worth the risk!!
If you are unsure how to check your batteries and smoke alarms, consult your local smoke alarm specialist for peace of mind!