Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Smoke Detectors

   

The photo above is a common sight for the home inspector. The smoke detector is missing in the line of duty. Poof and it was gone! Why, well there are many reasons for this. One of the most common is that the battery is weak, it starts squeaking and it is very irritating. Homeowner rips it down and never puts it back up. Sometimes people take them out of bedrooms, because they go off when they smoke -- also not a good idea. This particular one was removed for a more subtle, but still pretty common, reason. The smoke detector is located, as it should be, in the hallway that adjoins the bedrooms. The problem is that it is also located really close to the kitchen in a small house. What happens? They start cooking, the smoke detector goes off, so the homeowner again takes it down with no plan of putting it back up. Although these reasons for removing a smoke detector are understandable, they also are unwise. A missing smoke detector is a life safety issues.  If you were to scan local newspapers and news stories, you would find that somebody somewhere in this country is saved by a howling smoke detector each and every night.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA Home Inspector

 

 

3 Comments on Whatcom County Home Inspection (King of the House) -- Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors are life savers. A good friend of mine was saved as well as his house when part of his homes wiring caught fire inside of the walls. The smoke detector went off, and at first he thought it was being a pain but when he walked over to it he could smell something burning. He immediately called the fire dept. and they came out and knocked down the wall. It burned some of the insulation but that was about it.

03/20/2008 05:17 AM by Charles Tharp ~ Inland Empire Real Estate & Short Sale Specialist (Prudential California Realty)


Teenagers that shall remain namless like to take them down in their bedrooms:)  I rembember back when they first introduced them and they were required in kitchens----that didn't last long.

03/20/2008 09:51 AM by Charles Buell, Seattle, WA, Home Inspector (Charles Buell Inspections.com)


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Inspector: Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector (King of the House Home Inspection)
Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector
Bellingham, WA
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King of the House Home Inspection

Office Phone: (360) 676-6908
Cell Phone: (360) 319-0038
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