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Seabreeze Electric wants you to remember to check your smoke detectors. Don't let your investment go up in FLAMES because your smoke detector did not function properly.
History of the Smoke Detector
The first automatic electric fire alarm was invented in 1890 by Francis Robbins Upton (U.S. patent no. 436,961). Upton was an associate of Thomas Edison, but there is no evidence that Edison contributed to this project.
In the late 1930s the Swiss physicist Walter Jaeger tried to invent a sensor for poison gas. He expected that gas entering the sensor would bind to ionized air molecules and thereby alter an electric current in a circuit in the instrument. His device failed: small concentrations of gas had no effect on the sensor's conductivity. Frustrated, Jaeger lit a cigarette—and was soon surprised to notice that a meter on the instrument had registered a drop in current. Smoke particles had apparently done what poison gas could not. Jaeger's experiment was one of the advances that paved the way for the modern smoke detector.
It was 30 years, however, before progress in nuclear chemistry and solid-state electronics made a cheap sensor possible. While home smoke detectors were available during most of the 1960s, the price of these devices was rather high. Before that, alarms were so expensive that only major businesses and theaters could afford them.
The first truly affordable home smoke detector was invented by Duane D. Pearsall in 1965, featuring an individual battery powered unit that could be easily installed and replaced. The first units for mass production came from Duane Pearsall’s company, Statitrol Corporation, in Lakewood, Colorado. These first units were made from strong fire resistant steel and shaped much like a bee's hive. The battery was a rechargeable specialized unit created by Gates Energy. The need for a quick replace battery didn't take long to show itself and the rechargeable was replaced with a pair of AA batteries along with a plastic shell encasing the detector. The small assembly line sent close to 500 units per day before Statitrol sold its invention to Emerson Electric in 1980 and Sears’s retailers picked up full distribution of the 'now required in every home' smoke detector.
The first commercial smoke detectors came to market in 1969. Today they are installed in 93% of U.S. homes and 85% of UK homes. However it is estimated that any given time over 30% of these alarms do not work, as users remove the batteries, or forget to replace them.
Article from NEW WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA
Cleaning Your Smoke Detectors
Instructions
Things You'll Need
Tips & Warnings
Things You'll Need
- 1Remove your smoke detector from the ceiling or wall. It is easier to clean if you can set it on your table or hold it in your hands.
- 2Remove the batteries and use a dry rag to dust the battery compartment. Place new batteries in the smoke detector and close the battery compartment.
- 3Vacuum any dust particles in the smoke detector.
- 4Spray some Pledge on a dry rag and wipe down the outside of the smoke detector. Pledge is mainly for wood, but it attracts dust and is perfect for collecting any dust on the outside of the smoke detector.
- 5Replace the smoke detector on the wall or ceiling.
- 1Remove your smoke detector from the ceiling or wall. It is easier to clean if you can set it on your table or hold it in your hands.
Tips & Warnings
Hold down the test button to make sure the smoke detector is in working order.- Clean your smoke detector twice per year.Do not spray any solutions directly on the smoke detector. That would do more damage than good.
Daisy Chaining of power cords
Daisy chaining of power cords is very dangerous. This can cause overheating and fires in your property. Don't let your investment burn to the ground because you are not aware of the dangers. Even if a power strip has a over current protection feature the power strip can still heat up and cause a fire and damage to your equipment.
While working in Iraq and Afghanistan I witnessed many situations were individuals plugged drop cords and strip plugs into strip plugs and they burned down the entire living area. Leaving multiple personnel without a place to live. Our mission is to bring the knowledge and experience we have learned to our consumers. We want all house holds and businesses to stay safe this year. If you need assistance with safe guarding your home or business then Contact Us and we will be happy to evaluate your facility and help with the protection of your investment.
While working in Iraq and Afghanistan I witnessed many situations were individuals plugged drop cords and strip plugs into strip plugs and they burned down the entire living area. Leaving multiple personnel without a place to live. Our mission is to bring the knowledge and experience we have learned to our consumers. We want all house holds and businesses to stay safe this year. If you need assistance with safe guarding your home or business then Contact Us and we will be happy to evaluate your facility and help with the protection of your investment.
Power Strip Energy Saving Tips
Energy-saving features and standby powerSome power strips have energy-saving features, which switch off the strip if appliances go into standby mode. Using a sensor circuit, they detect if the level of current flowing through the socket is in standby mode (less than 30 watts), and if so they will turn off that socket.[citation needed] This reduces the consumption of standby power used by computer peripherals and other equipment when not in use, saving money and energy. Some more-sophisticated power strips have a master and slave socket arrangement, and when the "master" socket detects standby mode in the attached appliance's current it turns off the whole strip.
However, there can be problems detecting standby power in appliances that use more power in standby mode (e.g. plasma televisions) as they will always appear to be switched on to the power board. When using a master–slave power strip, one way to avoid such problems is to plug an appliance with a lower standby wattage (such as a DVD player) into the master socket, using it as the master control instead.
It is recommended that appliances that need a controlled shutdown sequence (e.g. many ink-jet printers) not be plugged into a slave socket on such a strip as it can damage them if they are switched off incorrectly (for example the inkjet printer may not have capped the print head in time, and consequently the ink will dry and clog the print head.)
NOTE: Not All power strips have an Energy Saving feature. If un-sure it would be wise to unplug the power strips as they will use power even if they are not in use. Even if a power strip has a power saving option it still uses power. When on vacations or long trips from the house it is a good rule of thumb to unplug the power strips in order to save energy and prevent any malfunctions that may occur while you are not at home. Also keep any material away from the sockets on the strip plugs to avoid any accidental overheating and electrical shock.
Contact Us for any questions concerning your smoke detectors.
However, there can be problems detecting standby power in appliances that use more power in standby mode (e.g. plasma televisions) as they will always appear to be switched on to the power board. When using a master–slave power strip, one way to avoid such problems is to plug an appliance with a lower standby wattage (such as a DVD player) into the master socket, using it as the master control instead.
It is recommended that appliances that need a controlled shutdown sequence (e.g. many ink-jet printers) not be plugged into a slave socket on such a strip as it can damage them if they are switched off incorrectly (for example the inkjet printer may not have capped the print head in time, and consequently the ink will dry and clog the print head.)
NOTE: Not All power strips have an Energy Saving feature. If un-sure it would be wise to unplug the power strips as they will use power even if they are not in use. Even if a power strip has a power saving option it still uses power. When on vacations or long trips from the house it is a good rule of thumb to unplug the power strips in order to save energy and prevent any malfunctions that may occur while you are not at home. Also keep any material away from the sockets on the strip plugs to avoid any accidental overheating and electrical shock.
Contact Us for any questions concerning your smoke detectors.
