Be Sure to get Your Smoke Detectors Checked this Spring

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Are your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors installed and working properly? If not, they can’t warn your family when lethal gas is present or a fire occurs and smoke is spreading through your home.

To ensure they’re ready and able to sound a shrill, live-saving alarm, put a detector checkup at the top of your spring home maintenance to-do list.

Checking Smoke/CO Detectors Regularly is Crucial for Safety

If you’re not testing your detectors regularly, you won’t know if the batteries have died or if a key component has worn out or failed. You need to test each device once a month and replace the batteries twice a year. This is critical even if your detectors are hard-wired, since your safety during a power outage depends on having functional back-up batteries.

How to Test Smoke Detectors

It’s best to check your owner’s manual for specific instructions, but generally, both battery-operated and hard-wired smoke detectors can be tested as follows:

  • Locate the “test” button then press and hold it down – After a few seconds, the detector should emit a shrill, ear-piercing sound. If there’s no noise or the alarm is weak, replace the batteries and test it again.
  • Test each device for smoke sensitivity – Hold two or three lighted wooden matches up to each detector, then blow out the flames to see if the smoke sets off the alarm.
  • Make sure the alarms are heard loud and clear – Have a family member go as far from the device as possible to determine if the alarm is audible. If the sound is weak or muffled in certain areas, it’s wise to have additional detectors installed.

For safety, you should have a detector on each level of your home and in every bedroom. If your detection devices are over 10 years old, or you’re concerned whether there’s an adequate number placed in the correct locations, hiring a professional handyman to tackle installation and maintenance can provide peace of mind.

For expert help taking care of critical spring home maintenance tasks, contact the Cincinnati area’s comfort pros at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
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"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
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"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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