Be On the Offensive with Your Fire Safety Planning
Smoke detectors are one of the most important safety devices you can have in your building. Smoke detectors provide early warning and enable emergency action in the event of a fire.
They are inexpensive, easy to install, unobtrusive and require very little maintenance. We strongly recommend that no building or home should be without them. Most smoke detectors work either by photo optical detection or by ionization, but some of them use both detection methods to increase sensitivity to smoke.
Types of Smoke Detectors
Photo Optical Detector
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This type of detector includes a light source, a lens to collimate the light into a beam and a photodiode or other photoelectric sensors at right-angles to the beam. In the absence of smoke, the light passes in front of the detector but does not fall on it.
When visible smoke enters the beam some light is scattered by the smoke particles and the scattered light is detected by the sensor. An increased output from the sensor sets off the alarm.
Ionization Detector
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This type of detector is cheaper than the optical detector and can detect particles of smoke that are too small to be visible. It includes a tiny mass of radioactive americium-241, which is a source of alpha radiation. The radiation passes through an ionization chamber which is an air-filled space between two electrodes and permits a small constant current to flow between the electrodes.
Any smoke that enters the chamber absorbs the alpha particles, which reduces the ionization and interrupts this flow of current thereby setting off the alarm. Hot air entering the chamber changes the rate of ionization and therefore the electric current level triggers an alarm.
Peninsula Fire Protection Services supplies the best brands in smoke alarms for commercial and residential use. We also advise on installation and effectiveness based on the square area occupied by your building.
Fire Equipment Servicing, Alarms & More
We Service All of Mornington Peninsula, Frankston & Carrum Downs. Get in touch with us for your fire protection service needs and emergencies anytime! Talk to us about your fire safety equipment and training requirements today!
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