Photoelectric Smoke Detectors Effectively Protect You And Your Family

Photoelectric smoke detectors work on an entirely different principle.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, they work on the principle of light beam interruption. They are commonly acknowledged to be more effective in detecting smoky or smoldering fires, such as the type of fire that is started slowly from the inflammation of some dense material.

There are some homes and commercial buildings that use photoelectric smoke detectors because of specific concerns with the use of radioactive material in smoke detectors that work on the principle of ionization.
 
Research has demonstrated that photoelectric smoke detectors are more effective at warning people of smoke from smoldering fires than ionization smoke detectors. They are less susceptible to nuisance alarms and contain a light source and a light-sensitive electric cell.

Photoelectric smoke detectors are an integral part of your total protection package and employ optical sensors to detect the presence of smoke in a detection chamber. However, these detectors are more sensitive than ionization detectors in detecting large combustion particulates. If you've ever had a smoke detector in your home go off whenever you were cooking, then that's your first sign that you probably have an ionization smoke detector -- which is better than no detector at all.

Photoelectric smoke detectors are best suited for home use because rooms contain items such as sofas and mattresses that burn slowly and create a lot of smoke. Also known as optical smoke detectors, they work by "seeing" smoke and sounding an alarm. They simply look for the presence of visible by-products of combustion through an interrupted light source.

While there are differences between photoelectric smoke detectors and ionization detectors, the most important aspect of either of them is simply to have them installed in your home or business. The new regulations require that certain properties be equipped with the latest photoelectric smoke detectors which are not as prone to false alarms as older ionization based detectors.

These smoke detectors may have a small “p” on the front or back, or say photoelectric on the back of the detector and are extensively used to provide an alarm in response to the detection of smoke particles in a protected zone.

Optical, or photoelectric smoke detectors, are sometimes called “toast-proof" smoke detectors, since they are not prone to being triggered because of smoke from cooking food indoors. Optical or photoelectric smoke detectors send a pulsed beam of infra red light through a smoke chamber.

To start with, photoelectric smoke detectors have proven to be more reliable in detecting both smoldering and flaming fires. Photoelectric smoke detectors can be prone to false alarms in dusty conditions.

Both ionization and photoelectric smoke detectors work by detecting particles that are present in combustion. Various kinds of lasers can also be used as light sources in photoelectric smoke detectors. It is important to know that photoelectric smoke detectors will also respond to particles besides smoke.

When it comes to installing smoke detectors in your home there are two choices: ionization smoke detectors and photoelectric smoke detectors. Both the ionization and photoelectric smoke detectors are effective in protecting you and your family.