Smoke Detectors: How They Work

As the name suggests, smoke detectors are used for detecting smoke sends a signal to the fire alarm system. Smoke detectors are electrical devices that are known to have saved many lives till date. Most smoke detectors are not expensive. They are used in many homes, as well as companies, in order to alert in case of fire accidents. According to a survey, almost 93 percent of the homes in the United States, have smoke detectors. Smoke detectors have made a lot of advancement these days like, the invention of smoke detectors for hearing impaired, etc. These detectors consist of a 9 volt lithium battery backup and a 120 volt smoke detector wiring. There are mainly two kinds of smoke detectors available in the market, namely; photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors. How they work must be a question in your mind at the moment. Let's first go over the details.

Types of Smoke Detectors and How they Work

Photoelectric Detectors: These are huge in size and hence, are not used much, except by big companies. These smoke detectors are not as sensitive as ionization smoke detectors. In order to detect the smoke in the vicinity, they make use of a beam of light, which breaks as the smoke becomes thick, thus triggering the alarm. Photoelectric detectors trigger the alarm, only if the smoke is thick.

Ionization Detectors: These are sensitive, compact and inexpensive smoke detectors. Homes, are generally where they are installed. But, with these smoke detectors, radiation is a problem. The ionization detectors are embedded with a small radiation disc of diameter of 3 to 5 millimeters, which may be a health hazard.

All smoke detectors mainly consist of two parts; a sensor and an alarm. The alarm activates the smoke detector's chirping. The sensor is placed in a chamber, which is basically electrical circuits which are disturbed by the presence of particles. This circuitry is present inside the chamber which also contains the smoke detector's wiring. This chamber also consists electrodes, which have very little distance between them. The current passes through this chamber at a steady rate and the microchip monitors the current flow. Till the flow is constant, it does nothing, except monitoring the flow. But, when the rate of current flow changes, it sends a signal to the alarm which activates smoke detector's beeping. When there is a fire around, it gives rise to smoke which sends air particles in the chamber, thus hampering the constant flow of particles and triggering the alarm. Read more on: how do smoke alarms work?

These smoke detectors should be placed in the path of the smoke, so that it will be easy to detect smoke. These days, smoke detectors for the deaf are, also, available in the market. I guess this article must have given you sufficient knowledge about smoke detectors. How they work also must be clear, after you've read through. And, I hope I have influenced you enough to install a smoke detector in your house if you haven't done so already. Read more on: types of smoke alarms.