One of the most important items in the house is the smoke detector. You need to keep fresh batteries (typically 9-volt) in it all the time, and the smoke detector will tell you -- loudly -- when it needs new ones. Many homeowners remove the battery when it starts to run low on power, because it emits a loud, annoying, high-pitched beep every 15 to 30 seconds. When the battery is removed from the unit, the warning beep is eliminated and the problem is temporarily solved, but too often, those batteries are never replaced or are just forgotten.
Homeowners should change all of their smoke detector batteries every six months. An easy way to remember this is to change the batteries during the weekends when daylight savings time starts or ends. Whether springing forward or falling back, if you can get into the practice of changing batteries every time you change your clocks, you'll never have to worry about keeping smoke detectors in prime operating order, which will in turn keep your home, your valuables and of course, your loved ones safe.
Recently, firefighters across the nation have taken a new tactic when it comes to educating people about smoke detector batteries. The campaign for smoke detector battery change every six months is seen in print advertisements and TV commercials, and it's also being promoted through the fire safety programs with children at schools.
Nine-volt smoke detector batteries are readily available in any local grocery store, pharmacy, discount store, hardware store or electronics store. No special type of 9-volt battery is needed; any new 9-volt battery should work well and keep the battery alarm in ready operation. The range of prices between an economy type 9-volt battery and a heavy-duty 9-volt battery is significant, but if both types of batteries work with the same efficiency, it pays to shop around and find the best price.