Detector Warning At R’wood Meet
Purchasing the most advanced smoke detectors may prove to be a life-saving investment, a home improvement expert advised during the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association (RPOCA) meeting last Thursday night, Apr. 3, at the Ridgewood Older Adult Center.
Larry Ubell of Accurate Building Inspectors explained that “all smoke alarms are not the same,” pointing out the difference is not between brands or cost, but in the devices themselves.
Ninety percent of American homes have “ionization” smoke detectors, according to Ubell. He claimed the devices are known to be unreliable during fires and prone to false alarms.
“They’re notorious for nuisance tripping,” he said, noting the false alarms become so annoying that many people disable such smoke detectors-and, in the process, put their own lives at risk. Ubell stated about 1,000 Americans die every year in fires at homes with an intentionally disabled smoke detector.
Moreover, ionization smoke detectors “will fail to alarm in one out of five fires-and that’s being generous,” Ubell stated, citing studies conducted by institutions such as the University of Texas A&M.
“The unfortunate thing is that we don’t know that they failed until after we’re dead,” he added. He pointed to a recent fatal fire in Vermont in which four children died from smoke inhalation-but firefighters found that the ionization smoke detector never activated.
Ionization smoke detectors typically contain a radioactive isotope-usually americium-241- placed between two electrically charged plates. When smoke or heat enters the chamber, it disrupts the flow of the radioactive ions and triggers the alarm.
Even though the devices are known to be unreliable, Ubell stated, companies continue to sell ionization detectors due to liability issues, as a sudden, mass recall would likely trigger lawsuits from fire victims.
Instead, he noted, the ionization detectors are being slowly phased out and replaced by photoelectric detectors, which use a light source and a sensing chamber that activates when smoke enters the device and changes the direction of the light.
These devices, Ubell said, are known to pick up a smoldering fire 30 minutes faster than ionization detectors, which tend to activate only when a full flame is present. In tests, photoelectric detectors were found to be nearly 100 percent effective in picking up fires and not prone to nuisance tripping.
Photoelectric detectors tend to be more expensive than ionization detectors, but Ubell observed the enhanced security and reliability provided by the photoelectric detectors is worth the additional expense to homeowners.
Ubell advised residents to have a smoke detector in each bedroom and other rooms where someone may fall asleep, such as a living room or den.
Paul Kerzner, RPOCA counsel and former president, stated the organization would reach out to a vendor about purchasing a number of photoelectric detectors for civic members at a group discount.
Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors also have flaws, Ubell noted. The detectors are designed to trigger when the concentration of carbon monoxide in a room reaches 70 parts per million (ppm) in an hour-but a person may be fatally poisoned if exposed to CO levels of 60 ppm for five hours or longer.
Enhanced carbon monoxide detectors, which can pick up CO levels as low as 10 ppm, are available from Internet vendors, but tend to cost several hundred dollars, Ubell noted.
While residents should have some type of carbon monoxide detector, Ubell stated they can best protect themselves from poisoning by ensuring gas-burning appliances such as stoves and burners are in proper working order. The devices should emit blue flames; if the flame is any other color, shut it off and contact a professional to have it repaired.
The next Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at the Ridgewood Older Adult Center, located on 70th Avenue off of Forest Avenue.
