Heat Detectors

Heat detectors are devices that can alert you before a fire has a chance to occur thus putting you at risk. They are quite different from smoke detectors as they use a thermal based or photoelectric system to work. Smoke detectors trigger off an alarm when they suspect the presence of an unwanted possibly harmful gas in the surrounding area while heat detectors go off when the temperature of the surrounding air escalates up to dangerous levels.

A smoke detector although very useful in warning you about a fire may not be a suitable device for you in case you are a smoker or have a constant source of smoke in the house. Smoke detectors cannot be used in certain areas of the house like the kitchen or garage as there may be smoke present in these areas at all times. Heat detectors are a better option in these cases as they only go off when there is a lot of heat present in the air that may prove to be dangerous.

There are different types of heat detectors available in the market. Some of them automatically go off when the change in temperature is quite significant and sudden. These detectors do not measure the exact current temperature but consider the rapidity of change in temperature instead. For example if there is a sudden jump in temperature by five degrees, such an alarm will go off even if the temperature is not that high. There are also some manually adjustable heat detectors on which you can set a temperature at which the alarm will go off. In this case, you can choose at what temperature you want your heat detector’s in-built alarm to go off.

You can choose to either get a combination of a smoke alarm and heat detector installed in your house or go in for a separate heat detector depending on your specific requirements and purpose. Places that usually tend to be dusty with vapors and smoke present in the air on a daily basis including factories manufacturing chemicals should install a heat detector system to alert them in case of a fire as in this case, smoke detectors will be completely useless.

When you are investing in a heat detector to warn you about a fire, you should make sure that you do not put it up in an area that has an oven close by. This is because the heat generated will cause the detector to malfunction constantly. The detector should thus be placed in a location that has a stable temperature around it so that it can work efficiently without any disturbances in the surrounding atmosphere.

Heat detectors come with installation instructions that are very simple to follow. If they are battery operated, all that needs to be done is to hang them up on a wall and place them in a suitable place. If they run on electricity, they may need t be plugged in to a socket. You should follow the instructions manual in a step by step manner or call in an expert to get your detector fitted.

Heat detectors can work in areas where a smoke detector is not recommended.