Something that I always wondered about, at least a little bit, is what is the advantage to having a wired smoke and/or CO (Carbon Monoxide) detector? I asked our Homeowner's insurance company, since they give a modest discount if the home has wired detectors. What it comes down to is changing the batteries. Too many times people forget to change the batteries in a smoke alarm making it useless when a fire breaks out.

Another advantage is wired smoke detectors can be installed so that if any one unit goes off, they all do. This is especially helpful in larger homes where a basement smoke alarm my not be heard on the second floor.

Wired smoke detectors are considered more reliable. Most wired systems will continue to work for several hours on a back up battery if the power goes out. In addition, wired units can be connected to a central alarm monitoring company and they can be different types, e.g. heat detector, photo electric detector or ionized particle detector. Battery types are almost always ionized particle detectors.

Does anyone know what happens this weekend? Yep, daylight savings time! And, according to the local fire department, time to change those smoke detector batteries!

One more thing about CO detector. If you burn anything for heating, hot water, cooking, etc, you need to have a CO alarm in your house. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a by product of incomplete combustion and can be created by any malfunctioning furnace, hot water heater, clothes dryer, wood stove, pellet stove, etc. It is a deadly, odorless, colorless gas that essentially steals oxygen from your red blood cells and kill in a matter of minutes. CO detectors are inexpensive, they are often combined with smoke detectors, and work the same way. They are a good way to ensure that you and your family are safe.

The long and short, both types work well. Wired units are more expensive to purchase and install but are more reliable. Battery units are less expensive and easier to install.  You should test your battery powered smoke detectors often to ensure that they are working properly.