Checking Smoke Alarm Expiry Dates
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Smoke alarms have a genuinely limited effective lifespan, generally around ten years from manufacture, after which the internal sensor becomes noticeably less reliable even if the alarm still appears to function entirely normally during a routine, everyday test using the button on the unit's front.
The manufacture date is usually printed somewhere on the back or side of the unit itself, and checking it during a routine home safety review helps identify alarms that are genuinely due for full replacement rather than simply needing a fresh battery installed once again.
Replacing an expired alarm with a current model also offers a convenient chance to upgrade to interconnected alarms, which all sound together the moment one detects smoke anywhere, giving considerably earlier warning throughout a larger, multi-storey home during an actual house fire late at night.
Marking the installation date directly on a brand new alarm with a permanent marker makes this particular check considerably easier the very next time a household sits down to review its overall safety equipment together as a whole, genuinely careful family unit, once a year.