Fire Systems - What Real Estate Agents Need To Know!



Somebody who sells fishing equipment should understand ways to bait a hook, so likewise a real estate agent who offers a home should understand what is required, by code, to protect that home and household from a fire. I cannot inform you how many times we've done a home study for someone who has just bought a home that they are all thrilled about, and when we get to smoke detectors we discover there is only one smoke alarm in the entire home. They then question what else the real estate representative, that offered them your house, didn't tell them. Both the realty agent and home inspector are most likely to obtain an extremely unpleasant phone call. The real estate representative might have looked like a pro if they had actually simply made the effort to do a quick study of the house's fire detection system. It would have revealed the property owner that they were a real professional!

Understanding the essentials of the fire code is easy, although codes may be a little different from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, however they are all based upon the national fire code. By having a standard understanding of exactly what is required to secure a home from fire, a real-estate agent can actually set themselves apart from the pack as a true specialist.

A monitored fire system utilizes the same control panel as a security system. Next you need to make sure the smoke detector is working. Look to see if the little LED red light on the smoke detector is lit.

To check the smoke detector you might choose to simply suggest to the homeowner that they have the smoke detectors cleaned up and serviced by a professional. They sell a can of compressed air that is made for screening smoke detectors, and uses a true that the smoke detector can spot smoke and is working correctly.

Lastly you're ready to examine their fire system. You need to inspect that there is a smoke alarm on each flooring. In the basement the smoke detector should be located near the stairs to safeguard the escape path. On any flooring with a bed room the smoke alarm must be located near the bed room. The fire code normally requires a smoke detector on each flooring and outside each bed room. Generally you're o.k. if it lies within 20 feet of each bedroom. For houses where the bed rooms are not situated near each other it is specifically important to make sure there is a smoke detector outside of each bedroom. There need to be a smoke detector in each bed room. Residences constructed prior to 1997 are usually grandfathered in to the old code that did not have the bedroom smoke detector requirement, but they added this part of the code for a reason and so you should update your system and add smoke detectors to each bedroom. They found that if a fire started in the bedroom by the time the smoke got picked up in the hallway the person in the bedroom was dead from the smoke or in deep trouble at the very least.

Heat sensors are not part of the fire code because they do not identify fire as rapidly as smoke detectors but they work in areas that smoke detectors are not effective such as a kitchen area, attic or garage . Garages by code have actually fire rated doors and so by the time the smoke got into the house the fire had an excellent start on the home. The home was a total loss but the home owner told me the monitored fire system conserved their lives.

To sum up exactly what is required for a code certified fire system:

A minimum of one smoke alarm per floor
A smoke alarm outside of each bed room, which can likewise quality for the one required fire security services for that flooring.
One smoke detector inside each bedroom
Advised to have a heat sensor in the garage, attic, and kitchen.
Smoke detectors cover a 20 foot radius, heat sensors a 15 foot radius.
One last thing to remember is that a loud siren is very important to notify you of an alarm. Smoke alarm that are interconnected, suggesting if one sounds they all do, satisfy code requirements for annunciation. Monitored fire systems must have a siren on each level when possible. Numerous monitored smoke alarm do not rely and make any noise on the system's siren. Wireless smokes have a siren, however only the siren on the smoke alarm, that has entered into alarm, sounds its siren, the rest of the home relies on the primary control panel's siren. It might or might not have sufficient volume depending upon its place.

And one last note, if you ever see an orange cover on a smoke detector, such as in a brand new house, that is a dust cover and will prevent that smoke detector from discovering smoke. It requires to be removed before that smoke is practical. I did a study for a family that had lived in the house for over every smoke and a year had this red dust cover still in place.

It's the little things that will make you stick out from other property agents, and this one will make you look like a hero to the household purchasing a home!


I can't tell you how numerous times we have actually done a home survey for someone who has actually simply bought a home that they are all thrilled about, and when we get to smoke detectors we discover there is only one smoke detector in the entire home. They offer a can of compressed air that is made for screening smoke detectors, and offers a true that the smoke detector can find smoke and is working effectively. Homes built before 1997 are normally grandfathered in to the old code that did not have the bed room smoke detector requirement, however they added this part of the code for a reason and so you ought to upgrade your system and include smoke detectors to each bed room. Heat sensing units are not part of the fire code because they do not spot fire as quickly as smoke detectors however they work in locations that smoke detectors are not effective such as a garage, cooking area or attic . And one last note, if you ever see an orange cover on a smoke detector, such as in a brand name brand-new house, that is a dust cover and will avoid that smoke detector from detecting smoke.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *