Smoke detectors are an important part of safety in the home. These cheap little devices can save your home and your life. If your lucky, the only time you’ve heard one go off is when the toast burnt. It’s easy for us to forget to check on them or even forget to test them after purchasing a new home. But they should not only be checked regularly, but require correct installation. Let’s go over some of the basics of having smoke detectors in the home.

Having smoke detectors placed in various locations around your home allows for fast and effective detection. Once the smoke detector siren sounds, it will warn you that there is a potential fire. You can quickly check the nature of the problem and hopefully prevent any further damage. It will also wake you at night before any harm can come to anyone in your home. The siren also helps firefighters quickly locate the fire in the home so they can focus their efforts.

Because smoke rises, smoke detectors are always placed on the roof for ideal detection. There are two common types of smoke detectors, photoelectric and ionization. Photoelectric sensors use a beam of light within the detector to sense any smoke in the air. The beam will shoot in a straight line when the air is clear. In the presence of smoke the light will scatter, this is when the alarm will go off. Ionization detectors use a chamber with a small electrical current. When smoke enters the chamber and the level of ions in the air changes, the electrical current drops and the alarm will sound.

It is recommended that there are smoke detectors on each floor of your home. If doors to rooms are closed often, it is best to have a detector installed in that room. The device should be placed away from rooms that create steam, such as showers or a laundry room, as this steam could trigger the smoke detector. Most smoke detectors use double sided tape to stick the device to the ceiling. You will need to drill the mount to your ceiling and attach the smoke detector to the sticky mount. Ensure that the batteries you use are working properly.

Smoke detector testing should be done on a monthly basis because batteries can die and sensors can become faulty. Each smoke detector will have a button on it to manually sound the siren. Push this button for a few seconds to ensure the siren is working correctly and the batteries are still active. To test the sensor, you can use an aerosol can of smoke to spray into the smoke detector. It may take a couple minutes for the siren to deactivate, as the smoke needs to clear from inside of the chamber first.

Smoke detectors are vitally important to keeping your home and family safe. We can help you to install smoke detectors around your home and position them to give you the best coverage.

Are you sick and tired of putting food in the fridge and forgetting about it, only to find it rotten and moldy weeks later? Not only is it a waste of food, you're left with a disgusting mess to clean up. One day soon, however, your refrigerator could send you a reminder to eat your leftovers before they spoil. Read on to learn about how smart technology in your kitchen can help prevent your food from going bad.

Communicate with Your Appliances Via Text Message

As the Internet of Things becomes more prominent in our household electrical work, more and more devices are offering futuristic functions. Smart refrigerators already exist, with models that can send you a phone message when the door is left open, when the coils need cleaning and when the unit is in need of service.

A new model that Samsung has prototyped promises to take the smart technology even further. The fridge comes equipped with a touchscreen to offer you full control over its features, and a camera inside the unit that actually monitors your food and alerts you when it's been neglected for a little too long. You can use the touchscreen to check on how the food is doing, or even have the fridge send a text message that you need to eat the leftovers ASAP.

A Wealth of Inter-Connected Devices

The connectivity and versatility of our brave new world means that the next generation of refrigerators can be even more proactive about your meals. Not only can the Samsung fridge tell you when your food is bad, it has the capability to automatically order more items to replace whatever you use up or throw out. That's right, your next refrigerator could even handle food shopping for you.

The functionality of this smart refrigerator is just one example of how our electrical work is being transformed to relieve us of many of the mundane tasks of day-to-day life. In the big picture, getting alerts when your food starts to spoil might not sound like such a big deal – but imagine your fridge, stove, clothes washer, bathroom cabinet and other devices all working together make your household run more smoothly. And in the meantime, you can also dream about a world where you'll never have to subject food to the sniff test ever again!

Expert Hands for All Your Electrical Work

If you need advice on purchasing a new refrigerator, or have other electrical work that needs to be performed, get in touch with a qualified electrician today.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a top-tier electrician in Columbia, Maryland? Maybe you’re looking for a new, exciting and rewarding career. Or maybe you just want to know what it is that makes Kolb Electric’s certified electricians so darn good at what they do! In either case, the answer to this question is a two-parter.

There is, of course, a practical aspect. Education, training and all of the necessities of being a bona fide electrician. But there are some personality and professionalism requirements, as well.

An electrician has to become highly versed in a ton of information. You may think it’s a lot of “this plug goes here”, and yes, there are some pretty simple connections to make. But electricians actually learn way, way more than just basics. A successful electrician must learn:

As an aside, we would like to point out that if you ever consider undergoing training to be a certified electrician, do not ignore safety and first aid training. A lot of our job is about how to avoid setting ourselves, or others on fire.

Where Do I Start?

There are a few methods of receiving electrician training. Kolb reccomends trade schools or a community college, as there are plenty of them that offer excellent courses in Maryland. Training will involve years of classroom study, practical applications and apprenticeship before you can acquire certification. Sound like a lot? It is, but it is entirely worth it, and everyone needs to know that you’re completely trained!

So aside from the extensive training, what makes a Kolb electrician great at what they do? A lot of it comes down to attitude, willingness to serve well, and professionalism. A successful electrician in Columbia is:

Another important thing to keep in mind as an electrician is that training never ends! Technology is always changing (often very rapidly), and staying on top of all of the latest technology, trends and techniques is one of the primary goals of a successful electrician. Besides, learning new things is fun, and keeps the job interesting!

Our teams at Kolb are extensively trained, highly effective and very skilled at what they do. If you need electrical services including repair, installation, replacement, rewiring or anything else, you can call on Kolb!