Most of the homes in Timberton were built at least 15 years ago. Which means that your smoke detectors may not work properly. They are supposed to be replaced every ten years. Just replacing the battery is not enough.

You can remove a smoke alarm (twist CW or CCW) and there should be a manufacturer date on it. If it’s older than 10 years, then it will not be as effective. Even if you put in a new battery, or if it is wired to AC.

(Note: Port Ludlow Fire and Rescue will help with checking and installing smoke detectors. See information here http://www.plfr.org/public-education/programs-services/smoke-co-checks.php .)

So I grabbed 6 of  Kiddey brand smoke detectors (four-pack plus two more singles ), from the Home Depot online site, for a total cost of $78. These are the hardwired ones that will probably replace the existing ones in your Timberton house.

I picked those because they come with the adapters needed for the most common brands (my existing ones were Firex, which was bought out by Kidde). Plus they come with a 9v battery.  Took about a week to get here.

Installation quite easy. Get up on the ladder (carefully), twist off the old one, use my little power screwdriver to loosen the two screws holding the mounting plates, remove the old mounting plate.

Grab the right power adapter from the package, clip it on, then attach the new mounting plate. (Use a permanent marker to put the date on the unit for reference.) Connect the power connector, feed the wires back into the hole, and twist on the new one (make sure it is positioned correctly if mounted on a wall). Pop in the 9v battery (included – which is front-mounted for easy replacement), and test it. All done.

Took under an hour to replace 6 of them in my house. And that includes taking the ladder upstairs and back.

Reasonable cost. You can get ‘lifetime’ (10-year battery) units, but they cost more. Best price I found was via Home Depot (Amazon and Lowe’s were higher. YMMV).

A good idea to do. Doesn’t take long, and doesn’t cost much.