It is good for testing the battery once you put a new battery in, but does it actually test the smoke sensor?
Many smoke detector manuals say to test the smoke detector with the test button and don’t give any recommendations for using actual or artificial smoke to test it. They claim that using the test button is good enough.
You can use the smoke testing cans meant for fire alarm panels but it takes a lot more to activate them.
No, the test button on a smoke detector does not test the sensor: it’s recommended that the sensor be tested every now & then with some sort of aerosol. I’d personally recommend Smoke Sabre: Welcome - Smoke Sabre Smoke Detector Tester
Two advantages it offers are less aerosol needed & decreased chance of damaging the detector than other sprays.
Smoke saber also has a really cool nozzel
I carry a can of Smoke Centurion in my apartment, which set me back about $12. Not Smoke Sabre, since I bought the Smoke Centurion from a professor at OSU, and I really don’t need the extendable nozzle since my smoke alarms aren’t mounted all that high anyway.
I probably don’t test my smoke alarms as much as I probably should, but I live in an apartment and I don’t want to bug my neighbors with my smoke alarms.
thats understandable. I usually test mine once a month.
Some people test their smoke detectors with a match or lighter, however it is often recommended that people don’t test it that way because they say it is dangerous.
Yep: as pretty much every newer BRK/First Alert manual says:
“NEVER use an open flame of any kind to test this unit. You might
accidentally damage or set fire to the unit or to your home”