How long will my smoke detectors and fire extinguishers last?

How long will my smoke detectors and fire extinguishers last?

Stacy Gerlich (Fire Captain & Paramedic) gives expert video advice on: Why are smoke detectors important?; How do I install a smoke detector?; How often should I check my smoke detectors and fire extinguishers? and more...

The smoke detectors are dependent upon the battery if it's battery-operated versus hard-wired, meaning it's actually wired into the electrical system of your home. So there's two issues there. But as far as the battery-operated smoke detectors go, it's as long as the battery's going to last. So, again, we don't like it to be in there longer than a year, without having changed it, regardless of if it chirps at you or not, which is sort of that warning sign that you need to change the battery. As far as a fire extinguisher goes, they'll tell you that you should have it serviced once a year, even if you don't use it. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the extinguisher wont work. On a best guess, if you've had an extinguisher in the home and it's five years old or so, don't throw it away. Buy a new one, and then use that primary one, or the one that you had that you were thinking of replacing, use that one first. In worst-case scenario, you pull the pin, you squeeze down, and it doesn't come out. So now you have the new one that you've just purchased.