Hi, my name is Dave Peschio and I am the owner of PMI Richmond (http://www.glenallenpropertymanagementinc.com/) and have been managing properties in the Richmond and Henrico County area for 20 years. Today I want to talk about safety. The safety of your tenants and the protection of the investment property is a top priority for any good property manager. Having fully functioning smoke alarms installed is part of a comprehensive maintenance program. There are several options to choose from when purchasing smoke alarms to install in your rental property. I will go over the most common options here.
Ionization
- Most common type of alarm
- will not detect the fire but the particles in the smoke from the fire
- These work well since smoke occurs in the early stages of the fire
Photoelectric
- They rely on the visible particles created by flames
- Usually more responsive to fires that start with a long period of smoldering
- Uses light beam to detect levels of smoke in a room
Interconnected Fire Alarms
- They connect all fire alarms within a home or building so that when one alarm goes sounds off, they all will alarm
- Adds a level of safety because those in a location not yet endangered by flames are still made aware of the fire
- Prevents occupants from endangering themselves to alert others of the flames.
For optimal protection, it is recommended that both types (ionization and photoelectric) technologies be used in homes. In addition to individual ionization and photoelectric alarms, combination alarms that include both technologies in a single device are available.
If you have questions about making your investment safer or would like a free rent analysis to alleviate your stress and let us handle the day to day management please visit us at PMIRichmond.com or our address is 4860 Cox Road Suite 200 Glen Allen, VA 23060. Feel free to call as well – 804-909-1929.
