Before

After

A Little Information on Smoke Detectors and What Types of Smoke There Are

Smoke detectors can save lives and help stop fire damage like seen in the pictures. Below are some tips on keeping your smoke detectors up to date, and what different types of smoke damage can look like in your home or business. For any questions or more information, please call us at SERVPRO of Salem/Plaistow 603-893-9700.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including the basement
• Smoke alarms should be installed away from the kitchen, generally 10 feet from a cooking appliance
• Test the smoke alarms once a month
• When you change your clocks twice a year, change the batteries in the alarms also
• Replace the device when it is ten years old

The National Fire Protection Association recommends smoke alarms be installed in every bedroom, outside all sleeping quarters and on every level of the house. Business owners should consult the local Fire Marshall to ensure specific building fire codes and smoke detector requirements are met. 

• Wet Smoke
• Usually from plastic and rubber
• Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, stocky, smeary
• Smoke webs are more difficult to clean
• Dry Smoke
• Usually seen with paper and wood
• Fast burning, high temperatures
• Protein Fire Residue
• Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire
• Almost invisible, discolors paints and varnishes, comes with extremely pungent odor
• Fuel Oil Soot
• From a furnace puff back
• While “puff backs” can create havoc for homeowners, SERVPRO® Franchise Professionals can, in most cases, restore the contents and structure quickly
• Other
• Always have special cases that require special attention

When these types of damages affect your home, we are always here to help recover your home. We aim to make it “Like it never even happened"