First Alert SA320CN – The Pros and Cons of This Particular Smoke Alarm. Having a smoke detector on every floor of the home is the best way to provide you and your family with the early detection needed to escape a fire. There are many smoke detectors on the market, however, which means it can feel quite overwhelming to choose the one that is right for you. A smoke detector has to be versatile, which means that it will sound and show an alert as soon as there is a fire hazard in the property. One device that is able to do this is First Alert SA320CN, made by one of the country’s most trusted home safety device manufacturers. Click here for the Top 10 Best Smoke Detectors.
What makes this smoke detector unique is that it comes with a dual sensor, which means it has both an ionization sensor, which detects the presence of a flaming, fast burning fire; as well as a photoelectric sensor, which detects the presence of smoldering fires that can take a long time to ignite. By putting the two technologies together, First Alert has ensured that the best possible coverage for all types of fires is provided.
About the First Alert SA320CN
This smoke detector is fully wireless, which means it operates on battery power only. It has dual sensor capabilities as described above and also comes with a 10 year manufacturer’s warranty. First Alert is a trusted brand with an excellent customer support team. Their website features a full FAQ on the device and you can also contact the company through telephone or email.
It should be noted that the First Alert SA320CN is not fitted with a carbon monoxide (CO) detector but CO detectors are only needed in rooms where CO could be present, which means a room with a fuel burning appliance, an attached garage, or a used fireplace. Should you have these types of features in your property, then you should also include CO detectors in your home as an added measure of protection.
The design of this First Alert smoke detector is excellent, but unfortunately it cannot be interconnected to other First Alert devices. Having interconnected devices means that if one alarm sounds the others will also sound an alarm. Not having this inter-connectivity means you lack some extra early warning that has the potential to be life saving. Hardwired detectors now generally feature inter-connectivity as standard, but since this is a wireless device, it does not include this as standard. It cannot be stressed enough how useful inter-connectivity is. Should a fire start in your basement at night, for instance, interconnected devices will sound off throughout your property, meaning you can get out much sooner before the fire in the basement has grown significantly.
Because the device is fully battery powered, you can place your units all over your property. A lot of older homes do not meet modern code, which means that their electrical wiring’s don’t support hardwired smoke detectors. Hence, in those types of properties, this type of smoke detector is even more beneficial. Do make sure, however, that you pay attention to your battery power levels.
All the standard features you would expect of a high quality smoke detector have been included in First Alert SA320CN. The face of the unit features a single button that allows you to hush an alarm. You can also use that button to test if there is sufficient power in your battery. During normal performance, a green LED light will flash once every minute. If the alarm trips, the LED light will turn red and an 85dB alarm will sound.
At low battery, the device will chirp once every minute. You can mute this chirp for eight hours, giving you all the time you need to replace the batteries. This can be an important feature if the battery runs low at night, for instance. Thankfully, you cannot mute the alert indefinitely, because it would be all too easy to forget to change the batteries, rendering your device useless. It is vital to replace the batteries once every year as a standard practice.
First Alert is known for it high level of customer service. If you have to make a warranty claim or if you have any questions, you can simply contact the company through email or telephone. If you have any problems, it is recommended that you check the FAQ section on the company’s website first. They have also included online videos, safety tips, and online user guides to ensure that the usual questions have been answered.
What I Liked About First Alert SA320CN
⦁ It features both ionization and photoelectric sensors, meaning it can detect both flaming and smoldering fires.
⦁ It is battery powered, which means you can install it anywhere in your property.
⦁ It comes with relevant audible and visible alarms and mute functions, including an alarm that alerts you that it has a low battery level.
⦁ First Alert is a highly trusted company and offers fantastic customer support.
⦁ A 10 year manufacturer’s warranty is included from the day of purchase.
What I Didn’t Like About First Alert SA320CN
⦁ The device lacks interconnectivity, which means you cannot have additional early warnings should a fire start somewhere else in your property.
⦁ Because it is battery powered only, there is always a chance that you may forget to change the batteries.
The Final Verdict
This particular First Alert device is known to be one of the best wireless smoke detectors in the market today, mainly because it has a dual sensor. Additionally, being made by First Alert, you can trust the fact that it is of the highest possible quality and that you will receive excellent support as well. The SA320CN is fitted with both ionization and photoelectric sensors, which means you are fully protected from the two main types of fires: smoldering and flaming. Due to the fact that it runs on battery power only, the detector can be installed in any property, even if it is not up to modern code. It also means that it is very easy to install the device just about anywhere in your property.
Unfortunately, the device does not come with inter-connectivity. This means that, if you live in a larger property in particular, it could happen that a fire starts in one area of your property and that it has spread significantly by the time you become aware of it. That said, this is mainly due to the fact that the device is wireless. Overall, therefore, this smoke detector comes 100% recommended.