YSK Your smoke detectors should be replaced every 7-10 years

https://slrpnk.net/post/34507518

I’m genuinely curious: why do you need smoke detectors? I’m asking as an european that has lived without them all their life in more than one country. They are not mandatory here and not even common. What’s the reason to install ther? (I know the reason is to detect smoke, I’m asking the underlying reason behind the need to detect smoke)

In Germany they are mandatory for new buildings for a while now. And at least my landlord sends a company to check if they still work every year, so I assume that’s mandatory too.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347808687_Analysis_of_the_effectiveness_of_the_smoke_alarm_obligation_-_Experiences_from_practice has an overview of the regulations and an analysis of the impact in Germany.

sends a company to check if they still work every year

Wtf, isn’t it just pressing a button…? Though I guess you avoid the risk of people forgetting.

It’s also required in Sweden, but the building owner is responsible for installation, whereas the people living there are responsible for testing that it still works.

The main goal is probably to have documentation proving it was checked, but the technician is also responsible to fix any issues. I already had one smoke detector replaced because the noise level was a bit below what it should be.