Smoke and CO alarms are key safety devices for the home

A recent fire at a home in Ross, Pennsylvania, serves as a reminder that you need reliable smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms properly placed throughout your home.

According to this report in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 48-year-old Edward Stefanick remained asleep in his bedroom even as firefighters spent two hours battling a blaze in his home. "You would've thought that, by that time, he would've kind of rose and got himself out of there," Ross Fire Marshal John Reubi told the newspaper.

The layout of the home kept the bedroom largely clear of smoke, though Ross was disoriented when firefighters finally found him and was hospitalized in critical condition with a high carbon-monoxide level.

If you need to replace your existing (or buy new)  smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, read our latest report on these devices and review our ratings of smoke and CO alarms and exclusive interactive (available to subscribers) to find the best models for your home. The highly rated First Alert OneLink SCO501CN smoke and carbon-monoxide alarm is shown.

Once you've bought your new smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, be sure to install them in the right places.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Learn how to prevent kitchen and dryer fires.

Q&A: When should I replace a carbon-monoxide alarm?

I've heard that carbon-monoxide alarms fail after seven years. Is that true?

Most carbon-monoxide (CO) alarms are backed by a five- to seven-year warranty, but they typically emit a chirping or signal when they're nearing the end of their useful life. This signal differs from the one that indicates a low battery. If there's a problem with the unit, a model with a digital display will show an error message, and one without a digital display might flash LEDs in a particular pattern.

Remember, the test button on a CO alarm checks only whether the alarm is working, not the sensor. To check the sensor, use a test kit that you can purchase at a local home center.

Essential information: Read our buyer's guide to CO and smoke alarms for more information on these important safety devices, and view a quick interactive to determine which alarms are best for your home. We've also got a report on an intriguing study on the effectiveness of a voice recordings versus more traditional loud tone alarms in awakening children.

Weekend Project: Strike out burglars with a beefed-up strike plate

Security experts stress that you should never leave doors unlocked or windows open even when you're just outside doing chores—burglars can quickly enter your home and snatch your valuables. Other thieves, however, are less subtle and will kick in a door while you're out of the house. With summer-vacation, -staycation, and -paycation season in full swing, you'll want to take steps to prevent a burglary when you're gone.

Our past tests of wood, fiberglass, and steel entry doors and door locks found that some models resisted kicks, drills and picking better than others. Adding a stronger metal strike plate with 3-inch screws that went into the framing improved the kick-in resistance of all the weakest locks; three models actually went from the lowest to the highest score in that test after the sturdier strike plate was installed.

Buy a high-security strike plate that comes with 3-inch screws (about $10) and, using your cordless drill/driver, mount the strike plate into the doorjamb with the screws. Those longer screws will lodge deeper into the framing and help the strike plate withstand kicking and hammering. See the video at right for more details.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: "Keep Your Home Safe" offers many more low-cost, commonsense ways to boost home security. Also check out related stories on bump keys, burglar-alarm scams, and Rex Plus, the "Electronic Watchdog."

Bad News: Bump keys can facilitate burglaries and break-ins

"Police are reporting five attempted burglaries in the township between Sunday and Wednesday. It is not yet determined whether the burglaries are related or not."

That's how a news story last week in my local weekly newspaper started a report on the recent rash of burglaries in the town.

Over the nine years I lived there, my town in the New Jersey suburbs has generally seen very little crime, though it's not immune to burglaries—in fact, my home was broken into in 2005, as we reported in "During the Holidays, Don't Give Crooks the Gift of Opportunity." Although that article focuses on the end-of-year holidays, its advice is applicable year-round. Also learn how to prevent home break-ins, and follow these tips to make any door more secure against break-ins.

It sure seems as if burglaries are on the rise nationwide during this recession. NBC's Today Show recently ran a "Today Investigates" segment in which consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman covers the phenomenon of bump keys and how they can facilitate home burglaries. (Lieberman didn't actually use that term because she didn't want to abet any wannabe criminals, but that's what the story was about.)

As we reported in "Unlocking the Truth Behind Bump Keys," a bump key is made by taking a key that already fits into a particular brand of lock and filing it down. The Web is filled with instructional videos on how to make a bump key (thanks, YouTube et al.).

Several manufacturers have introduced locks designed to thwart bump-key burglars, including the Kwikset SmartScan door lock and the Schlage LiNK system, which uses biometrics technology. We haven't tested these locks and don’t know how they will perform against a kick-in attack, a much more likely scenario than a burglar using a bump key.—Steven H. Saltzman | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Read our reports on door locks and entry doors. And don't get ripped off by an alarm company.

Avoid summertime burglar-alarm scams

One consumer rip-off that shows no sign of abating is the annual invasion of door-to-door salespeople who use dubious and intrusive tactics to sell burglar-alarm systems to unwary homeowners, a topic we covered in "Scam Alert: Don't Get Ripped Off by an Alarm Company."

Jane Driggs, president of the Better Business Bureau of Utah, stops short of advising you not to buy an alarm system from door-to-door salespeople, but says, "You just have to make sure that you verify everything the company says and do your comparison shopping as if somebody hadn't come to the door." Read the BBB's "Don’t Fall for the Deceptive Pitch of a Door-to-Door Alarm Salesman."

Law-enforcement and consumer-protection officials warn you to be wary of an alarm salesperson who:

• Attempts to alarm you by citing rashes of burglaries in their neighborhoods.

• Claims to represent or wear clothing with logos from major alarm manufacturers like GE and Honeywell. These firms don't sell directly to consumers and don't allow their logos to be used by door-to-door salespeople.

• Tries to gain entrance into your home. "I actually had a salesperson reach inside the door to show me where his system would go and ask if he could come in," says Driggs. "I have a big dog, so I wasn't worried about it, but I could see a lot of people might have let him gain admittance that way."

• Offers a free system. Experts say "free" systems usually come with higher monthly service fees. Also be sure that the contract clearly indicates what the monthly service fee will be. "If they say your charges are going to be $44 a month for a one-year term, verify that that's what the contract says—don't sign it if it isn't clearly stated," says Driggs.

"Alarm companies generally don't make money on the equipment, but on he monthly services. You should focus on the quality of the service and the length of the contract—many jurisdictions limit the length and number of automatic renewals," says Ron Walters, the Security Industry Alarm Coalition's director of field operations. Make sure the contract stipulates the length of the agreement and any associated early-termination fees.

• Says the company is ready to install your system right away. Experts say legitimate alarm companies don't mind taking the time to talk to consumers to get a comprehensive view of their security needs.

• Claims your current alarm company is defunct. A scam recently spotted by our colleagues at The Consumerist involves Orem, Utah-based Pinnacle Security. The company's reps have been implying to customers of CastleRock Security in Wichita, Kansas, that CastleRock has gone out of business, a claim CastleRock disputes. Another variation on this theme is a salesperson's claim that your current equipment needs updating. Read more about this story on the KWCH Web site.

Industry experts stress that you should deal only with well-established companies. Find out which local or state agency has jurisdiction over alarm companies and check the records of any company you're considering using. Also see whether your homeowner's-insurance company offers a discount for using certain alarm companies.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: These low-cost products and commonsense procedures can boost your home security. And read about Rex, a virtual watchdog.

Modern Crimes: Florida homeowner watches her home being burglarized via the Web; perps arrested

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What's on your mind: Our most popular blog posts of 2008

Before we get too far into 2009, we thought we'd look back at the most popular posts on the Home & Garden blog from 2008. The 10 blogs below generated the most buzz last year.

Inside CR Test Labs: Sewing machines
This sneak peak at our March 2009 report on sewing machines (shown) generated quite a thread in the comment box. Around 150 readers chimed in, including the commenter who implored, "please don't lump in embroidery machines with general sewing machines." Roger that, as you'll see in the full report, coming in the upcoming story, whose issue is on sale and online in February.

Own a tankless water heater? Take our survey
Some 1,200 readers answered that call (another 100 commented directly to the item). The results of the online survey informed our October 2008 report on tankless water heaters, in which we revealed significant variations in installation costs, energy savings, and overall satisfaction.

Mold can be a problem for some front-loading washers
Here, we reported on the buildup of mold that many readers told us was occurring in the rubber gasket of the door to their front-loading washer. Sixty commenters jumped into the issue, some supporting the claim with tales of foul-smelling clothes, others reporting no complaints with their front-loading washing machine.

Why Consumer Reports doesn't rate specific models of mattresses
Not everyone rested easy with our explanation of why we don't rate mattress models. Wrote one commenter: "I subscribed to CR specifically for a mattress report and instead get a report on why you don't do a mattress report." Visit our new mattress product page for more details on mattress shopping.

Buying Advice: Portable air conditioners
Cooling the air was obviously hot on readers' minds when this blog posted on June 20. Our take on portable air conditioners is lukewarm at best—not only do they deliver less relief than manufacturers claim but the units also tend to be pricey.

Greener cleaners go mainstream
The launch of a line of natural cleaners from Clorox prompted this March 24 post.

Buyer's guide to pellet- and wood-burning stoves
Surging home-heating costs in recent years has fueled interest in alternative ways to keep warm during the winter. Hence the flurry of comments to this buying guide. In fact, there's been so much interest that we're now planning a testing-based report on these products.

Buzzword: Radon
Of all our 2008 Buzzwords, none resulted in as many comments as this entry on radon. Several weeks later, The New York Times ran a story covering concerns about radon in countertops, raising the buzz again.

Tip of the Day: Don't get ripped off by an alarm company
Dozens of readers responded to this blog with their own experiences with alarm companies, crooked and credible alike. One unlucky homeowner tells how she was swindled out of $360.

Are EdenPure space heaters just a lot of hot air?
That question spurred significant interest from readers. Some defended their EdenPure space heater, others didn't recommend these appliances. Read our report on space heaters for more information.—Daniel DiClerico

Tip of the Day: Don’t get ripped off by an alarm company

The scenario: A representative from a home-security company knocks on your door and offers you a free alarm system in exchange for displaying his company’s sign on your lawn. Swayed by the prospect of getting a security setup gratis, you sign a long-term monitoring contact and end up stuck with a shoddy installation and substandard equipment and service.

Learn more about this type of scam—and, more important, how to avoid it—by reading the Scam Alert in the June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports.

Stove Guard appliance timer and motion detector lowers the risk of range fires

An estimated 47,000 residential fires a year start on rangetops, injuring more than 2,400 people, killing about 80, and causing $135 million in property damage, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of those fires start when someone leaves the kitchen with food still cooking on the stovetop.

For many years, representatives of Underwriters Laboratories, Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of this magazine, and appliance makers worked together with the CPSC to find a technological solution such as heat sensors that would turn off burners before the food in a pot or pan ignited. But according to a CPSC spokesperson, the agency has refocused its efforts on other “high-priority flammability projects.” The CPSC did add that it would revisit the issue in the future when it has sufficient resources.

Meanwhile, a small distributor of security products in Saskatchewan, Canada, is making and selling a safety device that serves much the same purpose, at least for owners of electric ranges and cooktops. The Stove Guard, a $299 automatic timer and motion detector, shuts off the elements and the oven if there is no motion near the appliance after a preselected time period.

How it works. Stove Guard has three easy-to-program settings. The first, “on/auto,” turns power off to the burners if there is no motion near the range after a specific period of time. You set the time, anywhere from 1 to 39 minutes. The second setting, “on/timer,” turns power off after a preset amount of time, up to 99 minutes, regardless of motion. An adjustable sensing level keeps the device from turning the range back on because of a child’s or a pet’s movement. Pressing the “off” setting returns the range to its regular use.

In our tests, the Stove Guard worked exactly as advertised. But proper installation and maintenance are crucial. Mount it too close to the stove and steam from boiling liquids in pots can interfere with its use, as it did in our tests. Once mounted, simply unplug the electrical cord to your range and plug it into the Stove Guard. Then plug the electrical cord from the Stove Guard into the wall outlet. It’s also important to periodically clean the sensor to minimize grease buildup, which diminished the Stove Guard’s sensitivity in some of our tests.