Smoke Alarm Install

12/27/2019 (Permalink)

Smoke Alarm attached to a ceiling

There is often a lot of confusion about the proper placement of smoke alarms in a home. Sometimes, homeowners will put an inadequate number of alarms in their property. Putting a single smoke alarm in the kitchen, or just one in a hallway, is not enough to protect yourself adequately.

                Modern homes have far more plastic items and synthetic fabrics than they did just a few decades ago. Some of these plastics can burn much faster than natural materials. This means that a fire in a modern home can spread very rapidly. Properly-utilized smoke alarms can give your family the advance notice they need to safely escape a house fire. Here are a few tips on the proper placement of your smoke alarms.

• Don’t buy knock-off brands. Make sure you get alarms that have a label from a recognized testing laboratory.
• Place a smoke alarm in each bedroom, and outside the door of every sleeping room on all floors including the basement.
• When placing one in the basement, place it on the ceiling on the bottom of the stairs going up to the next floor.
• Don’t place smoke alarms closer than 10 feet from cooking appliances. Any closer could set off false alarms when cooking.
• Mount alarms high on walls or on the ceiling. If mounted on the wall, make sure it is 12 inches away from the ceiling.
• Don’t install a smoke alarm near a door, vent, or window. Drafts may interfere, and cause the alarm to not work properly.
• Keep smoke alarms free from debris, wall hangings, stickers, or paint.