Install A Smoke Alarm

Smoke alarm installation are mandatory in all newly constructed or substantially renovated homes. For new homes, the smoke alarms must be installed with  mains-powered (with battery back-ups in case of power failure), so they need to be installed by an electrician. Generally you should have more than one and they should be interconnected so that if one goes off, so do the rest, maximizing the chances of alerting everyone in the house. The alarms must comply with the requirements of the Australian Standard AS 3786.

In addition to new homes, smoke alarms are also required in all existing homes.
United Electrical Services offer a smoke alarm installation service, we can advise what type of smoke alarm can be used in particular area and where to install your smoke alarms for maximum effectiveness.

Where to install them

The following is a guide, but check the installation instructions supplied with the alarm if attempting installation your-self.

• If you have just one alarm, install it between the kitchen/living area and the bedrooms. It should be fairly close to the bedrooms so that you can hear it go off when you're sleeping. If you have a hallway that connects all the bedrooms, that�s a good place to put the alarm.
• Interconnected alarms in each bedroom, as well as in the living area, can give a higher level of protection. Children and elderly people in particular often aren't reliably woken by an alarm located outside their bedroom.
• For houses with more than one storey, make sure each storey has at least one alarm. Interconnection is strongly recommended in this case.
• Avoid putting smoke alarms in the kitchen or bathroom; you'll probably get a lot of nuisance alarms from cooking fumes and steam.
• If you do install an alarm in the kitchen, a photoelectric or a heat alarm is likely to give fewer false alarms in this location. Make sure it has a hush button.
• Smoke rises and spreads across the ceiling, filling rooms from top to bottom. Alarms should be on or near the ceiling for earliest warning.
• Avoid dead-air spaces, such as corners between walls or where the wall and ceiling meet. Put the alarm at least 30 cm away from these areas.
• If you have to install the alarm on a wall, make sure it�s between 30 and 50 cm below the ceiling. This avoids the dead air space but keeps the alarm high enough to give early warning.

The above diagram gives you a general idea for the location and installation of smoke Alarms.