Smoke Detector Installation Guidelines

1. Smoke Detector Installation Guidelines • The NFPA recommends one smoke alarm on every floor, in every sleeping area and in every bedroom • For maximum protection, install BOTH Photo- and Ion- sensing types of smoke alarms • Mount smoke alarms toward the MIDDLE of the ceiling, no closer than 4 inches from the adjoining walls • If a ceiling mount is not possible, mount alarms on the wall • At least 4 inches - 12 inches from the ceiling • Alarms should NOT be installed where drafts from fans or air ducts can reach them. Moving air can blow smoke away from the alarm’s sensor • To further avoid “nuisance” alarms: • Smoke alarms installed within a 20 foot path of a cooking appliance shall be equipped with an alarm silencing means or be Photoelectric • Do not install within 3 feet of a door to a bathroom containing a tub or shower

2. Installation Guidelines • For best performance, do not install smoke alarms: • Where combustion particles are produced. Combustion particles form when something burns. Areas to avoid include poorly ventilated kitchens, garages and furnace rooms. Keep units at least 20 feet from the sources of combustion particles (stoves, furnace, water heater, space heater) if possible. Vent these areas as much as possible. • In airstreams near kitchens. Air currents can draw cooking smoke into the sensing chamber of a smoke alarm near the kitchen. • In very damp, humid or steamy areas or directly near bathrooms with showers. Keep units at least 10 feet away from showers, saunas, dishwashers, etc. • Where the temperatures are regularly below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, including unheated buildings, outdoor rooms, porches, or unfinished attics or basements. • In very dusty, dirty or greasy areas. Do not install a smoke alarm directly over the stove or range. Clean a laundry room unit frequently to keep it free of dust or lint

3. For best performance, do not install smoke alarms: • Near fresh air vents, ceiling fans or in very drafty areas. Drafts can blow smoke away from the unit, preventing it from reaching the sensing chamber • In insect-infested areas. Insects can clog openings to the sensing chamber and cause unwanted alarms. • Less than 12 inches away from fluorescent lights. Electrical “noise” can interfere with the sensor.

4. “Dead-air” spaces may prevent smoke from reaching the smoke alarm. To avoid dead-air spaces, follow the installation recommendations below: • On ceilings, install smoke alarms as close to the center of the ceiling as possible. If this is not possible, install the smoke alarm at least 4 inches from the wall or corner. • For wall mounting, the top edge of smoke alarms should be placed between 4 inches and 12 inches from the wall/ceiling line • On a peaked, gabled or cathedral ceiling, install the first smoke alarm within 3 feet of the peak of the ceiling, measured horizontally. Additional smoke alarms may be required depending on the length, angle, etc., of the ceiling’s slope