Where Smoke Detectors Should Be Placed

1. Where Smoke Detectors Should Be Placed When it comes to house fires, perhaps your most effective defense tool to help fight these is a smoke detector. It can be difficult, however, to determine exactly where these fire alarm systems for homes should be placed. Thankfully, the answer to this very question is a rather easy one. Generally, smoke detectors should always be installed on each and every level of your home in order to properly detect rising smoke as a result of a fire. Additionally, they should also be placed outside each bedroom and common area, as well as inside laundry rooms and kitchens, both of which are locations where fires can easily begin. In order to help decrease the chances of false alarms occurring when cooking, it’s important to ensure that you place smoke detectors approximately ten feet away from any and all kitchen appliances. If you live in a larger home, it’s a good idea to consider investing in additional smoke alarms, placing them in areas such as stairways and hallways. Another useful tip to make note of is to consider investing in interconnected smoke detectors, as this will allow you to hear the alarm itself regardless of where you may be in your home. Here are some additional reminders of what you should do when it comes to purchasing and installing smoke detectors: *Prior to installing a smoke detector, take the time to ensure that it is officially approved by UL, which stands for Underwriters Laboratories, in terms of being able to meet the strictest safety and testing requirements. *Always read through the user manual thoroughly prior to installing a smoke detector. *Make sure that you install a smoke detector on your ceiling. In the event that you can’t and you need to mount it on a wall, make sure that you place it less than one foot away from the ceiling. *Whenever possible, connect multiple smoke detectors to one another, as this will ensure that all alarms will be able to trigger whenever smoke is detected. There are also a few things that you should never do when it comes to installing smoke detectors, which include the following: *Smoke detectors should never be installed on either sliding doors or windows due in large part to air flow from these sources not being able to pick up the heat that emanates from either fire or smoke. *Never install smoke detectors in locations such as bathrooms or other locations that are moist or humid.

2. *Smoke detector installations should never take place in locations that are easily able to collect dirt and dust, as well as in cooler spaces. *Don’t install smoke detectors near any vents or ceiling fans. *Smoke detectors should never be installed in garages due in large part to the fact that these specific areas are never often temperature-regulated. Furthermore, the cooler temperatures in these spaces often are not able to detect either fire or smoke. Here are a few additional safety reminders involving smoke detectors to make note of as well: *Smoke detectors should be tested on a monthly basis. *Smoke detectors should be replaced every ten years. *Batteries inside smoke detectors should be replaced at least twice per year. *Always keep your smoke detector as clean as possible. Reach out to Dyezz Surveillance and Alarm for a free consultation today! See more about how we can help with fire alarm installation, monitoring, and inspections!