Installing Smoke Detectors
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that every home have a smoke detector outside each sleeping area (inside as well, if members of the household sleep with the door closed) and on every level of the home, including the basement. The National Fire Alarm Code, developed by the NFPA, requires a smoke detector inside each sleeping area for new construction. On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas, such as dens, lining rooms, or family rooms. For extra protection, NFPA suggest installing detectors in dining rooms, furnace rooms, utility rooms, and hallways. Smoke detectors are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms, or garages – where cooking fumes, steam, or exhaust fumes could set off false alarms – or for attics and other unheated spaces where humidity and temperature changes might affect a detector’s operation.
Mount detectors high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall-mounted units should be installed so that the top of the detector is 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters) from the ceiling. A ceiling-mounted detector should be attached at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) from the nearest wall. In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the detector at or near the ceiling’s highest point. In stairways with no doors at the top or bottom, position smoke detectors anywhere in the path of smoke moving up the stairs. Always position smoke detectors at the bottom of closed stairways, such as those leading from the basement, because dead air trapped near the door at the top of the stairway could prevent smoke from reaching a detector located at the top. In unfurnished rooms, such as basements, detectors should be mounted on the bottom of the joists. Don’t install a smoke detector too near a window, door or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with the detector’s operation.
Testing Smoke Detectors
After prevention, smoke detectors are your first line of defense against fire and can cut the risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half. In recent years, roughly three-fifths of home fire deaths have occurred in homes without smoke detectors. In 1994, a total of 3,425 people died in home fires. More than half of all fatal home fires happen at night. Inexpensive household smoke detectors can mean the difference between life and death. They sound an early warning in the event of fire, waking people before they are overcome by smoke and poisonous gases and giving them time to escape. A smoke detector can’t save your life if it isn’t working. Here then is the recommended smoke detector testing schedule:
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- Once a month: Check the operating status of every smoke detector in the home. All smoke detectors intended for home use in the United States have a button or tab on the outside of the detector for testing detector operation. Consult the manufacture’s instructions for the specific location on your detector.
- Once a year: Replace all detector batteries. The National Fire Protection Association suggests changing all detector batteries on the Sunday in October when you change your clocks back from Daylight Saving Time. Here is an easy reminder:
- Once a month: Check the operating status of every smoke detector in the home. All smoke detectors intended for home use in the United States have a button or tab on the outside of the detector for testing detector operation. Consult the manufacture’s instructions for the specific location on your detector.