First Alert SA10YR Recommended Locations for Smoke Alarms, Locations to Avoid for Smoke Alarms

RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS FOR SMOKE ALARMS

Installing Smoke Alarms in Single-Family Residences

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), recommends one Smoke Alarm on every floor, in every sleeping area, and in every bed- room. In new construction, the Smoke Alarms must be AC powered and interconnected. See “Agency Placement Recommendations” for details. For additional coverage, it is recommended that you install a Smoke Alarm in all rooms, halls, storage areas, finished attics, and basements, where temperatures normally remain between 40˚ F (4˚ C) and 100˚ F

(38˚ C). Make sure no door or other obstruction could keep smoke from reaching the Smoke Alarms.

More specifically, install Smoke Alarms:

•On every level of your home, including finished attics and base- ments.

•Inside every bedroom, especially if people sleep with the door partly or completely closed.

•In the hall near every sleeping area. If your home has multiple sleep- ing areas, install a unit in each. If a hall is over 40 feet (12 meters) long, install an alarm at each end.

•At the top of the first-to-second floor stairway, and at bottom of basement stairway.

Specific requirements for Smoke Alarm installation vary from state to state and from region to region. Check with your local Fire Department for current requirements in your area. It is recommended AC or AC/DC units be interconnected for added protection.

HOMES	LIVING ROOM		KITCHEN	BEDROOM	KITCHEN	DINING ROOM
EXISTING	BEDROOM	HALL	BEDROOM
	MULTI-STORY RESIDENCE			BEDROOM		LIVING ROOM
		FINISHED BASEMENT		SINGLE-STORY RESIDENCE, APARTMENT,
				MOBILE HOME
	KEY:		RECOMMENDED		SMOKE ALARMS WITH SILENCE
	REQUIRED TO
	MEET NFPA		FOR ADDITIONAL		FEATURES RECOMMENDED FOR
	RECOMMENDATIONS		PROTECTION		ADDITIONAL PROTECTION

CONSTRUCTION				BEDROOM	KITCHEN	DINING ROOM
	BEDROOM	HALL	BEDROOM
	LIVING ROOM		KITCHEN
				BEDROOM		LIVING ROOM
		FINISHED BASEMENT		SINGLE-STORY RESIDENCE, APARTMENT,
				MOBILE HOME
NEW
	MULTI-STORY RESIDENCE
	KEY:		RECOMMENDED	SMOKE ALARMS		INTERCONNECTED
	REQUIRED TO
				WITH SILENCE		AC OR AC/DC
	MEET NFPA		FOR ADDITIONAL
				FEATURES		SMOKE ALARMS
	RECOMMENDATIONS		PROTECTION
				RECOMMENDED
				FOR ADDITIONAL
				PROTECTION

INSTALLING SMOKE ALARMS IN MOBILE HOMES & RVS

For minimum security install one Smoke Alarm as close to each sleeping area as possible. For more security, put one unit in each room. Many older mobile homes (especially those built before 1978) have little or no insulation. If your mobile home is not well insulated, or if you are unsure of the amount of insulation, it is important to install units on inside walls only. Smoke Alarms should be installed where temperatures normally remain between 40˚F (4˚C) and 100˚F (38˚C). WARNING: Test units used in RVs after the vehicle has been in storage, before every trip, and once a week while in use. Failure to test units used in RVs as described may remove your protection.

This equipment should be installed in accordance with NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 72 and 101. National Fire Protection Association, One Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269-9101. Additional local building and regulatory codes may apply in your area. Always check compliance requirements before beginning any installation.

AGENCY PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

NFPA 72 (National Fire Code)

Smoke Alarms shall be installed in each separate sleeping room, outside each sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms and on each additional story of the family living unit, including basements and excluding crawl spaces and unfinished attics.

In new construction, Alarms shall be so arranged that operation of any one Alarm shall cause the operation of all Alarms within the dwelling.

Smoke Detection-Are More Smoke Alarms Desirable? The required number of Smoke Alarms might not provide reliable early warning pro- tection for those areas separated by a door from the areas protected by the required Smoke Alarms. For this reason, it is recommended that the householder consider the use of additional Smoke Alarms for those areas for increased protection. The additional areas include the base- ment, bedrooms, dining room, furnace room, utility room, and hallways not protected by the required Smoke Alarms. The installation of Smoke Alarms in kitchens, attics (finished or unfinished), or garages is not nor- mally recommended, as these locations occasionally experience condi- tions that can result in improper operation.

California State Fire Marshal (CSFM)

Early warning detection is best achieved by the installation of fire detec- tion equipment in all rooms and areas of the household as follows: A Smoke Alarm installed in each separate sleeping area (in the vicinity, but outside bedrooms), and Heat or Smoke Alarms in the living rooms, din- ing rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, hallways, finished attics, furnace rooms, closets, utility and storage rooms, basements, and attached garages.

LOCATIONS TO AVOID FOR SMOKE ALARMS

For best performance, AVOID installing Smoke Alarms in these areas:

•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

(6 meters) from the sources of combustion particles (stove, furnace, water heater, space heater) if possible. In areas where a 20-foot distance is not possible – in modular, mobile, or smaller homes, for example – it is recommended the Smoke Alarm be placed as far from these fuel-burning sources as possible. The placement recom- mendations are intended to keep these Alarms at a reasonable distance from a fuel-burning source, and thus reduce “unwanted” alarms. Unwanted alarms can occur if a Smoke Alarm is placed directly next to a fuel-burning source. Ventilate these areas as much as possible.

•In air streams 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 (3 meters) away from showers, saunas, dishwashers, etc.

•Where the temperatures are regularly below 40˚ F (4˚ C) or above

100˚ F (38˚C), 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.

•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 (305mm) away from fluorescent lights. Electrical “noise” can interfere with the sensor.

•In “dead air” spaces. “Dead air” spaces may prevent smoke from reaching the Smoke Alarm.

Avoiding Dead Air Spaces

“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 (102 mm) from the wall or corner.

For wall mounting (if allowed by building codes), the top edge of Smoke Alarms should be placed between 4 inches (102 mm) and

12 inches (305 mm) from the wall/ceiling line, below typical “dead air” spaces.

On a peaked, gabled, or cathedral ceiling, install the first Smoke Alarm within 3 feet (0.9 meters) 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. Refer to NFPA 72 for details on requirements for sloped or peaked ceilings.

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