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 basements.
•Inside every bedroom, especially if people sleep with doors 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.
AGENCY PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
NFPA 72 (National Fire Code) Chapter 11
“For your information, the National Fire Protection Association's Standard 72, reads as follows:”
“11.5.1 One- and Two-Family Dwelling Units.”
“11.5.1.1 Smoke Detection. Where required by applicable laws, codes, or standards for the specified occupancy, approved single- and multiple- station Smoke Alarms shall be installed as follows: (1) In all sleeping rooms Exception: Smoke Alarms shall not be required in sleeping rooms in existing one- and two-family dwelling units. (2) Outside of each separate sleeping area, in immediate vicinity of the sleeping rooms.
(3)On each level of the dwelling unit, including basements Exception: In existing one- and two family dwelling units, approved Smoke Alarms powered by batteries are permitted.”
“A.11.8.3 Are More Smoke Alarms Desirable? The required number of Smoke Alarms might not provide reliable early warning protection 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 normally recommended, as these locations occasionally experience conditions that can result in improper operation.”
California State Fire Marshal (CSFM)
Early warning detection is best achieved by the installation of fire detection 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, dining 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, it is recommended you 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
(6 meter) 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 recommendations 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. Keep laundry room Smoke Alarms 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 and 12 inches (102 and 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 require- ments for sloped or peaked ceilings.
