How Many Smoke Alarms Are Needed in a House?

For most people, it’s better to get robbed than have a house burned to ashes. In Australia, installing smoke alarms is a law or paying a hefty fine of $689.00 (5 penalty units) for each breach.  

Based on the information zeroed in over 14 years by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, the bulk of home fires in Australia and the most deaths from fires occurred during the cooler seasons of fall and winter.

Smoke alarms detect smoke and sound the alarm to wake up sleeping occupants before a fire spreads and engulfs the entire house. They help save lives and properties. Get in-depth insights about how many smoke alarms must be installed in your home. 

At Local Electrician Sydney, we ensure our qualified and licensed level 2 electricians will install your smoke alarms accurately and completely comply with the standards. Call us at 02 9119 1344 for any electrical problems, whether in Wollongong, Blue Mountains, or the surrounding Sydney suburbs.

How many smoke alarms are needed in a house?

The Development Regulations mandate that one or more smoke alarms be installed in a house. The smoke detector’s position must be chosen to provide adequate notice to the residents of sleeping zones, enabling them to safely leave the premises during a fire that results in property damage.

Types of smoke alarms used in Australia

There are two main types of smoke alarms installed in every home in Australia. Ionisation smoke alarms contain a small amount of radioactive material that reacts with smoke particles in the air. Photoelectric smoke alarms, on the other hand, use a photocell shining a small light beam out of the detector.

Where should smoke alarms be installed?

Installing smoke alarms in your house will give you peace of mind. When your family sleeps, you won’t have any worries about getting trapped or burned alive inside a blazing house. The big question is, where to install your smoke alarms?

Inside Your Bedroom and Living Area

Your bedroom, including your living area, is for rest and recovery. A working smoke alarm activates and alerts you instantly in case of a breakout during one of your naps. 

You should remember also that all bedroom doors should be closed when sleeping. In case a fire happens, the door will slow its spread and offer some protection from it.

On Every Floor

This should be quite straightforward because a working smoke alarm installed on all floors of a building should meet safety rules. Fires in residential buildings can start anywhere from the ground floor up to the top floor. 

Detectors installed on each level in your home ensure early detection so you and your family have enough time to get out safely.

Outside Every Sleeping Area

The corridors leading to your bedrooms are escape routes if you need to get out in an emergency. Fitting smoke alarms in these areas ensures that you’ll have early warning of a fire breaking out elsewhere in the property outside your room, giving you time to wake up and get out before the fire spreads to your room. 

Before you move through any door during a fire, check if the wooden or metal handle of the door is hot. If the doorknob is too hot to touch, there’s likely a fire on the other side.

Basements & Attics

Install smoke alarms in these overlooked areas because they are equally vulnerable to catching on fire. Be it due to electrical faults or the flammable material one may have stored there, having smoke detectors in your basement and attic is an added protection from damage by fire. 

While attics and basements are rarer in Australia, the roof space and the area under your home should be considered. Something might be happening in some area that you are unaware of, which could lead to a potentially devastating fire.

Smoke alarms must be installed on the ceiling at least 30 cm from the wall and, if mounted on a wall, at least 30 cm from the ceiling so that stagnant air does not accumulate.

Moreover, smoke alarms should comply with the Australian Standard AS 3786, and complying types are available from most hardware shops or electrical appliance stores. 

It specifies the requirements for a smoke alarm that detects scattered light, transmitted light, and ionisation and provides methods for testing their performance for domestic or similar residential use.

Why is it important to maintain smoke alarms regularly?

Photoelectric smoke alarms are essential to the safety and protection of any building. These devices react quickly to smoke to alert people inside a residential building of possible dangers and provide critical seconds to vacate premises before an emergency turns fatal.

However, it is better to only fit a photoelectric smoke alarm and then remember about it. Regular checks are important to ensure these devices operate correctly and provide reliable protection. Remember to replace the smoke alarm batteries every six months.

Here are the main reasons why it’s crucial to have regular maintenance of smoke alarms:

Early Warning System

Like any other electrical device, photoelectric alarms may cease to function as they should after some time. The accumulation of dust, dirt, or even bugs inside the smoke alarm could block its function. 

Cleaning and testing your smoke alarm regularly allows you to detect early warnings of any malfunctioning for prompt fixing or replacement.

Longer Life

Proper care and maintenance can considerably extend a photoelectric smoke alarm’s life. With consistent battery checking and replacement, cleaning of the device, and regular checks, you can be quite confident that your alarm will work well for many years.

Compliance with Regulations

Photoelectric smoke alarms are devices the law requires to be fitted in many places in residential and commercial building areas. Maintaining these devices helps them meet the eligibility criteria and prevents fines levying against businesses or other institutions.

Freedom from Stress

Knowing that your photoelectric smoke alarm is doing its job can certainly put your mind at ease. You can indeed have faith in your alarm alerting you quickly when fire promotes a hazard with regular testing and maintenance.

Savings

Proper maintenance will save you time and money in the long run. If you neglect the photoelectric smoke alarms and they are useless in a fire, repair or replacement will burn a hole in your pocket. 

With routine maintenance, you will avoid unwanted surprises and keep the alarms in good condition.

Call Local Electrician Sydney  

Having a smoke alarm installed is the initial step to secure your home’s safety. Electrical problems are risky, and no one should try fixing them unless they are professional electricians. Don’t just hire a regular electrician; you need an emergency and capable electrician to install smoke alarms in your home.

Our emergency electricians in Sydney are always available 24/7 to solve your electrical problems. We also handle property electrical safety inspections, smoke alarms and water heater problems, fix loose and exposed electrical wiring in your electrical system, ensure you have a working smoke alarm, and many more. 

Call us today at 02 9119 1344 to save 20% on your first service and expect the highest quality of work.

Smoke Alarm FAQs

1. How do I tell if my alarm is hard-wired or battery?

If your alarm is hard-wired, it will emit a green light. If it is battery-powered, there won’t be a light, which will drain the battery and reduce its life.

2. How often should smoke alarms be replaced?

Smoke alarm testing will determine how often it needs to be replaced. The annual test is offered to ensure that the alarm works correctly and has not expired. 

All alarms have a 10-year life and must be replaced after 10 years.

3. Why can’t I just move my alarm?

The Building Code of Australia has very clear guidelines on where alarms need to be fitted, but alarms are often not fitted to an area that was formerly dead air space when they were first fitted.

4. Every time that I cook, the alarm goes off! Why is that?

Sometimes, the alarm is placed too close to the kitchen. If you’re cooking something and there is smoke or more than average steam, it will enter the smoke alarm chamber, which detects smoke and sets the alarm off. 

The best thing you can do is force air through the path of the alarm to clear it. You’re doing this to blow out any remaining particles in the air by simply fanning the alarm.

5. What type of smoke alarms do Australian households mostly use?

Ionisation smoke detectors are the common type installed in houses in Australia. They basically operate by using an ionisation chamber combined with an electrical circuit.

6. How to remove a smoke alarm from the mounting base?

Smoke alarms shall only be removed to clean, replace the battery, or find their manufacture date.

Most smoke alarms come with an optional tamper-resistant feature such as a tamper screw or locking tab mechanism, which would prevent unwanted removal of the alarm. 

7. How to test a smoke alarm?

To test a smoke alarm, Hold down the Test/Hush button on the unit for 3 seconds. At this point, the electronics and sounder of the smoke alarm will be tested. 

If the smoke alarm is working properly, you will briefly hear the alarm sound. If you are not physically able to reach your smoke alarms, you can easily reach them using something such as a broom handle.

8. How do I safely dispose of my old smoke alarm?

After you install interconnected smoke alarms, you can drop off old smoke alarms for free at a Household Chemical CleanOut event or a Community Recycling Centre.

9. Why are my smoke alarms activating falsely?

If hardwired, interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms are operating and an identifiable cause for the operation cannot be found, like dust, then it is most likely a power supply fault or an incorrect installation fault. Hardwired smoke alarms are those connected to the household 240-volt supply.

10. What are the responsibilities of a landlord and tenant in a rental property for installing a smoke alarm?

Either way, the landlord is responsible for ensuring the installation of smoke alarms that comply with legislation.