What is your advice on the placement of smoke detectors in my home? Kidde recommends placing smoke alarms in every room of the home except the bathroom and kitchen. In an ideal situation you should have...
In an ideal situation you should have a working smoke detector in every room of your home with the exception of your kitchen and bathrooms. However, few people have that many detectors in their homes. Every home should have a minimum of one smoke detector although more are recommended. One on each floor will greatly increase your chances of being warned of a fire and still having time to escape safely. Heather Caldwell is the communications manager for Kidde, one of the largest manufacturing companies of fire safety products. She says "You should place one (smoke detector) downstairs, one outside of the kitchen, one in the living area, one in the upstairs hall, and then one in each of the bedrooms." She adds, "The sooner you hear a smoke detector, the better your chances are of getting out of the home." Using this formula, the average home would have about six to eight smoke detectors.
According to the United States Fire Association (USFA), "Smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling or 6 to 8 inches below the ceiling on side walls. Since smoke and many deadly gases rise, installing your smoke alarms at the proper level will provide you with the earliest warning possible. Always follow the manufacturer's installation instructions."
Most fires begin in the late night or early morning hours, so proper installation of your smoke detectors may increase their effectiveness in warning you of a fire as quickly as possible to allow your family time to safely escape. Since many fires begin in bedroom areas you may want to install smoke detectors on each side of the bedroom doors. The New York City Fire Department recommends, "Keep your bedroom doors closed while you are asleep." It takes an average of ten minutes for a fire to burn through a closed wood door. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires that all new constructions have a smoke detector in every bedroom.
Having smoke detectors on each level will provide additional security benefits and most likely allow more time for people to escape from a burning home. It is not recommended that you place a smoke detector in a garage or attic. It is a good idea, however, to have a smoke detector in your basement. Smoke detectors on upper levels will sense smoke from any place in the home since the smoke will rise. Smoke detectors on lower levels may sense smoke sooner before the blaze is able to build to a point where it may block an exit path. It is not recommended to put smoke detectors in your bathroom because steam and moisture will impede their proper usage. Condensation may build up on the circuit or sensor and may result in a false alarm. Once installed, the smoke detectors should be cleaned periodically for dust or that may impair the sensors and fresh batteries should be installed every 6 months or at least twice a year. New smoke detectors should be purchased if your existing ones are ten or more years old.
There are several types of smoke detectors available on the market and you may wish to use different types to give your home the best possible protection options. Ionization smoke detectors, photoelectric smoke detectors, reflective beam smoke detectors, and wireless remote smoke detectors are available and each operates in a different way. If you have more than one smoke detector in your home it is not likely that all of them will be malfunctioning or that their batteries will be low or dead at the same time. The more smoke detectors you have in your home that are working properly, the higher your odds of hearing an advanced warning of a fire, and the more time you will have to get out.
