Installing smoke alarms and checking them routinely is an important part of your home's fire security plan. Get your alarms mounted promptly.
Where do you install a smoke detector? There should be at least one on every level of the house. Make sure you don't forget to install one or more in the basement. A smoke detector should be installed at the bottom of the stairs in the basement. But don't place it near a furnace, stove, or fireplace.
Your house may require different types of sensors. For example, you can buy a smoke detector that is made especially for the kitchen. A detector in the living room should be installed in the middle of the room on the ceiling. If it cannot be mounted to the ceiling, then place it as high as you possibly can. You should place a smoke detector within ten feet of the bathroom, but never inside the bathroom. Include a smoke detector inside the bedroom and right outside the bedroom door so you will be sure you wake up when one or both sound an alarm.
You will need these tools to mount a smoke detector: a hammer, screwdriver, new smoke detectors, a pencil, self-drilling drywall anchors, a tool belt, and a ladder. Check to ensure that each one works as it should.
Installing a battery-operated smoke detector begins with moving the ladder under the area where you want to install the smoke detector. Climb up the ladder and put the base of the alarm against where you are mounting the smoke detector. Use a pencil to mark the center of the two mounting holes. Set the smoke detector down and hammer the tip of the drywall anchors into the marks you made with the pencil. Use a screwdriver to screw the anchors in until they are flush with the wall. Now screw in the mounting screws into the anchors, moving the base around until you have the base line up. Plug the batteries into the smoke detector and replace the cover. Sometimes when you install a new smoke detector the beeping noise will sound. Press the test button for ten seconds to activate your alarm. If you install the smoke detector correctly, the alarm will sound. If it does not sound, check for a loose battery wire or dead batteries.
Plan to check your smoke detectors once a month. If you have hardwire smoke detectors, when you check one, all will sound the alarm.
Get your smoke alarms mounted and checked promptly to protect your family and your home. The fire station sometimes provides these free of charge to those on fixed or limited incomes.
