Safety is one of the most important aspects of homeownership. You need to consider your family’s safety and that of your belongings at all times to avoid injury or damage.
One of the biggest risks in the home environment is fire. You have lots of electrical appliances in your home that could be a potential fire hazard if not handled correctly or maintained. For this reason, smoke alarms in the home should be your number one priority to protect yourself, your family and your belongings. It is therefore vital that they are positioned correctly for maximum safety.
Where Should You Position Your Smoke Alarm?
Your smoke alarm positioning is important. Where you place the alarms helps to detect the smoke most effectively, giving you more time to evacuate the house if there is a fire.
The best position for your smoke alarms would be in the centre of your ceiling in the room you’ve chosen. They should be a minimum of 30 cm away from any walls or light fittings. This is in prime position to indicate that there’s a fire fastest, no matter where in the room the fire starts.
What If You Can’t Place A Smoke Detector On The Ceiling?
Smoke and heat rise during a fire, meaning the ceiling is the prime location for a smoke detector. This gives you the best chance of being alerted to the fire early.
Smoke alarm positioning may not always be possible on a ceiling if your ceiling is too high or sloped. In this case, you should position your alarm on the wall up to 12.5 cm below the ceiling. Any lower than this may mean that your detector doesn’t pick up the smoke in time.
It’s a good idea to also get a heat sensor if your smoke alarm is positioned on a wall. This should be on the ceiling, or on the wall at the opposite side of the room to give you full coverage.
It’s also important to place the alarms within hearing distance and in a central location in your home. You want to be able to hear the alarm if a fire starts during the night.
To capture smoke most effectively, smoke alarms are best positioned in the hallway and on the upstairs landing. This means that the fire will be detected, no matter where it starts in the home. The alarm should be equal distance from all of your bedrooms to ensure that every family member is awoken when it sounds.
How Many Smoke Alarms Should You Have?
You should make sure your whole home is covered when considering where to position smoke alarms. The bottom line is, the more alarms you have in the home the better. The ideal set up would be to have one in each room to give you the best chance of catching the fire early.
However, you should at least have a smoke alarm on each storey of your home if this isn’t possible. This means that you and your family will be alerted wherever they are in the home. Contact Northants Fire today on 01604 760 600 or by visiting their contact page for more information on smoke alarm positioning.
