The other fire thread got me wanting to post about smoke alarm placement. If you haven't installed a smoke alarm before or are not in the fire protection industry you may not know there are specific locations to place smoke alarms. I often find in apartment complexes and homes the detectors are either taken off the wall or mounted incorrectly. Incorrectly mounting an alarm can increase the time it takes for smoke detection by quite a bit which limits the amout of available safe egress time.

Take a few minutes to read the below requirements below from NFPA and then go check your alarms, might as well test them while you're at it. It literally could save you and your families lives.

Planning and Implementing a Successful Smoke Alarm Installation Program
A smoke alarm installation program in your community can make a measurable difference in reducing deaths and injuries from fire. The updated "Planning and Implementing a Successful Smoke Alarm Installation Program" (PDF) is a comprehensive guide including everything you'll need to get started, from tips on how to select volunteers, to pointers on soliciting donations and publicizing your program.
Download the program.

Installing smoke alarms

• Choose smoke alarms that have the label of a recognized testing laboratory. (Kidde, First Alert, BRK will all work well)
• Install smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
• On levels without bedrooms, install alarms in the living room (or den or family room) or near the stairway to the upper level, or in both locations.
• Smoke alarms installed in the basement should be installed on the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs leading to the next level.
• Smoke alarms should be installed at least 10 feet (3 meters) from a cooking appliance to minimize false alarms when cooking.
• Mount smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings (remember, smoke rises). Wall-mounted alarms should be installed not more than 12 inches away from the ceiling (to the top of the alarm).
• If you have ceilings that are pitched, install the alarm within 3 feet of the peak but not within the apex of the peak (four inches down from the peak).
Figure A.29.8.3.1 from NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code (2013 edition).
• Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors, or ducts where drafts might interfere with their operation.
• Never paint smoke alarms. Paint, stickers, or other decorations could keep the alarms from working.
• For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms. When one smoke alarm sounds they all sound. Interconnection can be done using hard-wiring or wireless technology.
• When interconnected smoke alarms are installed, it is important that all of the alarms are from the same manufacturer. If the alarms are not compatible, they may not sound.
• There are two types of smoke alarms ionization and photoelectric. An ionization smoke alarm is generally more responsive to flaming fires, and a photoelectric smoke alarm is generally more responsive to smoldering fires. For the best protection, both types of alarms or combination ionization-photoelectric alarms, also known as dual sensor smoke alarms, are recommended.
• Keep manufacturer's instructions for reference.

If you want a pamphlet go to this site and youll see the download link. https://www.nfpa.org/public-education/by-topic/smoke-alarms/installing-and-maintaining-smoke-alarms

Good info. Thanks

You should put one in each attic space near the air handlers. Blower motors burn out and recessed light cans and fart fans are also a source of ignition.

TL/DR: Smoke detectors are cheap and you can never have too many.

BrazosDog02 said:

---

You think you can't have too many until one of those interconnected ****ers goes off at 3 am with a false alarm and 5 people run through the damn house trying to figure out which one is the problem. Lol.

---

Exactly why I don't like the interconnected ones.

IIRC, city code requires all smoke detectors to be hardwired interconnected and battery back up (not sure about interconnected wireless)

Depends on the city

Nothing much to add other than I switched out all my smoke alarms in my new house with the Nest ones and they are awesome. Expensive but awesome.

You can check status from your phone, silence them from your phone and they have a long battery life so no middle of the night beeping.

ratfacemcdougal said:

---

IIRC, city code requires all smoke detectors to be hardwired interconnected and battery back up (not sure about interconnected wireless)

---

Thats current code, depending on the city and the last code they adopted the requirements will be different. Most cities will have that requirement but they cant enforce it on a priavately held home that was built before the code existed. Many places like apartemnts are grandfathered in and unless they renovate to a certain percentage of the value of the structure they are not required to update to current code.