Question about type and location of smoke alarms
We did a big renovation about 11 years ago so all of our smoke alarms were installed then. They're the wired interconnected type. One of them started chirping, I replaced the batteries, and it started chirping again a few days later. I took it down and on the back it says that it will do this after 10 years and needs to be replaced. It's actually been 11 years to the day that it was installed. So I'm looking at replacing all of them all now. Our contractor said they were all installed according to code / the rules but he was a little sketchy and I have my doubts. So I have a few questions. We have a total of 10 of them around the house. In the upstairs there is one in each of 4 bedrooms and one in the hallway. The hallway one is combo smoke/CO but the rest of them are smoke only. Middle floor there is one in two bedrooms and in the hallway between them, all smoke only. There are none in the kitchen nor the adjacent living room with a vaulted ceiling. The closest detector to here is around a corner and about 20 feet down a hall. This is surprising to me since the kitchen seems like the most likely place for a fire. But maybe also a source of false alarms from cooking? Basement floor there is one in the common/hangout room and one in an adjacent hallway, both smoke only. Also on the bottom floor is a separate room with HVAC, gas, electric, etc. which we also use for storage and there is no detector in here. This also surprises me since it seems like there should be both smoke and CO in here. The closest one to here is through a closed door and about 10-12 feet down a hall and is smoke only. So my questions: Should I have one in the kitchen area? If so does it have to be at the highest point of the ceiling i.e. at the top of the vaulted ceiling, or could be it be lower? It'd be a PITA to change the battery at the top of the ~18 foot ceiling. Should I have one in the mechanical room next to the HVAC? Is there any reason not to get combo smoke/CO for all of them? submitted by /u/ButterPotatoHead [link] [comments]
We did a big renovation about 11 years ago so all of our smoke alarms were installed then. They're the wired interconnected type. One of them started chirping, I replaced the batteries, and it started chirping again a few days later. I took it down and on the back it says that it will do this after 10 years and needs to be replaced. It's actually been 11 years to the day that it was installed. So I'm looking at replacing all of them all now.
Our contractor said they were all installed according to code / the rules but he was a little sketchy and I have my doubts. So I have a few questions.
We have a total of 10 of them around the house. In the upstairs there is one in each of 4 bedrooms and one in the hallway. The hallway one is combo smoke/CO but the rest of them are smoke only.
Middle floor there is one in two bedrooms and in the hallway between them, all smoke only.
There are none in the kitchen nor the adjacent living room with a vaulted ceiling. The closest detector to here is around a corner and about 20 feet down a hall. This is surprising to me since the kitchen seems like the most likely place for a fire. But maybe also a source of false alarms from cooking?
Basement floor there is one in the common/hangout room and one in an adjacent hallway, both smoke only.
Also on the bottom floor is a separate room with HVAC, gas, electric, etc. which we also use for storage and there is no detector in here. This also surprises me since it seems like there should be both smoke and CO in here. The closest one to here is through a closed door and about 10-12 feet down a hall and is smoke only.
So my questions:
Should I have one in the kitchen area? If so does it have to be at the highest point of the ceiling i.e. at the top of the vaulted ceiling, or could be it be lower? It'd be a PITA to change the battery at the top of the ~18 foot ceiling.
Should I have one in the mechanical room next to the HVAC?
Is there any reason not to get combo smoke/CO for all of them?
[link] [comments]
