How to Install a Smoke
Alarm Properly
Install your
smoke alarms correctly
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Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement.
Make sure there is an alarm in or near every sleeping area.
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Mount the smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings—remember, smoke rises.
Ceiling-mounted alarms should be installed at least four inches away from
the nearest wall; wall-mounted alarms should be installed four to 12 inches
away from the ceiling.
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If you have ceilings that are pitched, install the alarm near the ceiling's
highest point.
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Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors, or ducts where drafts might
interfere with their operation.
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Hard-wired smoke alarms operate on your household electrical current. They
can be interconnected so that every alarm sounds regardless of the fire's
location. This is an advantage in early warning, because it gives occupants
extra time to escape if they are in one part of the home and a fire breaks
out in another part. Alarms that are hard-wired should have battery backups
in case of a power outage, and should be installed by a qualified
electrician.
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Don't paint your smoke alarms; paint, stickers or other decorations could
keep them from working properly.
Keep your
smoke alarms working properly
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Test your smoke alarms at least once a month, following the manufacturer's
instructions.
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Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm once a year, or as soon as the
alarm "chirps," warning that the battery is low.
HINT: schedule battery replacements for the same day you change your
clock from daylight to standard time in the fall.
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Never "borrow" a battery from a smoke alarm. Smoke alarms can't warn you of
fire if their batteries are missing or have been disconnected.
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Don't disable smoke alarms even temporarily – you may forget to replace the
battery. If your smoke alarm is sounding "nuisance alarms," it may need
dusting or vacuuming. If that doesn't work, try relocating it further away
from kitchens and bathrooms, where cooking fumes and steam can cause the
alarm to sound.
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Regularly vacuuming or dusting your smoke alarms following manufacturer's
instructions can help keep it working properly.
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Smoke alarms don't last forever. Replace your smoke alarms once every 10
years.
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Make sure that everyone in your home can identify and awaken to the sound of
the alarm.
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Plan regular fire drills
(twice a year is best) to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do when
the smoke alarm sounds. Hold a drill at night to make sure that sleeping
family members awaken at the sound of the alarm.
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If you are building a new home or remodeling your existing home, consider
installing an
automatic home fire sprinkler system.
Sprinklers and smoke alarms together cut your risk of dying in a home fire
82 percent relative to having neither – a savings of thousands of lives a
year.
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Read NFPA's
smoke alarm fact sheet.
http://www.seniors.tcnet.org/articles/article04.html
http://www.nfpa.org/sparky/
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