D-301296 3
Figure 5. Locations for Placing Smoke Detectors in a Single
Residence with only One Sleeping Area
• Install a smoke detector inside every room where one sleeps
with the door partly or completely closed, since smoke could be
blocked by the closed door and a hallway alarm may not wake
up the sleeper if the door is closed.
Figure 6. Locations for Placing Smoke Detectors in Single-Floor
Residence with More than One Sleeping Area.
Figure 7. Placing Smoke Detectors in a Multi-Floor Residence
• Install basement detectors at the bottom of the basement
stairwell.
• Install second-floor detectors at the top of the first-to-second
floor stairwell.
• Be sure no door or other obstruction blocks the path of smoke
to the detector.
• Install additional detectors in your living room, dining room,
family room, attic, utility and storage rooms.
• Install smoke detectors as close to the center of the ceiling as
possible. If this is not practical, put the detector on the ceiling,
at least 10 cm (4 inches) away from any wall or corner, as
shown in Figure 8.
• If ceiling mounting is not possible and wall mounting is
permitted by your local and state codes, locate the detectors
between 10 - 15 cm (4 - 6 inches) from the ceiling, also see
Figure 8.
• If some of your rooms have sloped, peaked, or gabled ceilings,
try to mount detectors 0.9 meter (3 feet) measured horizontally
from the highest point of the ceiling as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 8. Recommended Best
and Acceptable Locations to
Mount Smoke Detectors
Figure 9. Recommended
Location to Mount Smoke
Detectors in Rooms with
Sloped, Gabled or Peaked
Ceiling
CAUTION (As required by the California State Fire
Marshall)
"Early warning fire detection is best achieved by the
installation of fire detection equipment in all rooms
and areas of the household as follows:
(1) A smoke detector installed in each separate sleeping area (in
the vicinity, but outside the bedrooms), and (2) Heat or smoke
detectors in the living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, kitchens,
hallways, attics, furnace rooms, closets, utility and storage rooms,
basements and attached garages."
4.2 Where Not to Install Smoke Detectors
False alarms occur when smoke detectors are installed where
they will not work properly. To avoid false alarms, do not install
smoke detectors in the following situations:
• Combustion particles are by-products of something burning. Do
not install smoke detectors in or near areas where combustion
particles are present, such as kitchens with few windows or
poor ventilation, garages where there may be vehicle exhaust,
near furnaces, hot water heaters and space heaters.
• Do not install smoke detectors less than 6 meters (20 feet)
away from places where combustion particles are normally
present, like kitchens. If a 20-foot distance is not possible, try to
install the detector as far away from the combustion particles
as possible, preferably on the wall. To prevent false alarms,
provide good ventilation in such places.
IMPORTANT: Never try to avoid false alarms by disabling
the detector.
• Do not mount smoke detectors in the path of fresh air intake.
The flow of fresh air in and out can drive smoke away from the
smoke detector; thus reducing its efficiency. Figure 10 indicates
the correct and incorrect locations concerning this problem.
• Near pain thinner fumes.
• In close proximity to an automobile exhaust pipe; this will
damage the detector.
• In damp or very humid areas or near bathrooms with showers.
Moisture in humid air can enter the sensing chamber, then
turns into droplets upon cooling, which can cause false alarms.
Install smoke detectors at least 3 meters (10 feet) away from
bathrooms.
• In very cold or very hot areas, including unheated buildings or
outdoor rooms. If the temperature goes above or below the
operating range of smoke detector, it will not work properly.
The temperature range for your smoke detector is 0°C to 38°C
(32°F to 100°F).
• In very dusty or dirty areas, dirt and dust can build up on the
detector's sensing chamber, to make it overly sensitive.
• Additionally, dust or dirt can block openings to the sensing
chamber and keep the detector from sensing smoke.
• Near fresh air vents or very drafty areas like air conditioners,
heaters or fans. Fresh air vents and drafts can drive smoke
away from smoke detectors.
• Dead air spaces are often at the top of a peaked roof, or in the
corners between ceilings and walls. Dead air may prevent
smoke from reaching a detector. See Figures 8 and 9 for
recommended mounting locations.
• In insect-infested areas. If insects enter a detector's sensing
chamber, they may cause a false alarm. Where bugs are a
problem, get rid of them before putting up a detector.
• Near fluorescent lights, electrical "noise" from fluorescent lights
may cause false alarms. Install smoke detectors at least 1.5
meters (5 feet) from such lights.
• Smoke detection depends on the smoke density present in
a room. Smoke density is greater in small rooms, for the
same amount of smoke, than in large rooms.
In small rooms less than 25 cubic meters (883 cubic ft.) in
size, a small amount of smoke may activate a smoke alert.
For example, smoking or bathroom steam may activate a
smoke alert.
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