ECN Forum
Posted By: Anonymous Smoke Detectors - 02/05/03 03:49 AM
I was told that smokies had to be positioned inside a bedroom (centered off the door) 12 inches back, from one electrician. Then another electrician told me that it doesn't matter where you position it, yet it needs to be in the room. What the heck is the truth. Is it code related? Also, what should the height of a receptacle be, if you are boxing a single unit home?
Posted By: lighthouse Re: Smoke Detectors - 02/05/03 04:13 AM
The NFPA recommends smoke alarms be installed in EVERY room and area of your home or bulding for complete protection. For maximum protection, install at least one ionization and one photoelectronic smoke alarm on each level of your home.

All smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years of operation. Ten years is a smoke alarm's useful lifetime and for continued, reliable safety and protection, smoke alarms need to be replaced.

Consumer's should consult their owner's manual for specific instructions when locating a smoke alarm. The following are some general guidelines:

Because smoke rises, smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling or on walls at least 4 to 6 inches below the ceiling.

Smoke alarms should not be located less than 4 to 6 inches from where the wall and ceiling meet on either surface; this space is dead air that receives little circulation.

Smoke alarms should not be mounted in front of an air supply, return duct, near ceiling fans, peaks of A-frame ceilings, dusty areas, locations outside the 40 degree Farenheit to 100 degree Farenheit temperature range, in humid areas or near fluorescent lighting.
Posted By: nesparky Re: Smoke Detectors - 02/05/03 04:16 AM
The positioning of smoke detectors is in NFPA 72 Fire Alarm Code. They need to be away from wall and ceiling corners. ALmost all smokes have installation instructions for spacing and distances. The reason is that a smoke detector in the wrong place will not see the smoke thus delaying any alarm. It's a life safety issue.
A common receptacle height is 18" to center of box. For ADA heights check with your AHJ.
Posted By: bobp Re: Smoke Detectors - 02/05/03 05:16 AM
You need to check with the AHJ. Many have amended the codes or written their own for placement and requirement of smoke detectors. I have two towns around here that require the bedroom smokes to be inside the door (no more than 18"), but the county and other towns just require them in the bedrooms. And please don't make me try and explain where each one wants the hall smokes.
Bob
Posted By: Electric Eagle Re: Smoke Detectors - 02/05/03 06:54 AM
Our inspectors only want a smokey within 10 feet of every bedroom and one inspector recently told me not to put them inside the bedroom because of the new arc fault rule requiring all bedroom wiring to be arc fault protected and he didn't want the smokes on an arc fault circuit.
Posted By: pwood Re: Smoke Detectors - 02/05/03 04:50 PM
the building codes say to install per manufacturer's instructions and per the code. further states that one to be installed in each sleeping room and centrally located in the corridor or area giving access to the sleeping rooms.AHJ'S may require installation per local preferences so it's wise to ask before installation if possible.
© ECN Electrical Forums