Smoke alarms should be placed suitably around your home. As you might expect, the bigger the home, the more smoke alarms will be needed. Likewise, the number of detectors needed will depend on the layout of the home, too. Let’s take a look at some of the safest places to put your smoke alarms and some areas that are better left avoided.
The Best Places For Smoke Alarms
- Kitchens – in many homes, kitchens are the rooms in which fires are most likely to start. Cooking appliances are responsible for almost half of house fires, so it’s vital that your kitchen is fitted with a smoke alarm in case the worst does happen.
- Landings – landings are another vital place to smoke fire alarms because of their central location in the property. There’s a good chance that a smoke alarm fitted at the top of a staircase can detect smoke from two floors.
- Bedrooms – having a smoke alarm in each bedroom, or just outside a bedroom, is massively important. If a fire starts in the bedroom while you’re sleeping, you’ll want as much time as possible to evacuate the building. If there’s not a smoke alarm nearby, it might be too late when the smoke does get detected. With more and more electronic devices being used in the bedroom, it’s never been more important to be equipped.
Places to Avoid Fitting Smoke Alarms
- Bathrooms – we wouldn’t advise fitting a smoke alarm in the bathroom because it may be susceptible to unwanted tripping. Bathrooms are prone to getting hot and steamy, the latter of which could trigger an alarm. It’s unwise to take electrical equipment into the bathroom for obvious reasons, which makes the chance of fire very, very low.
- Corners of ceilings – wherever possible, ensure that smoke alarms are fitted in the middle of the ceiling. Placing them too close to where the wall meets the ceiling might delay the smoke reaching the alarm. Wasting even a few precious seconds could be disastrous so proper placing is key.
- Close to fans – similar to placing in a bathroom, fans can also cause unwanted tripping. The vibrations caused by a fan may trick the smoke alarm into alerting you to a fire, which could cause more than a few headaches!
Choose Taybell For Fire and Smoke Alarms
We are the No.1 Choice for fire alarms in Leeds, Yorkshire, Harrogate and Wetherby. If you’d like to enquire about our other services or maintenance, please give us a call on 0113 230 4018 to speak to one of our knowledgeable team. Alternatively, fill in our contact form and we’ll be in touch very soon.
