Any fire detection system, be it a smoke alarm, heat alarm or combination alarm, MUST be installed on the ceiling.

With a linked alarm, all alarms are activated simultaneously, giving you and your family potentially life saving extra time to get out of the building.

The best smoke alarms you can buy in 2023

By drilling two small holes in your ceiling, and screwing the base plate to the ceiling and then attaching the alarm unit to the plate, or, On a lighter note, Google’s data also revealed that the day when smoke alarms are most likely to sound in the UK is pancake day. Is the Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm suitable for homes in Scotland now that the law has changed? The latter are pricier when you buy for the first time, but you won't have to factor in the expense of replacement battery costs. Smoke detectors are relatively simple by design and usually rely on an audible alarm to grab your attention. But if you’re looking for more advanced monitoring, the Kidde Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm is the right choice. Interlinking when one alarm goes off, all the connected detectors are activated. This can be particularly useful in a larger house.

Generally, detectors are battery-powered, hardwired, or plugged into an outlet. To determine the type you need, remove the detectors in your home from their mounts. Pros: Can suit dustier areas, such as lofts, the area near your bathroom or rooms where people smoke. Batteries used to be the weakness of most household smoke alarms, requiring replacement every year or so and usually running out of charge, causing the low battery alarm to ring, in the middle of the night. As with carbon monoxide alarms, the trend is now towards alarms with a built-in, 10-year lithium battery, designed to work for the alarm’s effective lifespan. In Scotland, these are now a legal requirement. In England and Wales, however, you can still buy and use alarms with a replaceable 9V battery, and these often work out cheaper. We’d recommend paying extra for the convenience and peace of mind, but the choice is yours. Is there anything else worth looking out for? This could be critical if you’re out when there’s a fire. All of the smart smoke alarms we've tested are optical models.

If you are worried by any aspect of fire safety for any of these groups, please do talk to them and arrange a fire safety visit on their behalf. Free Home Fire Safety Visit So if you’re out of your home and not near your phone when the messages come through, you’ll have no way of knowing the alarm was sounding. If you buy a battery-powered smoke alarm (rather than a mains-powered one), you'll need to decide whether you want one with a replaceable 9V battery, or sealed fixed-life battery

Smoke detectors are simple devices by design, but are available with features to integrate into your smart home or improve the functionality of the device. One of the most common features you’ll find is interconnectivity. According to Rodriguez-Zaba, “Interconnectivity is a really important safety feature that allows the detectors to be connected to each other and sound an alarm simultaneously in the event of a fire.” This means that even if smoke is detected in one area of your home, an alarm will sound on every detector installed in the house—helping to ensure that everyone in the home hears the alarm. A smoke detector can save your life. These small devices mount to the wall or ceiling and use a sensor to continuously monitor for conditions that indicate a fire. Smoke detectors are a must for virtually every room in your home and should be replaced every 10 years, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Combination Smoke and Heat Detector

Wireless devices communicate with each other and other devices without the use of connecting wires. This can be through interlinking by radio or through wi-fi. Smart smoke alarms are designed to sound the alarm when they detect smoke, as a conventional smoke alarm would. But the unique selling point of a smart smoke alarm is the ability to send alerts to your phone when there’s a fire. Interlinked smoke alarms will use the same optical or ionisation technology mentioned above, so, they're not a type of alarm in their own right.

Like any battery-powered smoke detector, you should replace the batteries every 6 months (and sooner if the low battery alert sounds). While a front-facing battery compartment would make it easier to change out the batteries, the rear battery door wasn’t overly challenging to access. We like the fact that the battery compartment won’t close unless the batteries are correctly installed, providing a safeguard against improper battery placement and a unit that won’t power up. You can put them in kitchens and garages because they’re not prone to false alarms from cooking or exhaust fumes. But they are slower to respond than smoke alarms.

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Keep in mind that while this model is a top-notch smoke detector, it’s not a combination unit that can also detect elevated carbon monoxide levels. It also doesn’t include advanced features like a voice alarm or smart functions. Battery-powered detectors are wireless and can be placed anywhere. They typically run on replaceable batteries (usually 9-volt or AA) or sealed lithium batteries that last 10 years. The general rule of thumb – the bigger the house, the greater the need for an interlinked alarm system. How Do You Install A Combination Fire Alarm?