3
8. If ceiling mounting is not possible, put wall-mounted detectors between 4
and 6 inches (10~15 cm) from the ceiling (FIGURE 4).
9. If some of your rooms have sloped, peaked, or gabled ceilings, try to mount
detectors 3 feet (0.9 meter) measured horizontally from the highest point of
the ceiling as shown in FIGURE 5.
Locations Not To Install the Detector
Nuisance alarms take place when smoke detectors are installed where they will
not work properly. To avoid nuisance alarms, do not install smoke detectors in
the following situations:
1. Combustion particles are the by-products of something that is burning.
Thus, in or near areas where combustion particles are present you do not
install the smoke detectors to avoid nuisance alarms, such as kitchens with
few windows or poor ventilation, garages where there may be vehicle
exhaust, near furnaces, hot water heaters, and space heaters.
2. Do not install smoke detectors less than 20 feet (6 meters) away from places
where combustion particles are normally present, like kitchens. If a 20-foot
distance is not possible, e.g. in a mobile home, try to install the detector as
far away from the combustion particles as possible, preferably on the wall.
To prevent nuisance alarms, provide good ventilation in such places.
IMPORTANT
: For any reason, do not disable the detector to avoid nuisance
alarms.
3. When air streams passing by kitchens, the way how a detector can sense
combustion particles in normal air-flow paths is graphically shown in
FIGURE 6, which indicates the correct and incorrect smoke detector
locations concerning this problem.
4. 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 nuisance alarms. Install detectors at least 10 feet
(3 meters) away from bathrooms.
5. 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 49°C (32°F - 120°F).
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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. Refer to FIGURE 4 and 5 for recommended mounting locations.
9. In insect-infested areas, it is probable that the insects may enter a detector’s
sensing chamber to cause a nuisance alarm. Where bugs are a problem,
please get rid of them before putting up a detector.
10. Near fluorescent lights, electrical “noise” from fluorescent lights may cause
nuisance alarms. Install smoke detectors at least 5 feet (1.5 meters) away
from such lights.
WARNING
: Never remove the battery to stop a nuisance alarm. Cooking smoke
or a dusty furnace, sometimes called “friendly fires” can cause the alarm to
sound. If this happens, open a window or fan the air around the detector to get
rid of the smoke or dust. The alarm will turn itself off when the smoke is gone.
If nuisance alarms persist, clean the detector as described in this Manual.
FIGURE 5
Recommended location to
mount smoke detectors in
rooms with sloped, gabled
or peaked ceiling.
FIGURE 6
Recommended smoke detector locations
to avoid air streams with combustion
particles.
