1. RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS FOR ALARMS
• Locate the first alarm in the immediate area of the bedrooms. Try to monitor
the exit path as the bedrooms are usually farthest from the exit. If more than
one sleeping area exists, locate additional alarms in each sleeping area.
• Locate additional alarms to monitor any stairway as they act as chimneys for
smoke and heat.
• Locate at least one alarm on every floor.
• Locate an alarm in every bedroom.
• Locate an alarm in every room where electrical appliances operate (i.e.
portable heaters or humidifiers).
• Locate an alarm in every room where someone sleeps with the door closed.
The closed door may prevent an alarm not located in that room from waking
the sleeper. Kidde recommends installing a Wireless Smoke Sounder in all
rooms where older adults, individuals with partial hearing loss, and children
sleep.
• Smoke, heat, and combustion products rise to the ceiling and spread hori-
zontally. Mounting the smoke alarm in the center of the ceiling places it clos-
est to all points in the room. Ceiling mounting is preferred in ordinary resi-
dential construction.
• For mobile home installation, select locations carefully to avoid thermal barri-
ers that may form at the ceiling. For more details, see MOBILE HOME INSTAL-
LATION below.
• When mounting an alarm on the ceiling, locate it at a minimum of 4” (10
cm) from the sidewall (see figure 1).
• When mounting the alarm on the wall, use an inside wall with the top edge
of the alarm at a minimum of 4” (10 cm) and a maximum of 12” (30.5 cm)
below the ceiling (see figure 1).
• Put smoke alarms at both ends of a bedroom hallway or large room if the
hallway or room is more than 30 feet (9.1 m) long.
• Install Smoke Alarms on sloped, peaked or cathedral ceilings at or within 3 ft
(0.9m) of the highest point (measured horizontally). NFPA 72 states: “Smoke
alarms in rooms with ceiling slopes greater than 1 ft in 8 ft (.3m in 2.4 m)
horizontally shall be located on the high side of the room.” NFPA 72 states:
“A row of detectors shall be spaced and located within 3 ft (0.9m) of the
peak of the ceiling measured horizontally” (see figure 3).
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