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3. Recommended Locations for Alarms
Laws on smoke alarms vary from state to state and you should
be aware of what the requirements are in your state - for more
information please refer to your local fire emergency services or
state regulations.
Recommended Locations
• In each room where an occupant sleeps with the door closed. (A
closed door may prevent an alarm located outside the room from
waking the occupant).
• In the immediate area of bedrooms and the exit path from all sleeping
areas (Figure 1A).
• In stairwells, as stairwells act like chimneys for smoke heat. see
Figure 1B.
• In any room where large electrical appliances are operated
(e.g. portable heaters or humidifiers).
• If a hallway or room is more than 7m long install alarms at both ends.
• For maximum household protection see Figure 1C.
Things to Consider
For Ceiling Mounting:
Smoke, heat and other combustion products will rise to the ceiling and
spread horizontally. Mounting the alarm in the centre of the ceiling
positions it closest to all points in the room.
• When mounting an alarm on the ceiling, locate it at a minimum of
300mm from the side wall (Figure 2A).
• For sloped, peaked or cathedral ceilings the alarm should be placed
between 500mm and 1500mm from the highest point of the ceiling
(Figure 2B).
• The alarms in rooms with ceiling slopes greater than 1m in 8m
horizontally, should be located on the high side of the room
(Figure 2B).
For Wall Mounting:
• When mounting the alarm on the wall, use an interior wall with the
top edge of the alarm at a minimum of 100mm and a maximum of
300mm below the ceiling (Figure 2A).
