Smoke detectors can save your life but only if they’re in the right place and functioning. Here’s how to place them, check them, and when to replace them.
Placing a Smoke Detector
You should always have a working smoke detector on every level of your home, from the basement to the highest level in the house.
Fires can start anywhere. Only having a smoke detector on one level of your home can cause delays in realizing that there’s a fire in your house. This can put you and anyone living with you in unnecessary danger.
The more smoke detectors you have, the quicker you can respond to a fire. Here are all of the rooms where you should have a smoke detector.
- Basement
- Near the kitchen but away from ovens
- In every bedroom where someone sleeps
- In an outside hallway near any sleeping quarters
Additionally, you’ll want to keep smoke detectors away from drafts and humidity. If a smoke detector is installed near a drafty or humid area, it may not work well.
Here are places to avoid placing smoke detectors.
- Near windows
- Near doors
- Near vents
- Near bathrooms or laundry rooms (humidity can cause false positive alerts)
Finally, you want to place smoke detectors high on the wall, typically within a foot or so of the ceiling, or on the ceiling itself. Since smoke rises, putting the detector high up will help alert you to any potential fires in your home.
Checking Your Smoke Detector
Test your smoke detector monthly to make sure your smoke detector works properly. Reputable smoke detector brands will include an easy-to-use testing method, such as a button you press to ensure that it’s working.
Different brands may have different methods of telling you whether your smoke detector is working right. Good smoke detectors will typically have instructions on the back that tell you what to look for when testing the detector. Check the back side, where the batteries are installed or, if the detector is hardwired, on the underside of it, for more information about testing your smoke detector.
Don’t assume that if it’s not making noise that it’s working well. It may be that the detector’s batteries are dead or it’s malfunctioning.
Replacing Your Smoke Detector and Batteries
Smoke detectors generally last 10 years. However, it’s so important to replace the batteries on your smoke detector every year, even if the batteries say they have lots of life left in them. The cost to replace the batteries pales in comparison to what a fire could cost you.
Choose a date that you’ll easily remember, such as a holiday, birthday, or something like New Year’s Day, to replace your batteries.
Good smoke detector brands include a manufacture date directly on the detector. Review this date and then put a reminder on your phone or a calendar to consider replacing it 10 years from that date.
Using Smoke Detector & Carbon Monoxide Combos
While straight smoke detectors can last up to 10 years, smoke detector/carbon monoxide combos don’t last quite as long—they usually last about seven years.
Many reputable brands sell smoke and carbon monoxide detector combos. You may have heard an incorrect myth that carbon monoxide detectors work best closer to the floor—this isn’t true. Carbon monoxide is lighter than air, so it also rises, like smoke.
When installing combo detectors, it’s best to install them higher up on the wall. This will allow the detector to detect both smoke and carbon monoxide. It will also keep them from getting damaged or obscured by people, pets, and clutter.
However, do remember that carbon monoxide detectors don’t last as long as smoke detectors. This applies to combo detectors as well. So, if you have a combo detector, treat it like a straight carbon monoxide detector when it comes time to replace it—this means replacing combos every seven years.
Stay Prepared With Fire Extinguishers
In addition to having a smoke detector on each level of your home, be sure to have a charged fire extinguisher on each level as well. If you catch a fire early enough, having a fire extinguisher handy can minimize damage to your home.
In addition to having a fire extinguisher on every level, keep one in the kitchen and the garage. These are the two places where fires are most likely to erupt.
Finally, if you have a fire and aren’t sure whether you can put it out with the extinguisher, don’t try. Evacuate the home and call the fire department.
As you protect yourself against fires, consider protecting your entire home against breakdowns. A Home Service Plan (aka Home Warranty) from 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (2-10) can protect important things like your furnace, oven, and electrical system against the big costs of breakdowns.
