Question

Where do you guys have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your homes, whether they are monitored or not? I just moved into a new house and it only had a smoke detector in the first floor hallway. I don’t want to go over board but want to be safe. I bought a couple packs from Costco of 10 year battery life First Alert alarms, I was going to put one in each of the 4 bedrooms. Then I also got two 10 year battery CO2 alarms, I was going to put one in the basement by the stairs since the mechanical room is down there and one on the second floor hallway since all the bedrooms are up there. I also ordered 3 simplisafe smoke alarms so the house can be monitored when we are not home. I was going to put one of those on each level in the hallways of each floor for a more central location. Would any of you guys do things differently? I’m not really interested in hardwired alarms or getting smart alarms, just asking about the placement and number of alarms. Thanks.  

Answer 1

It sounds like you are on the right track. In Canada the electrical code calls for a smoke detector in each bedroom. I am also putting one in the hallways outside the bedrooms. I am installing them high on the wall (not on the ceiling as I have 9 foot ceilings). It is unlikely that I will put one near the kitchen since the code does not call for it and it typically goes off when we are cooking. For the carbon monoxide I will be installing them as a plug in low on the wall in the basement and main floor. I don’t think the call for a smoke or co2 in the garage because the car exhaust could set them off. A heat detector might be a good option for the garage.  

Comments

Make sure the smoke detectors are not on a gfi or arc fault circuit and that they are all interconnected with 14/3 house wiring. You should power them off your kitchen light circuit so you will know if the breaker is off.  

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Also, you want CO Detectors to be at breathing level. CO Settles since it's heavier than regular air.  

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@tinhorn46 since co2 is heavier than air wouldn’t it make sense to have the detector closer to the floor so it gives an earlier detection?  

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You're not worried about CO2, Carbon Dioxide isn't the killer in homes. CO, Carbon Monoxide is the silent killer in homes. You can put it close to the floor, just not at floor level. It's best to keep it between 3-6' off the ground because corners are known to create dead air spaces.  

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@tinhorn46 CO is slightly lighter than air, not heavier. It is close enough in density that it mixes uniformly so putting the detector at breathing level is what is recommended.  

Answer 2

One in each sleeping area , one nearby the kitchen , one in the garage. One anywhere there is a potential fire such as gas water heater. Hardwired is your best option because they are interconnected. I’m surprised that the house only had one detector my single story has 10 smoke detectors.  

Answer 3

A new house doesn't have smoke detectors everywhere? I'm not sure that's code

Comments

@dru26735 Exactly! Insurance might be an issue if there is ever a claim

Answer 4

One in the laundry room is a good idea as well. Dryers pose a risk for fire.  

Answer 5

I put nest in both upstairs bedrooms, the highest point near the kitchen living room(kind of a mistake because I learned I have to hit the button to silence), and one in the basement near the steps. I think this is code now in Indiana. I ran 12-3 wire so there is a signal wire to connect if needed.  

Answer 6

I’ve installed dumb hard wired ones but connected them to my smart home via an Arduino. Cheap, smart, linked, no batteries  Can get voice announcements and notifications to tell me what’s going on.  

Answer 7

We have them in every room but the bathrooms.  

Answer 8

Code defines where they should be I stalled and what goes where. Start there and dont guess. If it is a new build house, it is not to code and should not have been approved - check that it was or you will own that problem downstream.  

Answer 9

But yeah, at the minimum, one in each bedroom, hallway, etc as @lixivium3 said. We have hardwired smoke in our condo. Bug I also went with the combo zwave. Then I also have a separate carbon monoxide on the floor of each room. This is not zwave or wired in anyway.  

Answer 10

In our old house one outside each bedroom and one in the main rooms

Answer 11

One carbon monoxide on each floor. Smoke detector in each bedroom upstairs and one downstairs.  

Answer 12

CO at breathing level roughly 5 feet. One foot away from any corner and 15 feet away from anything that disturbs the air: vents, fans, window openings, etc. Common area and within 15 feet of bedrooms.  

Answer 13

In my first house (now a rental for us) it was a 2 family and I went overboard. I have one in every bedroom, living room, kitchen, attic, basement, entry way. I used the first alert Zwave combo co/smoke alarm. I am now in the process of changing them to nest battery because my tenants tend not to change the batteries in them (their responsibility not mine). I’ll have about 12 used units sitting around that were once hooked up to my SmartThings hub (not sure what to do with them).  

Answer 14

Smoke - one in each room, except kitchen. CO in utility room, garage, outside kitchen, attic. I dont think you can go overboard with safety.  

Comments

Agree, and if you are going to go overboard, do it with safety related stuff.  

Answer 15

My one level house has them in bedrooms, hallways (by bedrooms), living room (in the area closer to the kitchen). That’s it. My house was built in 2008. I don’t have CO as I only have electric.