Preparation in the home is essential when protecting your family and home. For example, the first security measure for a home fire is a smoke alarm like the owl sensor to notify you with an alert to safely escape. Yet, every house is not the same, and the smoke alarm number and location vary. So, follow this guide to find out how many smoke alarms you need.
How Many Smoke Alarms Should You Install in Your Home?
According to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), you should install a smoke alarm on each home level. These include the basement, inside every sleeping quarter, and outside every sleeping area. So, a minimum of five smoke detectors are needed if you have a double-story house comprising three bedrooms.
Hence, you will have one in the cellar, one in each bedroom, and one placed outside each sleeping area. So, for example, if you have grouped bedrooms at the end of a foyer, you can put one smoke alarm at the end of your hall close to the bedrooms.
Still, there is no such thing as having too many to detect smoke. The important thing is to place them correctly. Learn more by vising GetOwlHome.com.
The Best Place for Smoke Alarms
You may not believe this, but there are the correct and incorrect ways of installing smoke alarms. For example, installing smoke detectors in the kitchen must be at least ten ft. away from your oven to minimize false alarms.
You need to place the smoke alarm high on ceilings and walls as smoke rises. For smoke detectors, ensure that the top of the device is 12 inches from the ceiling. Neither should you install a smoke alarm close to windows or vents, as this is where the smoke dissipates before it will set off the alarm.
Types of Smoke Alarms
You can find different smoke alarms. You get an ionization and photoelectric detector. Smoke detectors are programmed to sense a variety of smoke and fire. An ionization detector alarms when it detects flaming or fast-moving fires.
The photoelectric alarm sounds quicker with smoldering and smoky fires. Unfortunately, you will not know what fire is present in the home, and best to use a USFA recommended alarm and installation with these alarms.
You can find some smoke detectors equipped with sensors for both types of fires. These include the owl sensor that replaces your traditional smoke, carbon monoxide, and home monitoring system.
It is also a humidity detector with a built-in alarm that works as a security system and is Wi-Fi compatible, providing you with data using the mobile app. The best part is it comes with a backup battery powering the device if there is an outage.
Even the features are customizable with LED alerts to notify hazards present in the home.
Bottom Line
The important thing for you is to implement safety measures in the home, regardless of what brand you choose. For example, having multiple smoke alarms in your living space will increase the overall security for you and your family if ever a fire breaks out.