Alarm Siting

Siting Smoke and Heat Alarms

• Alarms should be sited on the ceiling, as centrally as possible within the room/area they are installed.
• Site alarms 300mm from walls, light fittings or any obstructions – this is to ensure that they are outside of any ‘dead air’ spaces that occur in corners and spaces where the airflow may be blocked.
• There should be an alarm within 3 metres of every bedroom door to ensure audibility
• Alarms should be positioned between high-risk rooms and bedrooms
• Alarms should not be sited within bathrooms or too close to a bathroom door as steam and moisture can affect them.

Siting Carbon Monoxide Alarms

When installing Carbon Monoxide alarms it is important to note that there are different siting requirements depending upon if the alarm is being installed in the room with the fuel-burning appliance or not.

In a room with the fuel burning appliance:

• Alarms should be sited on the ceiling
• Should be fitted between 1m–3m from all potential sources of Carbon Monoxide
• Sited 300mm from walls, light fittings or any obstructions – this is to ensure that they are outside of any ‘dead air’ spaces that occur in corners and spaces where the airflow may be blocked
• If the fuel burning appliance is in a confined space for example, a boiler room, then the alarm should be sited on the ceiling just outside the room

In a room without a fuel burning appliance:

• Alarms should be sited at breathing height
• If installed within a bedroom, this could be at the height of the bedhead