The Worst Places In Your House To Install A Smoke Detector
Have you ever had a smoke alarm that keeps going off, even when there’s no fire? It is incredibly frustrating to deal with those loud false alarms when you are just trying to feed your family. It actually comes down to where we place these little detectors in our homes. It turns out that putting them in the wrong spot is annoying and can actually be quite dangerous.
Right Inside The Kitchen
Our first instinct is always to put a fire alarm exactly where the fire happens. The kitchen seems like the most logical choice. However every time you boil water or sear a steak you send steam and harmless cooking smoke right up to the ceiling. Installing a detector directly inside the kitchen guarantees constant false alarms. You should actually place it in the hallway just outside the kitchen to keep from losing your mind.
Too Close To The Bathroom Door
I never realized that a hot shower could trigger a smoke alarm until it happened to me. Smoke detectors are incredibly sensitive to moisture and heavy humidity. When you open the bathroom door after a nice warm shower, a massive cloud of steam rolls right out into the hallway. If your detector is sitting too close to the bathroom it confuses that dense water vapor for smoke. Give your bathroom doors plenty of clearance.
Right Next To A Window
We love opening our windows on a beautiful spring day to let the fresh air inside. But installing a smoke detector right next to a window or an air conditioning vent is a major mistake. Any drafts from the moving air will actively blow real smoke away from the sensors. If a fire starts, the alarm might not catch the scent until it is too late. Keep them far away from any drafts.
Inside Your Garage
The garage feels like a place where a lot of accidents could happen with tools and chemicals. But a standard smoke detector will not survive out there very long. Garages are full of heavy dust and car exhaust that easily clog the delicate sensors inside the machine. Plus the extreme temperature changes during summer and winter completely ruin the internal battery. You need a specialized heat detector for a garage instead of a regular smoke alarm.
The Corner Of A Room
It is tempting to tuck these ugly white boxes deep into the corner of the ceiling where nobody can see them. But that sharp angle where the wall meets the ceiling creates a pocket of dead air. Smoke naturally rises and then rolls along the flat ceiling, skipping that tight corner entirely. The fire department recommends keeping your detectors at least a few inches away from any corners so the smoky air can actually reach them.
Too Close To Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans are wonderful for keeping the bedroom cool while you sleep. But you have to be very careful not to install a smoke detector right next to the spinning blades. Just like an open window, the fan creates a powerful circulation of air that pushes smoke away from the ceiling area. The fast moving air prevents the alarm from detecting a slow burning fire. Always give your ceiling fans a very wide berth.
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It is completely normal to feel a little bit overwhelmed when you start thinking about home safety. We just want to protect the people we love without constantly jumping at false fire alarms. Taking a quick walk through your house to check where your detectors are located can give you so much peace of mind. Let us keep our homes safe and quiet.
Bliss Donahue-Power
