Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are such a small investment for preventing what could be a seriously harmful situation for you and your family. Many building departments will require that smoke and CO detectors be brought up to code when a repair, alteration or addition of any kind takes place within the house. This could be as simple as a bathroom remodel, kitchen update or finishing your basement - all the way up to a full-on addition.
When I complete inspections in residences, smoke and CO detectors are usually one of the very first things I bring up to homeowner or contractor. I let them know that they will need to be up to code before calling for their final inspection.
Current code requires that all smoke and CO detectors be wired together (so that if one gets triggered, then they will all sound), plus have a battery back up. In older existing houses, it can sometimes be difficult to wire them all together. In this instance, your inspector may require that only accessible areas be wired in while other areas are satisfactory with battery operated units. Now that new technology is providing ways to connect all smoke and CO detectors wirelessly, it may become less common to get away with only adding the battery powered units. Be prepared for your inspector to ask for something like this, especially in states that have adopted the 2021 IRC or later.
If locations of smoke and CO detectors is a little foggy, I can help! Here is the general breakdown on where you should plan to install your detectors:
Smoke Alarms:
- A least one smoke detector is required on each floor, including unfinished basements, habitable attics, or mechanical rooms.
- One smoke detector is required in each bedroom.
- One detector is required to be adjacent to each bedroom (usually in the hallway or immediate vacinity outside the bedrooms).
Notes: Smoke detectors should be installed at least 3ft away from bathrooms with a shower or tub. Unlike what you might think, smoke detectors are not required next to cooking appliances. The IRC actually puts stimpulations on how close you can be. Ionization smake alarms must be 20ft from a cooking appliance, while a photoelectric smoke alarm must be at least 6ft away. (horizontally)
Carbon Monoxide Alarms:
Carbon monoxide alarms are much easier to desipher requirements. If you have a gas appliance (stove, dryer, fireplace, etc.) or an attached garage, then CO alarms are required.
- Carbon monoxide alarms are required in the immediate vicinity, outside of all bedrooms.
- Any bedroom with a gas appliance in it shall have a carbon monoxide alarm in that bedroom as well.
Most of the time, it is easiest to get combination smoke and CO alarms for the detectors outside the bedrooms which will then satisfy your requirement for CO detectors.
Note: In the state and city where I work, we ask for CO detectors on each floor reguardless of if there is a bedroom on that floor or not. I would suggest installing combination smoke and CO detectors on each floor. Why not be a little safer and requirement for the smoke alarms is already there?
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