Smoke detectors are the cheapest life-safety devices in your home and the most commonly neglected. Batteries die, units age out, and older homes often have too few detectors in the wrong places. Carbon monoxide detectors get even less attention, though any home with gas appliances or an attached garage should have them.
We install hardwired smoke and CO detectors with battery backup, interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound. Placed where code requires them, they give your family the earliest possible warning.
Where code requires detectors
Current code is specific about placement, and most older homes do not meet it. Requirements call for a smoke detector in each bedroom, one outside each sleeping area in the hallway, and at least one on every level of the home including the basement where applicable. Newer standards also call for detectors to be interconnected.
CO detectors are required where fuel-burning appliances or attached garages create the risk. We survey the home, map the required locations, and install to meet the standard, not just to fill a quota.
Hardwired with battery backup
Hardwired detectors draw primary power from the house electrical system, so they are not depending on a battery you remembered to change. The battery backup keeps them working through a power outage, which is exactly when risks like generator-related CO can be highest.
Interconnection is the other half: when the detector in the far bedroom senses smoke at 2 a.m., every detector in the house sounds. That is the difference between a warning and a wake-up.
10-year sealed-battery units
Where hardwiring is not practical, we install 10-year sealed-battery detectors. The battery is built in and rated for the life of the unit, so there is nothing to change and no 3 a.m. low-battery chirp. When the ten years are up, you replace the whole detector, which is what manufacturers recommend anyway since sensors degrade with age.
Detectors do not last forever. If yours are over ten years old, yellowed, or of unknown age, replacement is overdue regardless of type.
Common questions
How many smoke detectors does my home need?
Code calls for one in each bedroom, one outside each sleeping area, and at least one on every level. Most three-bedroom, two-story homes need six or more. We count them properly during the visit.
Do I need carbon monoxide detectors too?
If your home has gas appliances, a fireplace, or an attached garage, yes. CO is odorless and colorless, and a detector is the only way to know it is there. We install combination smoke and CO units where both are needed.
Why do my detectors chirp at night?
The classic low-battery chirp, often noticed at night when the house is quiet and cooler temperatures drop battery voltage. Sealed 10-year units eliminate this entirely, and hardwired units with fresh backup batteries rarely do it.
Can you interconnect my existing detectors?
If they are hardwired units of compatible type, often yes. If they are old standalone battery units, replacement with interconnected hardwired or wireless-interconnect units is the better path. We assess what you have first.
How often should detectors be replaced?
Every ten years from the manufacture date, which is printed on the unit. Sensors lose sensitivity with age and dust. If you cannot find a date on yours, assume they are overdue.
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(561) 786-1337