Smoke Alarm Installation, Testing, and Upgrades

Smoke alarms reduce the risk of death in a house fire by more than half, but to be effective the alarm must be working, correctly installed and maintained. DCSQ master electricians offer specialist smoke alarm installation, testing, maintenance, and hardwired, interconnected upgrades to ensure residents in your home have the earliest possible warning in the event of a fire.

Smoke Alarm Legislation Changes in Queensland

Queensland smoke alarm legislation has changed, requiring all substantially renovated residences and new properties approved after January 1st, 2017 to be fitted with interconnected, photoelectric smoke alarm systems. Every Rental property in Queensland must meet new rules set down by the Government by the 31st of December 2021.

There are approximately 500,000 rental properties in QLD, and with every property needing to be compliant by the deadline there is a good chance that some properties will not be ready in time. This means fines from the QFES for non compliance.

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Smoke Alarm Positioning and Locations

  • on each storey
  • in all bedrooms
  • in hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the house
  • if there's no hallway, between bedrooms and other parts of the storey
  • if there are no bedrooms on a storey, at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the home
  • All smoke alarms must be the photoelectric type.
  • Smoke alarms must be either hardwired to your home's mains power supply with a battery backup, or 10-year non-removable lithium battery powered alarms.
  • Smoke alarms are required to be interconnected with every smoke alarm in the dwelling so if one is triggered all activate together providing the best and earliest warning of a fire.
  • Interconnection can be either wired or wireless.

Why Use Photoelectric Smoke Alarms?

Photoelectric smoke alarms 'see' the smoke. These alarms detect visible particles of combustion. Photoelectric alarms are particularly responsive to smouldering fires which give off a lot of smoke. This style of smoke alarm provides residents with the earliest warning of a fire situation.

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