Wall Mounted Smoke Detector Coverage

Mount smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings remember smoke rises.

Wall mounted smoke detector coverage.

Because carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air and also because it may be found with warm rising air detectors should be placed on a wall about 5 feet above the floor. Wall mounted alarms should be installed not more than 12 inches away from the ceiling to the top of the alarm. According to section 5 7 3 2 nfpa 72 2007 edition spot type smoke detectors can be mounted either on the side wall or ceiling. The research foundation initiated this project to review available literature and standards and perform a gap analysis related to the impact of ceiling height and detector spacing on smoke detection performance to inform the nfpa 72 technical committee.

Do not place the detector right next to or over a fireplace or flame producing appliance. For smoke detectors the individual coverage can be represented by a square measuring 10 6m x 10 6m giving a coverage of 112m per device which is usually approximated to 100m. With heat detectors this figure is 7 5m x 7 5m giving an area of coverage of 56m per device which is rounded down to 50m. Smoke detector spacing for high ceiling spaces.

In practice this simply results in drawing a 21 foot circle 0 7 x 30 foot spacing 21 feet around each detector and making sure that every point on the ceiling is covered. If you have ceilings that are pitched install the alarm within 3 feet of the peak but not within the apex of the peak four inches down from the peak. If you have ceilings that are pitched install the alarm within 3 feet of the peak but not within the apex of the peak four inches down from the peak. 10 cm from side walls.

When using the side wall mount the device no closer than 4 inches from the ceiling. On site it would simply result in making sure every spot on the ceiling is within 21 feet of a smoke detector. Wall mounted alarms should be installed not more than 12 inches away from the ceiling to the top of the alarm. Mount smoke alarms high on walls or ceilings remember smoke rises.

The detector may be placed on the ceiling. Alternate heat detector coverage configurations listed spacing 30 ft. Experts say photoelectric smoke detectors generally won t cause as many false alarms but for the ultimate in safety they recommend opting for a smoke detector with both types of sensors. When installed on the ceiling spot type heat detectors must be located a minimum of 4 in.