The installation of smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms in your home or investment property is essential in providing early warning of fire or poisionous CO gas and providing you with the precious time which may be vital to your survival.
In South Australia legislation is in place to make smoke alarms compulsory for all residential buildings. Home owners are required by regulation 76B under the Development Act, to install nonremovable 10 year battery powered or hardwired (240V mains powered) smoke alarms.
Note: All houses built since 1st January 1995 must be equipped with hard wired smoke alarms. All other houses must be equipped with at least 9 volt battery powered smoke alarms. When a house with a 9 volt battery powered smoke alarm is sold, the new owner has six months to install alarms which are hard wired to the 240 volt power supply or powered by a 10 year non-replaceable, non-removable batteries. Penalties do apply for non-compliance.
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Why do I need a smoke alarm?
Firstly it is required by Law. Secondly smoke alarms provide an early alarm to the presence of smoke, especially while you are asleep, so you and your loved ones can get to safety or prevent the fire from spreading, if it's safe to do so. Smoke obscures vision and causes intense irritation to the eyes. This, combined with the effects of the poisons in the smoke like carbon monoxide, which can cause disorientation, impaired judgement and panic reducing the victims ability to find an exit. Most fire related deaths result from the inhalation of toxic fire gases rather than from direct contact with flame or exposure to heat. The earlier smoke is detected the higher the chances of survival.
Types of alarms
We recommend & use Photoelectric Smoke Alarms
Photoelectric Smoke Alarms
These smoke alarms have been identified as providing the best detection across a range of fires. They detect tiny smoke particles, the visible products of combustion and are the most effective in the case of smouldering fires. They are suitable for installation near kitchens or in area containing combustion heaters or open fires.
For homes which already have ionisation alarms we recommend that they either be supplemented by additional photoelectric smoke alarms or simply replaced with photoelectric smoke alarms.
The MFS recommends that the best protection is provided by photoelectric smoke alarms, which are hard wired to the 240V power supply and interconnected to give the earliest warning possible.
Heat Alarms/Detectors
There are situations where heat detectors or a combiantion of heat, smoke and/or CO detection is required to be used instead of smoke alarms that are not suitable in specific locations, such as your roof space or garage. These alarms detect heat above 60° or 80°C and have a much higher resilience to dust than smoke alarms in these dusty environments.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms/Detectors detect the presence of CO gas, a tasteless, colourless, odourless toxic gas produce by burning carbon based fuels like wood, coal, natural gas and petroleum fuels.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a potentially fatal illness that occurs when people breathe in CO gas. Should you become affected by CO poising you need to vacate the area to open air and call for medical assistance immediately.
Symptoms associated with CO poising include headache, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, personality changes, emotional behaviour or extreme swings in emotions, blurred vision, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, confusion and loss of consciousness.
Installing a CO detector will alert you and your family to dangerous levels of CO gases present before it is too late. They may also be interlinked with your smoke alarm system.
Should you have a wood conbustion or gas appliance whether for heating or cooking, BMS Electrical Services has you covered, just call our office, and speak to one of our friendly staff who will assist you with the installation of CO detectors to suit your requirements.
Maintenance & Testing
Alarms should be cleaned in line with the manufacturers instructions, at least every six months remove dust, lint or cobwebs from the outside of the alarm using a soft brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner. Once a month test your alarm to ensure it is working. Test the back up battery of a hard wired 240V alarm by isolating the power supply (main switch or circuit breaker) before pushing the test button. Generally you should change the back up battery in your alarm every 12 months if it is a 9V Alkaline back up battery.
All alarms have a recommended service of life of 10 years under normal operating conditions.
Interconnection of Smoke Alarms
The MFS recommends that where two or more smoke alarms are installed that they be interconnected. Both the ionisation and photo-electric types of smoke alarm are available as interconnectable alarms whether wired or wireless.
For existing dwellings Regulation 76B of Development Regulations does not require multiple smoke alarms to be interconnected. However from the 1st May 2014 any new additions or extensions to existing dwellings that requires more than one smoke alarm then these smoke alarms will have to be interconnected. You are not required to interconnect with any other smoke alarms in the existing dwelling. For any subsequent additions or extensions that require a smoke alarm they must interconnect with any other smoke alarms installed as part of an extension or addition lodged for building rules consent after 1st May 2014.
We recommend and use Brooks, Clipsal and PSA Life Saver smoke alarms.
Brooks - More information Clipsal - More information PSA - More Information
Installation pricing based on standard installation: (Single Storey, Brick Vaneer, Pitched Roof) All pricing is subject to change witout notification.
Smoke Alarms
| Type | Supply & Install | Subsequent | Supply & Replace existing | Subsequent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipsal 240V with rechargeable lithium back up battery smoke alarm | $239.00 inc. | $229.00 inc. (interlinking costs will be additional) | $229.00 inc. | $199.00 inc. |
| Clipsal 240V with 9V back up battery smoke alarm | $229.00 inc. | $219.00 inc. (interlinking costs will be additional) | $219.00 inc. | $189.00 inc. |
| Recommended - Brooks 10 year Lithium battery only smoke alarm | $239.00 inc. | $219.00 inc. (interlinking costs will be additional) | $229.00 inc. | $199.00inc. |
| Recommended - Brooks 240V with rechargeable lithium back up battery smoke alarm | $269.00 inc. | $239.00 inc. (interlinking costs will be additional) | $249.00 inc. | $219.00 inc. |
Heat & Carbon Monoxide (co) Alarms
| Type | Supply & Install | Subsequent | Supply & Replace existing | Subsequent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO Detector - Hard wired Recommended - Brooks 240V with rechargeable lithium back up battery CO detector | $420.00 inc | $350.00 inc. (interlinking costs will be additional) | $359.00 inc. | $299.00 inc. |
| CO Detector - Battery only Recommended - Brooks 10 year Lithium battery only CO detector | $319.00 inc. | $249.00 inc. (interlinking costs will be additional) | $319.00 inc. | $249.00 inc. |
| Detector Wireless interlinking module Brooks SmartLINK EIB3000MRF Module Suitable only for all Brooks Detectors | $319.00 inc. | $249.00 inc. | $319.00 inc. | $249.00 inc. |
What is the cost of Interconnecting Alarms?
The cost of interconnecting smoke alarms is dependent upon the distance between the smoke alarms and the construction of the property (ease in wiring from one smoke alarm to another) and thus can only be completed on a time and materials basis.
Indicative pricing based on a single storey 3 bedroom home would be from approximately $85 to $110 per wired interconnection. Our Electricians can provide you with a fixed price quotation when on-site.
