Smoke Alarms
Spot it
A bedroom with no alarm inside it; a level of the house (often the basement) with none at all; an alarm that hasn't been tested in months, chirps for a battery, or is more than 10 years old; alarms that each sound on their own instead of together.
Fix it
Put smoke alarms inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement, and test each one once a month. That is NFPA's and the U.S. Fire Administration's advice. Both say interconnected alarms are best, so when one sounds, they all sound. Mount alarms on the ceiling or high on a wall, at least 10 feet from the stove to cut false alarms (NFPA). Replace the batteries in 9-volt alarms, and the backup battery in hardwired ones, at least once a year, and replace the whole alarm when it is 10 years old (USFA). Check the date on the back.
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Press the test button on every smoke alarm once a monthHabit
Free; NFPA and USFA both advise a monthly test
Fresh batteries for 9-volt alarms and hardwired alarms' backups, at least once a year
USFA's battery schedule; sealed 10-year alarms don't need this
Interconnected smoke alarms inside and outside every bedroom and on every level
NFPA and USFA both say interconnected is best; replace any alarm older than 10 years
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
- NFPA: roughly 3 out of 5 home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms — National Fire Protection Association, 2018 (how we check this source)
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
Related checks
- Carbon Monoxide Alarms (Whole Home) — Some alarms combine smoke and CO sensing in one unit.