How Many Smoke Alarms Does My Home Need?
Most Queensland homes need between 4 and 6 smoke alarms: one in every bedroom, one in each connecting hallway, and one on every storey. Here's how that works for typical Gold Coast homes, with the cost of each.
How Many Smoke Alarms Does a Queensland Home Need?
A Queensland home needs one smoke alarm in every bedroom, one in each hallway that connects bedrooms to the rest of the home, and at least one on every storey. Most 3 and 4 bedroom Gold Coast homes need between 4 and 6 alarms.
- In every bedroom, and any room people sleep in.
- In every hallway that connects bedrooms to the rest of the home.
- Where there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and the rest of that storey.
- On a storey with no bedrooms, in the most likely path of travel out of the home.
Every alarm must also be photoelectric and interconnected with all the others. Our guide to the Queensland smoke alarm laws covers the full requirements.
How Many Smoke Alarms Do Typical Gold Coast Homes Need?
A 2-bedroom unit usually needs 3 smoke alarms, a single-storey 3-bedroom house needs 4, a two-storey 3-bedroom house needs 5, and a 4-bedroom house with two hallways or two storeys usually needs 6.
| Home | Alarms | At $119 each |
|---|---|---|
| 2-bedroom unit 2 bedrooms that open onto one hallway. | 3 | $357 |
| 3-bedroom house, single storey 3 bedrooms plus the hallway they open onto. | 4 | $476 |
| 3-bedroom house, two storey 3 bedrooms and the hallway upstairs, plus one downstairs in the way out. | 5 | $595 |
| 4-bedroom house, single storey 4 bedrooms that all open onto one hallway. | 5 | $595 |
| 4-bedroom house, split layout Bedrooms off two separate hallways need an alarm in each hallway. | 6 | $714 |
| 4-bedroom house, two storey 4 bedrooms and the hallway upstairs, plus one downstairs in the way out. | 6 | $714 |
Examples only, based on wireless alarms or hardwired alarms replaced in the same spot. Every home is different, so we confirm the exact number on site and agree the price with you before any work starts. There is a $149 minimum per visit. See our full price list.
Where Should a Smoke Alarm Go in a Room?
On the ceiling where practicable, at least 300mm from any corner or light fitting and at least 400mm from air-conditioning vents and ceiling fan blades.
The Queensland Fire Department's installation sheet also says to avoid "dead air space", such as the peak of a raked ceiling, where trapped hot air can stop smoke reaching the alarm. Stairways, sloping ceilings and exposed beams have extra rules. Avoid putting alarms in or just outside bathrooms, because steam sets them off.
Most people think they need a smoke alarm in or near the kitchen. That isn't the case. Smoke alarms are now only required in bedrooms, in the areas that connect the bedrooms to the rest of the home (usually a hallway), and at least one on every level of the house.
If you think about it, a smoke alarm in the kitchen would go off every time someone burns the toast. Now that all the alarms are interconnected, every alarm in the house would go off with it, and that's very loud.
Nick James, owner and licensed electrician
What Do Homes Most Often Get Wrong?
The most common gaps are a storey with no alarm, a missing hallway alarm, a study used as a bedroom with no alarm, alarms that aren't interconnected, and alarms more than 10 years old.
- No alarm on a level without bedrooms, such as a downstairs living area. Every storey needs one.
- A missing hallway alarm when bedrooms open off two different hallways.
- Alarms that aren't interconnected, so one going off doesn't set off the others.
- Old alarms. Any alarm more than 10 years past its manufacture date must be replaced, even if it still works.
Sources
- Fire Services Act 1990 (Qld), Part 9, Division 5A, current reprint
- Queensland Fire Department - Smoke alarms
- Queensland Fire Department - Smoke alarm installation information sheet
Related Guides
Common Questions
Do I need a smoke alarm in the kitchen?
No. Queensland's rules don't require a smoke alarm in the kitchen, and cooking fumes cause false alarms. If an alarm near the kitchen keeps going off, the law lets you move it to another spot that still warns everyone in the home.
Does a study or spare room need a smoke alarm?
Every bedroom needs one, and so does any room people sleep in. If a study or spare room is used as a bedroom, it needs a smoke alarm.
Do smoke alarms on different storeys need to be interconnected?
Yes. Every smoke alarm in a Queensland home must be interconnected with every other alarm in the home, on every storey, so they all sound together.
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