Our electricians are always available to install smoke alarms in Sunshine Coast homes or business
For those not yet aware, changes to Queensland smoke alarm legislation will have an impact on all rental properties by 2022 and owner occupied properties by 2027.
The new legislation specifies the type, positioning, and interconnectedness of alarms, which are critical factors for an early warning and quick escape. Discover how the new legislation affects you.
Required Type of Smoke Alarm
Photoelectric Smoke Detectors (Australian Standard 3786-2014) detect smoke from slow flaming fires which are more common in house fires. The current ionisation are made to detect fast flaming fires and are slower to respond to smoke.
Positioning of Smoke Detectors
The rules are very specific about where smoke alarms have to be placed. The new legislation requires they must be installed on:
- Each storey
- In each bedroom
- In hallways which connect bedrooms with the rest of the dwelling; or if there is no hallway, between the 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 dwelling.
The number of smoke alarms to be installed will depend on the size and structure of your home.
Interconnecting Smoke Alarms
What this means is that your new smoke alarms must be either hardwired (by an electrician) interconnected photoelectric alarms or 10 year lithium interconnected photoelectric alarms (which work via radio frequency).
New Homes or Extensive Renovations
While that means there is no need to hurry, it does mean that new builds and substantially renovated homes require interconnected (hard wired) Australian Standard (AS) 3786-2014 photoelectric smoke alarms in all bedrooms, in hallways where bedrooms are connected, and on each and every level of the residence.
This applies to homes where building applications were lodged after 1 January 2017.
Existing Homes
Requirements for other homes will be phased in over 10 years. Interconnected AS 3786-2014 photoelectric smoke alarms will be required from:
1 January 2022 in all homes leased and sold
1 January 2027 in all other homes.
Updating Your Current Smoke Alarms
In the meantime, if a homeowner replaces a legally required smoke alarm in an existing dwelling, it must be replaced with a photoelectric smoke alarm that complies with Australian Standard 3786:2014.
If that smoke alarm is powered by 240 volts, it must be replaced with a 240-volt smoke alarm.
If the smoke alarm is not powered by 240 volts, it may be replaced with tamper-proof, 10-year battery smoke alarm.
Protect your family, property and/or your business and give Ralph Ottmann Electrical a call today.
Our electrical team can advise you on the best locations for all smoke detectors and create a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of your home and family.
The type, positioning and interconnectedness of smoke alarms are crucial to ensuring how effective a smoke alarm is in alerting people to the presence of a fire.