This means that all smoke alarms must conform to BS EN14604:2005, all heat alarms must conform to BS 5446-2:2003 and carbon monoxide detectors must conform to British Kitemark EN 50291-1. This essentially states that from February 1st 2022, it became law that all homes must now have interlinked fire alarms. “What does ‘interlinked' mean?” Very simply, all fire alarms in your home must now be connected together on one system, meaning that when one of them goes off, they all go off.
This is because, depending on where you are in your home, you may not hear your fire alarm sound in another room. If you've got the stove on, and have taken some time to relax in the lounge with a podcast on and your headphones in, this could spell disaster for your home. Now, with the new smoke alarm regulations, in the horrific event that the kitchen catches fire and the alarm goes off, the alarm in your lounge will go off too. This will alert you to the danger quickly, saving your home from damage and, possibly, saving your life.
With a few little adjustments, you can get your home in line with the new government regulations, keep yourself and your family secure and get on with your life in safety and comfort. This begs the question – what actually are the new rules? Here's a quick rundown:
Every home must now have 1 smoke alarm in the room in which you spend most of the day. That could be the lounge, or living room as long as it is the room where you spend most of your time when you're not asleep.
There must be a smoke alarm in every “circulation space.” That includes hallways, landing and any other area which you pass through when moving about your home.
The kitchen must have a heat detector and this must be interlinked with any other heat detectors.
All alarms must be fixed upon the ceiling and be interlinked, as we previously mentioned. This does not include CO2 detectors, which can be wall mounted or left free standing on a flat surface. CO2 detectors do not need to be interlinked and should be installed near any carbon-fueled appliance (boilers/ cookers).
That's basically it! Here at Blackstone Builders, we're always on top of the latest regulations and, as it happens, we're also experts at fire alarm installation.
If you need a hand getting your home in line with the newest government regulations, just give us a call on 07711 811 577 and we'll be along to get it sorted!