How many smoke detectors does your house have?

[gingersmom]

I am moving and before I sell my house I have to have a fire department smoke detector/fire extinguisher inspection.

 

I just got details and I need to have 5 smoke detectors in 1400 square feet. Its insane.

 

I have one in basement (makes sense)

 

I have one outside bedrooms on first floor (makes sense). Then about 5 feet away I have to install another one at the base of the stairs (??)

 

You go up stairs and their has to be another one at the top of the stairs (seriously?). Then about 2 feet away there is another one outside the upstairs bedrooms.

 

I also have to have a fire extinguisher mounted in my kitchen.

 

I'm all for being safe but this is serious overkill.

 

:banghead:

[Mrs Mungo]

There has been one at the top of the stairs in every multi-level home that we have lived in. This is because of how smoke rises and spreads. We had a fire extinguisher under the sink in our last 2 homes.

[gingersmom]

There has been one at the top of the stairs in every multi-level home that we have lived in. This is because of how smoke rises and spreads. We had a fire extinguisher under the sink in our last 2 homes.

 

 

There is one already upstairs about 2 feet away from the top of the stairs but apparently that is not adequate. Within a space of 5 feet there will be two smoke detectors. :confused1: I just think its looking pretty ugly and think my buyer is going to think I lost my mind.

 

Under the sink would not pass muster, it has to be wall mounted. Which to me makes no sense. Its mounted to the wall with a strap across it. Its tricky to remove the strap and for me at least would be useless in case of fire (it would take forever for me to get undone)

 

My new house has 3500 square feet, has less smoke detectors and the fire extinguisher is in the pantry closet.

[TrixieB]

Six.

 

One in each bedroom. One at the top of each stairway. One at the bottom of the entry stairway. This is what the code required at the time our house was built. The smoke detectors are all wired into a central system and each detector has a separate 9V battery for backup.

 

ETA: 1200 sf house. Thank goodness Costco sells big packs of 9V batteries. Oh, and my fire extinguisher sits on the kitchen counter.

[*Lulu*]

6

>2000 sq feet

[BarbecueMom]

Seven in 1400sf plus a finished basement. One in each bedroom (there's four), one in the hall, one at the bottom of the stairs in the play room and one in the man cave. There might be an eighth somewhere, but DH does the battery replacement. All I know is that I spend a small fortune on 9V batteries twice a year.

 

Our extinguisher is in the garage right outside the door from the kitchen.

[Soror]

6 upstairs - wallmounted extinguisher as well and we don't have those codes in the county But having been through a house fire it doesn't seem like overkill but good protection.

[snowbeltmom]

The smoke detectors are all wired into a central system and each detector has a separate 9V battery for backup.

 

Our smoke detectors are all connected into a central system as well in our current house. The kids and the cats hate it because now my kitchen mishaps set off all the smoke alarms, not just the one in the kitchen. We have 12 smoke detectors plus whatever is in the basement.

[Arcadia]

I have two smoke detectors which are about 5m apart in my 865sqft unit. One is at the hallway and one is in the only bedroom. The fire extinguisher is on the corridor just outside my front door. I don't know what are the rules for condos/apartments though. We have a carbon monoxide alarm because its the law in California to have one in each sleeping area.

[Tammi K]

One in every bedroom, outside the bedroom hall, and one on every level above the stairs.....

Here in Alaska where everything is priced just a bit higher, you can get smoke detectors at Home Depot for $5.00. Really, just buy the amount the fire inspector is requiring and move on. Selling a home is hard enough without adding to your worries and in the long run spending the few dollars to buy the three extra you need is not worth the mental stress.

[gingersmom]

One in every bedroom, outside the bedroom hall, and one on every level above the stairs.....

Here in Alaska where everything is priced just a bit higher, you can get smoke detectors at Home Depot for $5.00. Really, just buy the amount the fire inspector is requiring and move on. Selling a home is hard enough without adding to your worries and in the long run spending the few dollars to buy the three extra you need is not worth the mental stress.

 

It was never about the money.

[Tammi K]

 

 

It was never about the money.

 

Oh, I know, and I didn't mean to sound snarky. I just know all of the crap you need to deal with when you sell a house, and was just meaning to give you a 'don't let it get you down' pep-talk.

 

When we sold one of our homes (we've moved a lot due to DH's job) we had to have it lead paint tested 3 times in one year! First it was a new law requiring landlords to test all rentals. So we did. Then, the renters left and we had to retest before the next renters came in - just a few months later. So, we did. Then the renters backed out and we decided to sell. Guess what you have to do before selling...get it lead tested. The 'renter's test' wasn't good enough. We had to do it all over again. The windows in that house were tested 3 times in about 7 months.

 

It was a waste of time and money. And, it drove me to the brink of frustration having to arrange it and pay for it. But, during that time, DH wisely told me just to let it go and that, "ten years from now it wouldn't bother me."

 

So, here I am trying to pass that advice on to you. Deep breath...let it go. (But, really. I get it. Way more detectors than you probably need!)

 

Hugs!!!

[Tammy (TX)]

At least 7, but my husband is the fire chief. :laugh:

[Pawz4me]

We have eight. Only one downstairs, seven upstairs. And yes, some of the ones upstairs are only a few feet apart. Our house is around 2,750 square feet. I think building codes for newer homes in most areas now require that all smoke alarms be wired so that if one goes off they all go off. We keep our kitchen fire extinguisher in the pantry, away from the appliances that would be likely sources of fire. We have a mounted one in the RV, and once you get used to the strap it's very easy to get it out.

[gingersmom]

At least 7, but my husband is the fire chief. :laugh:

 

 

I bought my house from a firefighter.

 

The rules changed 5 years ago warranting more smoke detectors.

 

 

[Mommyof4ks]

I have 6, but we are foster parents, so we need them in each bedroom and in the hallways and kitchen. We do not have to mount our fire extinguisher though, as long as we put it in the kitchen with a big ugly sign on the pantry door stating it is in there. :)

[Tap]

2200sq ft 7 smoke detectors.

 

 

 

2x main downstairs living areas

4x bedrooms

1 upstairs hall

 

as far as reselling and ugliness....I doubt anyone will even notice they are there.

[Lisa in SC]

In SC, current code requires one smoke detector on each floor, one detector inside each bedroom, and one outside of bedrooms within 10 feet of bedroom doors (so the number there would depend upon bedroom placement). There is no fire extinguisher/sprinkler system code requirement in our municipality.

 

In our 5 bedroom, 2 story home, we have 9 smoke detectors in order to meet the code requirements.

 

ETA: I meant to add that while there is no fire extinguisher requirement, we do have one in the kitchen and one in the garage. The one in the garage is wall mounted, but the one in the kitchen is under the sink.

[elegantlion]

3 in an 1100sf house. Fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink. I need to add one near the bedrooms I think, thanks for the reminder.

[KungFuPanda]

One in each bedroom, both hallways, and the kitchen . . . so six. We had to rebuild last year when a tree fell on the house. The new codes required us to have this many AND they're hard wired to the electrical system. If you burn something, you can't just pull the battery. When the go off, you can hear it about six houses away. On top of the alarm, a bored voice says either "fire . . . fire . . ." or "carbon monoxide." It's obnoxious.

[kewb]

We have 3 smoke detectors. One at the top of the basement stairs. One at the bottom of the staircase leading to the 2nd floor. The final one is in the upstairs hallway between the bedrooms.

Carbon Monoxide detectors in all the bedrooms.

[melmichigan]

Well, we have a 2200 sq. ft. house, 5 bedrooms, and we have 14.

 

10 of them are wired in, 9 photoelectric, and 1 ionic (in the basement by the furnace). The other 4 are not wired in and are ionic, 1 in the mud room that connects to the garage, 1 just outside the kitchen (other side of the header), and 1 in each of the two bedrooms closest to the kitchen. So the basement, living room (just outside kitchen so the alarm doesn't go off when cooking), and two bedrooms closest to the kitchen have one of each kind.

[6packofun]

Seven...our landlord was a fire fighter/fire chief for many years!

[dsmith]

We have 7 smoke/CO detectors, plus 2 smoke/CO/explosive gas detectors. A few of them are the talking type, and they are LOUD!! We bought these when we witnessed ds sleeping right through the regular smoke detector going off over his head. He didn't even twitch!! The one that talks does random tests, and went off at 2 AM once. It scared the heck out of him!!! And me!! We have 4 floors including the basement and attic, with 4 bedrooms, not sure how many square feet.

[Live2Ride]

One in each room, one in the hallway, one in the dining/kitchen/living area. We own a 1400 sq ft house.

[Julie Smith]

We have 4. One on each level of the house. Our house square foot wise is pretty small.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Our home is approx 1600 sq feet and we have 6. Yes, 6! But that's not it....

 

.....we have sprinklers in the ceiling in every room. LOL! :)

[Chelli]

Only one for our 1,500 sq. foot house. It's in the hallway right outside all of the bedroom doors.

 

No fire extinguisher.

 

No idea what our fire codes are,

 

After reading how many all of you have. I am suddenly feeling unprotected. :huh:

[Amy in NH]

2400 sq ft and we have 3: One on each level. The top floor is at the top of the stairs, which is just outside the bedroom doors. The main floor has one just up from the cellar stairs next to the kitchen. The basement detector is next to the furnace. We have fire extinguishers in the kitchen, laundry room, and garage.

[Laura Corin]

One in each room (4 bedrooms, two sitting rooms, one library) plus two in hallways. Nine, I think.

 

FWIW, according to recent statistics, the UK fire service's work load has dropped by 40% in the last ten years, mostly - it is said - due to increased use of smoke detectors.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

Duplicate

[lynn]

One in everyroom except the bathrooms.

[kiwik]

One at the moment but usually two. Unit is 70 sq m so approx 700 sq feet. Bedrooms open of lounge so smoke detectors are on on bedroom side of lounge. One photoelectric (just died) and one ionic. Kitchen opens off other side, garage off lichen.

[linders]

We have 8. In most places now, fire codes require a smoke detector inside every bedroom and one in every hallway outside a bedroom (to give warning to those inside when a door is closed. We have 4 bedrooms, 3 hallways, plus I had one added in the bonus room upstairs.

[Heather in Neverland]

Zero. Most homes here do not. In fact, I have not seen a smoke detector anywhere since I moved here. I've been told it is because all the homes and buildings are made of steel and concrete (wood is way too expensive here).

[Laura Corin]

Zero. Most homes here do not. In fact, I have not seen a smoke detector anywhere since I moved here. I've been told it is because all the homes and buildings are made of steel and concrete (wood is way too expensive here).

 

 

Furnishings go up quite effectively. And produce deadly fumes in the process that would not be legal in Western countries.

 

Seriously though, I had to import smoke detectors when we lived in Hong Kong and China. I think it was worthwhile. In both those places, people were still at the strive-and-cope stage, not the how-can-we-be-safe stage. My impression when I visited was that Malaysia was at that stage too.

 

Laura

[TheReader]

Zero. Most homes here do not. In fact, I have not seen a smoke detector anywhere since I moved here. I've been told it is because all the homes and buildings are made of steel and concrete (wood is way too expensive here).

 

 

Same here. The homes are all built of concrete, no wood, and I've never seen a smoke detector even available to buy.

 

On the flip side, our apartment did have a fire extinguisher (our houses have not had; we're in our 3rd home here), as does our car. Cars have to, by law.

 

Our last US house I think we had 2 -- one in the kitchen, one in the hallway.....

[Heather in Neverland]

 

 

Furnishings go up quite effectively. And produce deadly fumes in the process that would not be legal in Western countries.

 

Seriously though, I had to import smoke detectors when we lived in Hong Kong and China. I think it was worthwhile. In both those places, people were still at the strive-and-cope stage, not the how-can-we-be-safe stage. My impression when I visited was that Malaysia was at that stage too.

 

Laura

 

 

That is a very accurate description! I have never seen a smoke detector in a store here. So importing them would be key.

 

The only fires we have seen here have happened in all the ramshackle kampung neighborhoods. Their homes are made of scraps of wood and when a fire starts, the whole neighborhood burns down quickly. It is quite sad.

[Cindy in FL.]

We have three. One on the upstairs landing (there's just a large master bedroom up there), one outside the downstairs master, and one in the hallway outside the other two bedrooms. After reading how many some houses have, I wonder if we have enough.

[delaney]

Here in VA when we built 10 years ago they had to have 1 in every bedroom, 1 in the upstairs hall, one in the foyer downstairs, one at the top of the cellar stairs, and like 3 in the basement since we put in rooms down there. We are hardwired with battery backup and EVERY home should have at least 2 carbon monoxide detectors imho.

[delaney]

We have three. One on the upstairs landing (there's just a large master bedroom up there), one outside the downstairs master, and one in the hallway outside the other two bedrooms. After reading how many some houses have, I wonder if we have enough.

 

If bedroom doors are closed at night then no.

[xixstar]

Only one for our 1,500 sq. foot house. It's in the hallway right outside all of the bedroom doors.

 

No fire extinguisher.

 

No idea what our fire codes are,

 

After reading how many all of you have. I am suddenly feeling unprotected. :huh:

 

 

You and me both. We have 1,500 sq feet and 2 - one in the dining room and one at the top of the stairs. We do have 2 fire extinguishers.

 

Adding smoke detectors to the shopping list and feeling lame that I didn't even know that more is more. Here I was excited to find out just this week that the 2 we have are connected. Been here for 6 years and just discovered that when one goes off, so does the other.

[Soror]

I forgot we do have a dual carbon monoxide/smoke detecter in the basement as we are planning to hook up gas heat for back-up it is the main room, which is most of the space(no hallway) and 1 in each of the 2 bedrooms, it is about 1000 sf total.

[melmichigan]

Here in VA when we built 10 years ago they had to have 1 in every bedroom, 1 in the upstairs hall, one in the foyer downstairs, one at the top of the cellar stairs, and like 3 in the basement since we put in rooms down there. We are hardwired with battery backup and EVERY home should have at least 2 carbon monoxide detectors imho.

 

 

Thanks for the reminder, our carbon monoxide detector bit the dust.

[Julie Smith]

Our home is approx 1600 sq feet and we have 6. Yes, 6! But that's not it....

 

.....we have sprinklers in the ceiling in every room. LOL! :)

 

I would hate that if they were as senestive as my smoke alarms.

 

:$ I "test" the one in the kitchen area at least every 3 weeks. I couldn't imagine if I had sprinklers go off that often.

[annandatje]

We have them in every room of house except bathrooms, dining room and book nook. We also have one in upstairs hallway, in a couple of large closets and in garage.

[Georgiana Daniels]

 

I would hate that if they were as senestive as my smoke alarms.

 

:$ I "test" the one in the kitchen area at least every 3 weeks. I couldn't imagine if I had sprinklers go off that often.

 

 

That's what I thought at first too! One morning we first moved in and were leaving early for vacation, my husband cooked something that spilled over and BANG!--all the smoke detectors went off. I was just waiting for the sprinklers to start, ruin all our new furniture, and miss our flight.

 

Lo and behold, the sprinklers didn't go off and we turned off the detectors. Later, my friend who does lots of building inspections said that sprinklers go off only when they reach a certain temperature (ie, come into contact with flames) and the little thingy inside them breaks. They don't go off in sync with the detectors. Who knew?

[SailorMom]

10 in 3000 sq feet.

[Guest]

I've never counted all of them. I'll have to do that and I'll post back when I'm finished.

[Guest]

Okay, we have seven in 2,700 sq. ft. I think we could use another one. Is there supposed to be one in the kitchen?