Spark Services Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms in California

Hard wired alarms, linked together, in the right rooms.

California requires alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every floor, and sealed ten year units are now the standard.

The short version

Linked alarms all sound together, which is the point.
Alarms expire. Ten years for smoke, and check the date on the back.
Carbon monoxide alarms are required wherever there is gas or a garage.
A chirp at night is almost always a low battery or an expired unit.

Where they go

One inside every bedroom, one outside each sleeping area in the hall, and at least one on every level including a basement. Carbon monoxide alarms are required in homes with any gas appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage.

Keep them away from the kitchen and the bathroom door to cut false alarms, and off the very peak of a sloped ceiling where air stalls.

Linked alarms

When alarms are linked, one going off sets them all off. In a two story home that is the difference between hearing a kitchen fire from an upstairs bedroom and not hearing it.

Older homes get linked with wireless units that talk to each other. New and remodeled homes get them hard wired with an interconnect wire and a battery for backup.

Why yours chirps

A single chirp every minute is usually a low battery. If it keeps chirping after a fresh battery, look at the date on the back. An expired alarm chirps to tell you it is done, and it cannot be reset.

Sealed ten year alarms remove the battery question. They cost more and you replace the whole unit at the end.

Questions people ask

How often should alarms be replaced

Smoke alarms every ten years and carbon monoxide alarms every seven to ten. The date is printed on the back.

Do I need an electrician for these

Not for battery units. Hard wired and linked systems are electrical work.

Are these required to sell a home

California requires working alarms at the time of sale. Escrow usually asks for it in writing.

Electricians who list alarms work

Google tells us very little about most businesses, so no listing names this work directly. Almost every electrician in the state does it. Start with the highest rated ones.