Buying and Installing Smoke Alarms

What does a smoke alarm do?

Smoke Alarms alert you to the presence of smoke within a property. This may seem obvious but it’s not uncommon for smoke detectors, fire alarms, sprinkler systems and so on to all be lumped together as the same type of thing. So to be specific, a smoke alarm is a safety device that detects the presence of smoke and sounds an alarm to alert people within the property of potential danger from smoke and fire. Photoelectric smoke alarms are a legal requirement in Queensland, due to their superior detection of smouldering fires – the most common fires occurring in residential properties. These alarms function by aiming a light source into a sensing chamber. When smoke particles enter the chamber, the light is reflected onto the sensor which triggers the alarm.

Are smoke alarms essential?

Dependable smoke alarms are essential for all properties on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. They’re essential because functioning alarms are the best way to protect people from the dangers of smoke and fire and they’re essential for protecting the property itself from those same dangers. But if you’re wanting to rent or sell a property in Queensland after January 1st, 2022, smoke alarms are also essential because it’s the law. Regulations mandate that all properties for sale or rent be upgraded to meet current smoke alarm legislation. These are all undeniable reasons to ensure your own property is sufficiently protected by smoke alarms. Today we’re going to help explain how you can meet these requirements.

Which smoke alarm should you buy?

Even within the parameters of photoelectric smoke alarms that meet fire safety laws, not all smoke alarms are created equal. You’ll find lots to consider as you balance affordability against various pros and cons. It may be tempting to buy smoke alarms at the lowest possible cost because you think a fire is so unlikely that it’s hard to justify a significant investment. But the cost of fire damage to your property can be huge and in terms of human life, that cost is beyond measure. We’ve curated a selection of smoke alarms we have confidence in, so that you can make an informed choice.

Emerald Alarms

Emerald is a 100% Australian-owned company with a focus on energy-efficient innovation and cost-effectiveness. While Emerald strikes a balance of reliability and affordability, these alarms don’t have quite the humidity tolerance and temperature range of some of their higher-priced competitors. As they are only designed to withstand humidity of up to 85% and a temperature range of 5°C to 45°C, the unique environmental challenges of Queensland weather does increase the potential for these smoke alarms to false alarm more than our other brands. Nonetheless, they remain an excellent, affordable, entry-level product that meets legislative requirements for fire safety.

Clipsal

A globally recognised brand with over a century’s worth of experience designing and manufacturing quality electrical products, Clipsal is a popular but more expensive alternative to Emerald. Compared to Emerald, Clipsal products are more capable when it comes to the humidity and temperature we can experience on the Sunshine Coast. A humidity tolerance of 95% and a temperature range of 0°C to 45°C reduces the chance of false alarms, making Clipsal a reliable choice for protecting property and life.

Cavius

The preferred choice among home sellers, homeowners, landlords and property managers, Cavius is a Danish brand that prides itself on a fusion of technology and aesthetics. Stylishly-designed and featuring an optimal chamber size and fire detection algorithm, these alarms are the most robust when it comes to resisting false alarms caused by humidity and temperature. The humidity tolerance matches Clipsal’s 95% but the temperature range of -10°C to 70°C makes Cavius’s alarms the best-suited to the Sunshine Coast’s sub-tropical climate. For that balance of price, reliability and style, Cavius is our most popular smoke alarm.

Professional Installation, or DIY?

We’ve outlined the smoke alarm brands we confidently stand by, but ultimately, the brand you choose is meaningless if the alarms aren’t correctly installed. Smoke alarms must be placed in locations stipulated by current smoke alarm legislation. Placing alarms in the wrong positions not only means your property does not meet legislative requirements but may also decrease the alarm’s ability to detect smoke, delaying the alarm in alerting you to a fire.

The other real issue with alarm placement is making sure each device is optimally located in terms of having the best possible chance of detecting smoke within each room. An investment in quality smoke alarms is wasted if they’re in locations that reduces the chance of smoke entering the sensing chamber.

False alarms are to be avoided at all costs. The sound is, by design, impossible to ignore, which can get very annoying very quickly. But more critically, over time those frequent false alarms can encourage residents to take them less seriously: it’s basically like your alarms are “crying wolf”. The relaxed and dismissive attitude fostered by false alarms can create real danger should that alarm one day be triggered by the genuine presence of smoke or fire.
For all of these reasons, we recommend the services of a professional smoke alarm installer. Their experience and expertise in the science of smoke alarms results in optimum placement to maximise smoke detection and minimise false alarms. Another consideration when opting for a professional installer is knowing that your alarms will be connected to the correct electrical circuit. This can avoid false alarms being triggered by the added electrical noise that comes with alarms sharing a circuit with other devices.

How much does it cost?

Here at Coast Smoke Alarms, we offer the same per-device smoke alarm upgrade pricing whether the property you’re upgrading is the one you live in, the one you rent, the one you manage or one you’d like to sell.

For the entry-level choice of Emerald Alarms, it’s $134 per alarm.

For the alternative choice of Clipsal Alarms, it’s $169 per alarm.

For the preferred choice of Cavius Alarms, it’s $155 per alarm.

Regardless of the brand you choose, all prices include GST and most importantly, all prices include professional installation. This gives you the comfort of knowing that every single alarm in the property has been correctly located, installed and tested, increasing effectiveness and decreasing the potential for false alarms. Your alarms will be properly interconnected so that if one goes off, they all go off. This way, it doesn’t matter where in the house smoke is detected, everybody will hear the alarm, even if they’re asleep in a room with the door closed. This adds vital time for everybody to get to safety.

Finally, our professional smoke alarm upgrade means that the property meets the latest requirements of the Fire and Emergency Services (Domestic Smoke Alarms) Amendment Bill 2016, avoiding the costs and consequence of non-compliance.

Some things are too important to take chances on.

For professional smoke alarm installation on the Sunshine Coast, Coast Smoke Alarms are unmatched for professionalism, dedication and the commitment to keeping you, your property and your loved ones safe from the danger of smoke and fire.