Renovations and How New Household Fixtures Affect Your 2022 Smoke Alarm Compliance

From 1 January 2022 all Queensland rental properties will have to comply to the new smoke alarm legislation. Although the majority of properties’ smoke alarms have yet to be upgraded to the legislation, there are many that are prepared and have completed the necessary work. However, these preparations can be ruined by a few simple home renovations.

Smoke Alarm Solutions has uncovered a new issue where a property’s 2022 compliance becomes compromised because new electrical household fixtures have been installed after the brand new smoke alarms have been installed. By changing the below household fixtures, you could be affecting a property’s smoke alarm compliance.

Light Fittings

Lights can cause electromagnetic interference with a smoke alarm which then may cause false alarms. This can be a huge annoyance to tenants, especially when alarms are interconnected, and they may be tempted to remove the smoke alarm. Because of this interference, legislation mandates that smoke alarms must not be within 300mm of a light fitting.

Swapping incandescent lights for LED or Fluorescent lights is becoming more common as these lights run cooler and are more efficient. However, these lights often require larger fittings which can move a light closer to a smoke alarm and within the exclusion zone.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are known to interfere with smoke alarm sensors. When too close to an alarm the airflow from the fan can prevent smoke from reaching the sensor. Therefore, legislation states that smoke alarms must not be placed within 400mm of the blades of a ceiling fan.

Many landlords installed ceiling fans over the summer into the bedrooms of their homes to help beat the Queensland heat. This has caused a wave of compliance issues since 2022 smoke alarms are in every bedroom of the home – alongside these new ceiling fans.

Air Conditioners

Similar to ceiling fans, air conditioning units create an airflow that interferes with a smoke alarm sensor. Legislation states that smoke alarms must not be placed within 400mm of an air conditioning vent.

Over the summer, many air conditioning units were installed in homes compromising their new smoke alarm compliance.

What Does This Mean?

Many landlords are unaware of these stipulations and are breaching them by installing these fixtures right next to their new smoke alarms. Should a landlord alter their property with these installations and then seek a compliance report there are costs involved. If the property fails the compliance report, this will then cost landlords even more money in rectification work because they either have to move the smoke alarm or household fixture/s to comply.

When installing a new smoke alarm system it is best to contact an expert installer, like Smoke Alarm Solutions, to ensure your property is compliant and your investment is safe. On attendance, we are able to tell you exactly where your smoke alarms need to go and how many smoke alarms you need for your property to comply to the new legislation.