Are smoke alarms mandatory in NSW?

By Electrician To The Rescue | 9 May, 2020

Not many people are aware that a large percentage of house fires are caused due to electrical faults. These fires can be very dangerous and can cause harm to life and property. What makes this fact even more startling is that many of these fires could have been detected before they went out of hand and caused any damage. This could have easily been achieved by getting smoke detectors installed on your property.

Smoke alarm facts

Getting these devices installed the best way to prevent a fire catastrophe from taking place. We at Electrician to the Rescue have put together a list of some basic smoke detector facts:

  • Today, it’s mandatory for all new structures (commercial as well as residential properties) to have operational and effective smoke detectors installed on every storey. If you live on an older property and have got a lot of a renovation work done, it’s mandatory that you get these devices installed as well. As per the law that was passed in 1997, it was required that at least one of these detectors be hard-wired into the electrical mains
  • However, in 2009 there was an amendment to this act and now before any residential properties are sold, they are required to have main-powered smoke detectors installed on every floor.
  • With reference to rental properties, the owner is required to get smoke detectors installed in the house/building before any new tenants move in.

Smoke alarms in more detail

  • It’s a device that’s designed to alert the people on the property, in case there is a breakout of fire. The alarm goes off when it detects smoke
  • The smoke detectors have to be attached either to the walls/ceilings
  • They are battery-powered devices and you have to ensure that the batteries are replaced on a regular basis
  • You can hardwire these devices into the electrical system on your property as well

There are 2 primary kinds of smoke detectors:

  • Photoelectric smoke detector– The light on this device gets altered in case there is smoke and the alarm gets activated
  • Ionisation smoke detectors– The integrated ionisation chamber in it has minute quantities of a radioactive material (that’s not harmful), which quickly identifies the smoke and sets off the alarm.

Contact the expert residential electricians

If you aren’t too sure about which type of smoke detector will work best for you, simply call us and we will send out our experts to your property. They will survey the space, understand your requirements and then provide different options that will work for you and fit into your budget. We have been operating in this space for a number of years and provide prompt, reliable and cost-effective electrical services.

Posted in FAQ