To effectively protect your home, install smoke detectors on every level, including basements and attics, inside each bedroom, and outside each sleeping area, preferably high on walls or ceilings, and away from drafts, vents, and cooking appliances.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• • Every Level: Ensure you have at least one smoke detector on each level of your home, including basements and attics. 

  • Bedrooms: Place a smoke detector inside every bedroom. 

  • Outside Sleeping Areas: Install a smoke detector outside each sleeping area, such as in hallways near bedrooms. 

  • High Placement: Since smoke rises, place smoke detectors high on walls or ceilings. 

  • Wall Placement: If mounting on a wall, place the smoke alarm within 12 inches of the ceiling. 

  • Avoid Drafty Areas: Don't install smoke detectors near windows, doors, or air ducts where drafts are present. 

  • Distance from Cooking Appliances: Keep smoke detectors at least 10 feet away from cooking appliances. 

  • Avoidance of False Alarms: Don't place smoke detectors directly over stoves or ranges, or near fireplaces or furnaces. 

  • Ceiling Fans and Vents: Avoid placing smoke detectors near ceiling fans or vents, as drafts can interfere with their operation. 

  • Interconnected Smoke Alarms: Consider interconnected smoke alarms, which go off simultaneously when one is triggered. 

Installation:

• When installing an alarm on the wall, the top edge of alarms should be placed between 4 inches (100 mm) and 12 inches (300 mm) from the wall/ceiling line.  

• When installing an alarm on the ceiling, place the alarm as close to the center as possible.  

• In either case, install the alarm at least 4 inches (100 mm) from where the wall and ceiling meet.