Smoke alarm installation by licensed electricians in Melbourne

Smoke detectors are essential in a fire emergency and must be replaced every 10 years.

Do you know when your smoke alarms expire? Or what type of smoke alarm you have? Our expert electricians at Kenner Electrics have all the answers to keep your family and property safe.

If you're looking for a licensed local electrician you can trust to install smoke alarms in your Melbourne home, look no further! Our reliable electricians have installed thousands of high-quality smoke alarms in homes throughout Melbourne. Need more convincing? Just check out our 5-star reviews (or search us on Google).

Essential Smoke Alarm FAQs

Got questions about smoke alarms? Kenner Electrics has the answers!

All smoke alarms expire after 10 years! This means they must be replaced every 10 years to keep your home and family safe
Smoke alarms should be tested regularly to ensure they are working correctly
Photoelectric smoke alarms are recommended by the MFB and the CFA for home smoke alarms as they are more effective at detecting common home fires than older style ionisation smoke detectors
Hard-wired smoke alarms offer the added security of having 2 sources of power; mains power for everyday use and a battery back-up in case of power failure
Interconnected smoke alarms ensure that everyone in your house will hear the alarm in event of a fire emergency
Smoke alarms must be hard-wired, interconnected and installed on each level of your home and within 1.5m of bedroom doors to meet the Building Code of Australia (BCA or NCC)

If you have more questions than these quick FAQs can answer, feel free to give our friendly office team a call today.

Rechargeable Smoke Alarms Now Available!

Forget the hassle of having to remember to change the batteries every year!

Do you want to avoid the hassle of changing your smoke alarm batteries every year? With the integration of modern Lithium-Ion batteries, there are now smoke alarms with batteries that will last the full 10 year lifetime of the smoke alarm.

Kenner Electrics recommends hard wired smoke alarms with a rechargeable 10 year battery for reliability and ease of use. These alarms are hardwired to 240V mains power and also have a lithium ion backup battery that is rechargeable. Technological developments mean that these batteries will last the whole 10 year life of the alarm. Rechargeable smoke alarms might cost slightly more but you don’t have to spend around $90 on new batteries for the 10 year life of the alarm! Whether you're a property manager looking to install working smoke alarms in a rental premises, or just want to secure your own home - we are here to help!

Kenner Electrics also offers high quality 10 year battery only smoke alarms with wireless interconnection for those hard to access locations. Smoke alarms are compulsory, and it’s vital to have one smoke alarm in every bedroom and living area. When a smoke alarm activates or a smoke alarm emits a sound, you can rest assured knowing your safety is prioritised. For those with specific needs, we provide specialised smoke alarms to ensure all requirements are met.

Kenner Electrics installs quality Clipsal photoelectric smoke alarms.

Kenner Electrics licensed electrician installing a photoelectric smoke alarm Melbourne

Why Choose Kenner Electrics?

Kenner Electrics is your trusted local electrician. We have a friendly and professional team of highly qualified, experienced and licensed electricians ready to handle all your commercial and residential electrical needs.

We provide up-front pricing with a clear explanation of the work required to avoid cost overruns. We provide prompt and efficient service and prioritise safety on each and every job. We are fully insured, licensed and accredited, we're a member of the National Electrical & Communications Association, and we are a registered electrical contractor with Energy Safe Victoria. We always provide compliance certificates for all completed electrical installation work.

We're one of the top rated electricians in Melbourne with over 300 genuine 5-star reviews from residential and business customers just like you.

Call our friendly team on (03) 9996 0663 or contact us online now.

Common Problems with Smoke Alarms

Do your smoke alarms have any of these problems? Or are you unsure? It's always better to be safe than sorry when your family's safety is on the line during a fire emergency. Luckily, our electricians at Kenner Electrics are experts at all-things-smoke-alarms and are more than happy to answer your questions.

Incorrect location – When we are asleep, we lose our sense of smell which eliminates one of our natural early warning systems for fire. This means that smoke alarms near all bedrooms are vital for waking us up and giving us enough time to get to safety.
Dead air zones – dead air zones are where air becomes trapped, generally in the corners of rooms, the very top of cathedral ceilings or between exposed beams. Because of limited air movement, smoke may not trigger an alarm if the smoke alarm is installed in these areas
Not interconnected – if a smoke alarm at the other end of your house is triggered, you may not hear it especially if you are sleeping
Ionisation smoke alarms – this older type of smoke alarm is not as well suited to quickly detecting typical smouldering house fires, which gives you less time to get to react and get to safety
Nuisance triggering – ionisation smoke alarms are prone to nuisance triggering from kitchen cooking smoke, so some people just disconnect them to avoid the noise. This ‘human error’ makes them a less reliable safety tool
No back-up power – smoke alarms that depend on a 9V battery only do not have a back-up power source if the battery fails
Forget to change the battery – if you forget to change the batteries, then your smoke alarms may not warn you in the event of a fire!
Inconvenience – digging out the ladder to change your smoke alarm batteries every year is a pain, why not upgrade to a rechargeable version?
Lack of awareness of expiry dates – many people do not know that their smoke alarms expire. This means they maybe unprotected in the event of a fire as smoke alarms become less reliable with age
Not tested regularly – the Melbourne Fire Brigade recommends testing your smoke alarms monthly, and vacuuming and replacing the battery every year (if required)
Chirping sound – this indicates a ‘fault condition’ which is usually caused by a flat battery. Check out our smoke alarm troubleshooting guide for chirping, sirening or other issues

What You Need To Know About Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms are so important for the safety of your home and your family. No one likes to think about their house catching fire, so smoke alarms are often overlooked. But with advancements in technology and updates to regulations, having your smoke alarms checked has never been so important.

Here's a quick overview of the most important things to know about smoke alarms:

Expiry Date

All smoke alarms have a strict working lifetime of 10 years, and will require replacement when they reach the expiry date. This is the same for all types of smoke alarms, whether you have photoelectric or ionisation, hardwired or battery alarms in your home.

Photoelectric vs Ionisation Types

Newer photoelectric smoke alarms are more effective at detecting slow burning, smouldering fires. These are the most common type of housefires, so photoelectric alarms are the best at giving you and your family early warning of danger. Photoelectric smoke alarms use light sensors to detect smoke particles and are recommended by the MFB and the CFA.

Ionisation smoke alarms are older technology that use radioactive material to detect smoke. They are good at detecting kitchen oil fires and well-established fires, but may not give you and your family the same early-warning as photoelectric versions. Because of the radioactive material, ionisation alarms are difficult to dispose of safely.

Location and Interconnection

Interconnected smoke alarms ensure everyone in the house hears the warning! The Building Code of Australia states that smoke alarms in Victorian residential properties must be located within 1.5m of every bedroom door and at every change of level in your home. New smoke alarms must also be interconnected (either wired or wirelessly) so that all alarms go off when one is triggered.

Hard Wired vs Battery

The main types of power sources for smoke alarms are:

9V battery only - Battery only smoke alarms require the battery to be changed every year. As there is no hardwired power source, there is no back-up if the battery fails or dies. Because of these limitations, the Building Code of Australia states that all homes built or renovated after 1997 must have hardwired smoke alarms.

Hardwired with 9V battery - Hardwired smoke alarms are connected to the 240Vmains power in your house. They have a 9V battery backup in case of a power outage which requires replacement every year. These alarms are more reliable and comply with building standards.

Hardwired with rechargeable battery - This option is hardwired to the 240V mains power in your house and has a rechargeable lithium battery that won’t require replacement for the 10 year life of the alarm. This is the best and most reliable alarm.

Rechargeable battery only - This battery option has a rechargeable lithium battery that will last the whole 10 years of your alarm. A major benefit is that they can be installed in areas where it is difficult to get cables

Other Types of Detectors

Smart Smoke Detectors

Upgrade to a smart smoke detector that connects to your smart device and notifies you whenever the alarm goes off. It will also send you a reminder when the batteries need replacing, and allows you to test the alarm without getting the ladder out.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

There are smoke alarm options that also detect carbon monoxide (CO) to protect your family from gas heater faults.

Local Electrician replacing a photelectric smoke alarm on ceiling for fire emergencies

Kenner Electrics were recommended to me by a friend. I have been extremely impressed by their service. From the first phone call and booking in a time, to arriving punctually and more importantly the work done. Again very professional in providing a fully written quote before commencing the work to completion and care taken. Tim and Max went above and beyond what I expected. Their workmanship is thorough and they undertake an electrical safety inspection as an added service for free. I strongly recommend this company without reservation.

Yvonne

Port Melbourne

I had a seamless experience with Kenner Electrics. They were so responsive to my enquiry about installing a bathroom fan. Here in days, quote and installed so quickly. They are really transparent and take you through all the options and did a great job and cleaned up so nicely afterwards. Couldn’t recommend them more and will be using them again in the future. Thanks Ray for all your help!

Jess

Armadale

I always get great service from Kenner and that's why I always go back to them. The booking and follow up is always first class. Our sparky Adam knew exactly what to look for and did some fantastic fault finding to discover a dodgy power point. I'd definitely recommend Kenner to anyone.

Jimmy

Malvern East

Tim has completed a couple of jobs for me including replacing some LED lights in my kitchen, and updating my switchboard which he found was not fully protected. On all his visits, he was most professional, knowledgeable and experienced. He was courteous and willing to explain exactly what was wrong and how he would fix it. Outstanding. Shannon in the office obviously knows her job well. She organised everything, scheduling a time that suited me, and made sure everything went smoothly. Outstanding again. Tim was always on time, and called about 30 minutes before each visit. Overall a very professional outfit. I will use Kenner again, and thoroughly recommend them.

Ken

Vermont

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