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Where to Install Your Smoke Detectors in Mobile
Homes and RVs
Mobile homes and RVs built after about 1978 were designed and insulated to be
energy-efficient. In mobile homes and RVs built after 1978, smoke detectors should
be installed as described above. Older mobile homes and RVs may have little or no
insulation compared to current standards. Outside walls and roofs are often made
of non-insulated metal, which can transfer thermal energy flow from outdoors. This
makes the air right next to them hotter or colder than the rest of the inside air.
These layers of hotter or colder air can keep smoke from reaching a smoke
detector. Thereby, install smoke detectors in such units only on inside walls. Place
them between 4 and 6 inches (10 ~ 15 cm) from the ceiling. If you are not sure how
much insulation is in your mobile home or RV, then install the detector on an inside
wall. If the walls or ceiling are unusually hot or cold, then install the detector on an
inside wall. Install one detector as close to the sleeping area as possible for
minimum security, or install one detector in each room for security. Before you
install any detector, please read the following section on "Where not to install your
smoke detectors".
Where Not to Install Your Smoke Detectors
False alarms occur when smoke detectors are installed where they will not work
properly. To avoid false alarms, do not install smoke detectors in the following
situations:
♦
Combustion particles are by-products of something burning. Do not install
smoke detectors in or near areas where combustion particles are present,
such as kitchens with few windows or poor ventilation, garages where there
may be vehicle exhaust, near furnaces, hot water heaters and space heaters.
♦
Do not install smoke detectors less than 6 meters (20 feet) away from places
where combustion particles are normally present, like kitchens. If a 20-foot
distance is not possible, e.g. in a mobile home, try to install the detector as far
away from the combustion particles as possible, preferably on the wall. To
prevent false alarms, provide good ventilation in such places.
IMPORTANT:
Never try to avoid false alarms by disabling the detector.
♦
Do not mount smoke detectors in the path of fresh air intake. The flow of fresh
air in and out can drive smoke away from the smoke detector; thus reducing its
efficiency. Figure 6 indicates the correct and incorrect locations concerning
this problem.
♦
Near paint thinner fumes.
♦
In close proximity to an automobile exhaust pipe; this will damage the detector.
♦
In damp or very humid areas or near bathrooms with showers. Moisture in
humid air can enter the sensing chamber, then turns into droplets upon
cooling, which can cause false alarms. Install smoke detectors at least 3
meters (10 feet) away from bathrooms.
6
2-Way Wireless Supervised Photoelectric Smoke Detector
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