The rules by home age
| Situation | What's required |
|---|---|
| Any home, any age | At least 1 working smoke alarm to AS 3786, on every level |
| Built or substantially renovated since 1 Jan 1995 | Hard-wired 240V alarms with battery backup |
| Home sold or transferred since 1 Feb 1998 | New owner has 6 months to install compliant alarms: hard-wired, or 10-year lithium battery alarms if the home predates 1995 |
| New home, extension or major renovation since 1 May 2014 | Interconnected alarms, so every alarm sounds when 1 detects smoke |
| Every alarm | Replace at 10 years from the date of manufacture |
Those are the requirements set under South Australia's development regulations and published by the SA Metropolitan Fire Service. We're electricians rather than the regulator, so if you're checking a specific obligation, the MFS website is the authoritative source and we'll happily point you to the right page.
Where alarms go
- Between the bedrooms and the rest of the home, on the ceiling of the hallway that serves the bedrooms.
- On every level of a multi-storey home, including the stairwell landing.
- In each bedroom is not mandatory in SA but it's recommended, especially for children's rooms and rooms with doors kept closed.
- Not in kitchens or bathrooms, where steam and cooking cause nuisance alarms. Put them in the adjoining hallway instead.
- At least 300mm from a wall or light fitting, and away from air conditioning outlets.
Photoelectric versus ionisation
Fire services across Australia recommend photoelectric alarms. They respond faster to the smouldering, smoky fires that kill people in their sleep and they're less prone to nuisance alarms from cooking. Ionisation alarms are being phased out of recommendations everywhere. If you're replacing alarms, photoelectric is the answer.
Hard-wired and interconnected
A hard-wired alarm runs off the mains with a battery for blackouts, so it never goes quiet because someone took the battery out for the TV remote. Interconnected alarms are wired (or paired wirelessly) so that smoke in the garage sets off the alarm in the bedroom. Installing hard-wired alarms is licensed electrical work in SA and comes with a Certificate of Compliance. A typical home takes an hour or two.
Maintenance
- Test each alarm monthly with the test button.
- Vacuum around the vents every 6 months to keep dust out of the chamber.
- Replace 9V backup batteries yearly if the alarm uses them. Many now have 10-year sealed batteries.
- Replace the whole alarm at 10 years. The manufacture date is on the back.
Our residential electricians install and replace hard-wired and interconnected alarms across Adelaide's western suburbs, usually alongside other work but on their own too. If you've just bought a home and the 6 months are ticking, it's a quick job.
Need this done rather than read about? See residential electrician or request a free quote.