Smoke & Heat Alarm Installation
Working smoke alarms give you the minutes you need to get out of a house fire. Battery alarms do a job, but batteries get taken out to stop the beeping and never go back in. Mains-powered alarms that are linked together, so they all sound when one detects a fire, are a far more reliable way to protect your family or your tenants.
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Minutes that matter in a fire
ICE Electrical installs mains-powered and interlinked smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms in homes and rental properties across London and the South East. Our NICEIC-approved electricians fit them in the right places, test them, and give you the paperwork to show they're working.
Call 03335775805 to get a Quote.
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Our smoke & heat alarms treatment process
Step 1 Contact
Tell us how many floors and bedrooms the property has, whether it's rented or an HMO, and which fuel-burning appliances are installed.
Step 2 The Quote
We recommend the right mix of smoke, heat and CO alarms for each room and give you a fixed price for supply, installation and testing.
Step 3 The Works
Our electrician fits mains-powered alarms with battery backup, interlinks them by cable or radio link and positions each one for the room it protects.
Step 4 After care
Every alarm is tested on completion. You receive a written record and certificate, ready for your own records or a landlord compliance file.
Emergency Hotline
03335775805
Helpline open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
When calling please have
the following ready:
- Your Name
- Company Name (if applicable)
- Site Postcode
- The problem you're having
- Email Address
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FAQs
Pricing & Payment
What affects the cost of installing mains smoke alarms?
The number of alarms, whether they're interlinked by cable or radio link, and how easy it is to reach a suitable power supply. Radio-linked alarms avoid lifting floors in finished homes. We'll recommend the best option and give you a fixed price.
Booking & Response Times
Can you install smoke alarms between tenancies?
Yes. Installing or replacing alarms between tenancies is ideal, as the property is empty and you need them working before the new tenancy starts. Let us know the move-in date and we'll schedule the work around it. We can also liaise with your letting agent to arrange keys and access.
The Work Itself
Do interlinked alarms need new wiring throughout the house?
Not necessarily. Hard-wired interlinks need a cable between alarms, but radio-linked models only need a power supply at each alarm and communicate wirelessly. We'll suggest the approach that causes the least disruption. Radio-linked systems still need each alarm to be mains-powered or fitted with a long-life sealed battery, depending on the system.
What is the difference between a smoke alarm and a heat alarm?
A smoke alarm detects smoke particles and suits hallways, landings and living areas. A heat alarm reacts to a rapid rise in temperature, so it's used in kitchens and garages where cooking fumes or dust would set off a smoke alarm.
Where should smoke alarms be fitted in a house?
At minimum, in the hallway and on every landing that forms an escape route. Many homes also benefit from alarms in the living room and bedrooms. Kitchens need a heat alarm rather than a smoke alarm to avoid false alarms.
Regulations & Compliance
What does BS 5839-6 mean for my home?
BS 5839-6 is the code of practice for fire detection in homes. It sets out how alarms should be powered and linked, and which rooms they should cover. We use it to design a system suited to the size and type of property.
What smoke alarms do landlords legally need in England?
Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, landlords must fit a smoke alarm on every storey used as living accommodation, and a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers. Alarms must work at the start of each tenancy.
Certificates & Paperwork
Will I get paperwork to prove my alarms are working?
Yes. You'll receive a written record showing the alarms installed, their locations and the test results, plus a certificate for the electrical work. Landlords can keep this in their compliance file for inspections. We send it by email so you can forward it to your letting agent.
Guarantees & Aftercare
How should I test my alarms after installation?
Press the test button on each alarm regularly. With interlinked alarms, pressing one should set off all of them, which confirms the link is working. If any alarm doesn't sound, contact us. Most manufacturers recommend testing weekly or monthly, so check the instructions we leave with you.
How often should smoke and heat alarms be replaced?
Most manufacturers recommend replacing alarms every ten years, and many show an expiry date on the side. If your alarms are near that age, or chirp even with fresh batteries, it's time for new ones. We can replace them with compatible units that use the existing wiring.
Our experts can arrive on site within 60 minutes
- COVID-19 secure
- Nationwide coverage, available 24/7
- Able to arrive within 60 minutes of your call
- Free survey provided prior to quotation
- Emergency response team
- Offer a bespoke service designed to suit all your needs
- All technicians hold professional health and safety qualifications, including BICSc, IOSH, IPAF & Safe Contractor
Which alarm goes where?
Smoke alarms go in hallways and landings, the escape route out of the house, and in living rooms and bedrooms where needed. Optical smoke alarms are usually preferred near bedrooms because they're good at detecting slow, smouldering fires.
Heat alarms go in kitchens. A smoke alarm in a kitchen would go off every time you made toast, so a heat alarm, which reacts to a rapid rise in temperature, does the job without the false alarms. They're also useful in garages and some utility rooms.
Carbon monoxide alarms go in rooms with a fixed fuel-burning appliance, such as a gas boiler, gas fire or wood burner.
Interlinked alarms
When alarms are interlinked, a fire detected in the kitchen sets off every alarm in the house. That matters most at night, when a fire downstairs might not wake anyone in a bedroom with the door closed. Alarms can be linked by cable or by radio link, which avoids lifting floors in a finished home.
The standard we work to
We design domestic fire alarm systems to BS 5839-6, the code of practice for fire detection in homes. It sets out the grade of system (how alarms are powered and connected) and the category (how much of the house is covered). For most family homes, that means mains-powered alarms with a battery backup, interlinked, covering the escape route and the rooms where fires are most likely to start.
Landlords: your legal duties
In England, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 require private landlords to:
- Fit at least one smoke alarm on every storey of the property used as living accommodation
- Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance (gas cookers are excluded)
- Make sure alarms are working at the start of each new tenancy
- Repair or replace faulty alarms once a tenant reports them
Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) often need a more extensive system, depending on their size and layout. We can install alarms to the standard your local authority expects and give you a record for your compliance file. If you also need an electrical safety inspection, see our landlord EICR page.
Replacing old alarms
Smoke and heat alarms don't last forever. Most manufacturers recommend replacing them every ten years, and many have the expiry date printed on the side. If your alarms are older than that, or chirp even with new batteries, it's time to replace them. Where possible, we'll fit compatible units that use the existing wiring.
For commercial premises, blocks of flats and larger systems, see fire alarm installation.
Why ICE Electrical for smoke and heat alarms
- Systems designed to BS 5839-6, with the right alarm type in each room
- Mains-powered alarms with battery backup, interlinked by cable or radio
- Alarm installations that help landlords meet the 2022 regulations
- Every alarm tested on completion, with a written record provided
- NICEIC-approved electricians who leave your home tidy
Protect your home or rental property
Tell us how many floors and bedrooms the property has, and whether it's rented, and we'll recommend the right system with a fixed price. Call 03335775805 or email enquiries@iceelectrical.co.uk or request a quote.