Combined Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Alarms that combine both smoke detection and CO alarm protection in one ceiling-mounted unit. This reduces costs and takes up less of your living space. An aspirating smoke detector (ASD) or 'Sniffer Unit' is a system often used in fire protection. An ASD system consists of one central detection unit which will draw air through numerous pipes to detect carbon/smoke. Take extra care if you need to leave the kitchen whilst cooking, take pans off the heat or turn them down to avoid risk. As smoke enters, the infrared light is scattered onto the photodiode light receptor, triggering an alarm. They detect the larger smoke particles from slower smouldering fires.

To get the best response from your alarm, it should go in the centre of the ceiling and away from obstructions or dead spaces, such as where the walls and ceiling join. Now that the alarms law has changed in Scotland, you'll need to install interlinked heat and smoke alarms in your home. For maximum protection an alarm should be fitted in every room (except bathrooms) You should choose the type most suited to the risk in each room. For minimum protection the number to be fitted will depend on the type of home you live in: Heat Alarms: They detect the increase in temperature from a fire and are insensitive to smoke. They can therefore be installed in kitchens. They only cover a relatively small area of a room, so potentially several heat alarms need to be installed in a large kitchen.Buying and fitting smoke alarms, and ensuring they are carefully and properly maintained, could give you those precious few extra minutes in which to make your escape safely. It goes without saying that every home should have a smoke alarm. You never know when you might need it, and it might save your life. Spark devices are safer than matches or lighters to light gas cookers, because they don’t have a naked flame. Interlinked smoke and heat alarms will need to be mains powered or come with a sealed battery rather than with replaceable batteries. Where should I place smoke alarms? If your home has more than one floor, at least one alarm should be fitted on each level. In this case a combination of optical and ionisation alarms, preferably interconnected, will give the best protection.

You should be able to hear it clearly across the whole space it is intended to cover, so bear this in mind as you look around your home and consider the risks.

If you have a TV or other large electrical appliance in your bedroom, you should fit a smoke alarm there. Looking after your smoke alarm The latter are pricier when you buy for the first time, but you won't have to factor in the expense of replacement battery costs. Depending on the size and layout of your home, a heat alarm in the kitchen and optical smoke alarms in the common areas of each floor could be adequate. If you own a Nest smoke and CO alarm, you will be able to continue to use it but it will need to be in addition to interlinked smoke and heat alarms.

On a lighter note, Google’s data also revealed that the day when smoke alarms are most likely to sound in the UK is pancake day. Is the Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm suitable for homes in Scotland now that the law has changed? Wireless devices communicate with each other and other devices without the use of connecting wires. This can be through interlinking by radio or through wi-fi. Combined Optical Smoke and Heat Alarms: Combinations of optical and heat alarms in one unit to reduce false alarms while increasing the speed of detection. Test them by pressing the button until the alarm sounds. If it doesn’t sound, you need to replace the battery. The regulations state that all homes will need a smoke alarm to be installed in the most used room, which is likely to be the living room in most homes. And an interlinked heat alarm will need to be needed in the kitchen.

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Optical smoke alarms use infrared to detect smoke and are good for detecting slow burning electrical fires. Steam and smoke from cooking is less likely to trigger a false alarm making them a good choice for living rooms, dining rooms, halls and landings. Optical: These are more expensive but more effective at detecting larger particles of smoke produced by slow-burning fires, such as smouldering foam-filled upholstery and overheated PVC wiring. They are marginally less sensitive to fast flaming fires. Optical alarms can be installed near (not in) kitchens, as they are less likely than ionisation alarms to go off when toast is burned. Ten-year sealed battery smoke alarms are the best option. They are slightly more expensive, but you save on the cost of replacing batteries.

The smoke alarm and heat alarm laws changed in February 2022. Since then, all homes in Scotland have needed to have interlinked smoke and heat alarms installed. So now you know how to fit a smoke alarm without drilling, go ahead and make sure you've got one installed in your home. And if you know an older person who may have difficulty installing a fire alarm themselves, pop round and help them fit one.Smoke alarms require very little maintenance but according to the Fire Service, there are a couple of things you should do every year to make sure they're working properly: Certain appliances, such as washing machines, should have a single plug to themselves, as they are high powered.