No room for compromise
The latest standards on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in homes can appear complicated and contradictory. Rex Taylor, technical support manager at Kidde Safety provides some clarity for self-builders
W
ith occupants at least four times more likely to die in a house fire where there is no working smoke
alarm, it’s not surprising there is a growing momentum for alarms to be installed in all homes. But how many do you need, what type and in which rooms? Definitive guidance can be found in the British Standard Code of Practice BS 5839, Part 6, which covers the design, installation, commissioning and mainte- nance of fire detection and fire alarm systems. British Standards take the form of guidance
and recommendations, and are not in them- selves mandatory, although they are used as a benchmark in legal or insurance claims and other situations. The latest 2013 edition of the Code covers both new and existing homes and lists the minimum ‘Categories’ (locations for the alarms) and ‘Grades’ (types of power source in
58 selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.co.uk
the alarms) recommended for different types of property, including owner-occupied and rented.
Heat alarms in kitchens
For most existing as well as new homes up to three storeys, the Code recommends ‘Category LD2’ i.e. smoke alarms in any areas where fires might start, such as living rooms, plus heat alarms in all kitchens and smoke alarms in all escape routes. Self-builders planning a substan- tial ‘Grand Design’ (i.e. with a floor area over 200m2
) will need specialist advice on panel-
type fire alarm systems. Most house fires start in kitchens, so it’s important to always install a heat alarm – smoke alarms being triggered by small amounts of smoke or steam from cooking – and interconnect it with the smoke alarms elsewhere in the house.
When it comes to new-build and converted
properties, National Building Regulations (which are all based on the Code) apply, with manda- tory minimum requirements – but do they go far enough? Building Regulations in Scotland and Northern Ireland mirror the Code, although for England and Wales, Building Regulations Part B falls short, requiring only Category LD3. This
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