Radio-Interlinked Battery Powered Smoke & Heat Alarms - UltraFire UB1RF Series

The best location to install your smoke alarm is in the centre of the ceiling rather than on the wall. During a fire, smoke initially rises and then spreads to the sides of the room. By installing the alarm on the ceiling, this ensures that you receive the earliest possible warning of a fire.

Most radio-interlinked alarms have a range of 150 meters in an open space and up to 30 meters in buildings. The thickness of the walls and partitions will affect the travel distance of the signal.

It is recommended that smoke alarms are replaced after 10 years. This is because the sensors in the smoke alarms become less sensitive and may not activate when a fire is present.

BS 5839-6 recommends that one or two storey HMOs with an individual floor area of no more than 200sqm (not the total of both floors) should have a Grade D smoke alarm system installed. Grade D refers to mains powered smoke alarms with a back up battery power supply. The alarms can be interlinked either by wire or by radio signal and the system does not require a separate fire alarm panel. For HMOs of 3 storey or higher, a Grade A panel system would need to be installed. This can cover the whole of the building, or can be used just for the communal areas with a separate Grade D system installed for the individual dwellings. For both applications, the level of cover should be a minimum of LD3 (in all escape routes) but this may change according to the fire risk assessment.

The 9V alkaline batteries last 12-18 months. Lithium batteries will usually last 5x longer than their alkaline counterparts, achieving around 5 years lifetime. Some lithium cells are also rechargeable, and when used in a mains-powered alarm may last for the entire functional lifespan of the alarm. Newer alarm models may also feature a "sealed" lithium battery. These batteries are specialist components which are designed to not be removed or need replacing by the user, and have been tested by the alarm manufacturer to ensure they last for the lifetime of the alarm.

Please Note: the actual lifetime of your batteries depends on how often the alarms are tested or activated, as sounding the alarm draws more power than when the alarms are "waiting" to detect fire. You should also read your alarm's manual to make sure you only use the recommended types and brands of batteries, as failing to follow these instructions may cause the alarm to malfunction, not alerting you in the event of a fire, and might also invalidate the warranty.