Why are hard-wired smoke alarms better?

Smoke alarms are important in all properties and provide an early warning in case there is a fire.  Functioning smoke alarms reduce worry and increases odds for survival in the event of a fire.  It’s confusing when selecting a smoke alarm, but simply, there are hard-wired and battery powered alarms. There are two critical points of benefit which make hard-wired alarms more beneficial than battery powered.

Reliable Energy Source 

Hard-wired smoke alarms are physically connected to the properties electrical infrastructure meaning the alarm always has a power source. Connectivity will vary property to property with factors such as age, structure and ceiling type contributing to the installation process. For example, hard-wired alarms installed post 1997 will connect to some form of safety switch or mains power but prior to 1997 would normally be connected to a fuse.  

So, what happens when the power is cut?  All hard-wired alarms have a back up battery providing an extra fail-safe.

Legally Backed
The Australian Building Code and various state legislation's require all properties that are built past 1997 have hard-wired alarms installed. Under The Australian Building Code, hard-wired smoke alarms should be installed in bedroom hallways and on exit points of properties with multiple floors. Western Australia is the only state that legislation specifies all properties smoke alarms should be hard-wired. It should be noted that some buildings built past 1997 do not have hard-wired smoke alarms installed. This could be due to a number of reasons. In these cases, Smoke Alarms Australia install a battery powered smoke alarms as a temporary measure and recommend to property owners possible solutions for each individual property.

Remember, smoke alarms have an expiry date of 10 years whether they are hard-wired, or battery powered, and Smoke Alarms Australia will install the required alarm under the building code and the relevant state legislation.