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Because smoke rises, most smoke detectors are mounted on the ceiling or on a wall near the ceiling. Ceiling-mounted detectors should be placed 4 inches away from any wall at the highest part of the ceiling, with one exception: If you have a cathedral ceiling, do not place detectors at the high point of the ceiling, nor in a corner, because these are dead air spaces; instead, place detectors at the next highest level. Wall-mounted detectors should be placed on the wall several inches, but no more than a foot, from the ceiling.
Detectors should be several horizontal feet away from a heating or cooling register, window, corner of a room, edge of a ceiling fan’s sweep, and any ducts or doors to a kitchen or bathroom (because cooking smoke and bathroom steam can cause false alarms). They should also be placed as far away as possible from combustion sources such as oil- or gas-fired furnaces, space heaters, clothes dryers, and water heaters.
In basements, a smoke detector should be placed at the bottom of the stairs and an additional detector near any sleeping areas in a finished basement.
If you are unsure where to place your smoke detectors, contact your local fire department or a state building inspector for assistance.
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