Smoke Alarm Installation in Slough
Hardwired and interlinked smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms fitted to BS 5839-6. Landlord and HMO compliant, with tidy wireless retrofits that leave your ceilings alone.
Smoke, Heat & CO Alarms Done Properly
I'm Billy, and I fit fire and carbon monoxide alarms across Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead for homeowners and landlords alike. A ten-pound battery alarm off the shelf is better than nothing, but it isn't what keeps a family safe at three in the morning. What does that job is a proper mains-powered, interlinked system, and that's what I install.
Mains-powered and interlinked, not battery
A standalone battery alarm only warns the room it's sitting in. If a fire starts in the kitchen while you're asleep upstairs, you might not hear it until it's too late. Mains-powered interlinked alarms fix that. They run off your electrics with a backup battery inside, and they're linked together, so when one senses smoke every alarm in the house sounds at once. You get the warning wherever you happen to be.
Grades in plain English
The standard for homes is BS 5839-6, and it sorts systems into grades. In plain terms, a Grade D system is mains-powered alarms with a battery backup, all interlinked, and that's what most houses and flats want. A Grade F system is battery-only, which is really a minimum for the smallest lets. The higher grades with control panels are for bigger, more complex buildings. For a normal Slough home or rental, Grade D interlinked is the sweet spot, and I'll tell you straight if yours needs anything more.
The right alarm in the right room
Kitchens get a heat alarm, not a smoke alarm. Smoke alarms in a kitchen just scream every time you make toast, so people disable them, and then they're no use at all. A heat alarm only triggers on a genuine rise in temperature. Anywhere you've got a boiler, gas fire or wood burner needs a carbon monoxide alarm too, because CO is the silent one you can't smell or see. Get the mix right and the system stays live instead of getting switched off in a huff.
Where the alarms have to go
As a rule you want a smoke alarm on every storey, on the landing and in the hallway along your escape route, and in the rooms you actually sit in. A heat alarm goes in the kitchen, and a CO alarm goes in each room with a combustion appliance. Alarms sit on the ceiling, away from walls and corners where smoke can be slow to reach. I set it all out when I survey the place.
Landlords: the 2022 rules
If you let a property in England, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 apply to you. You must have a smoke alarm on every storey that's used as living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler or a wood burner (a gas cooker is the exception). On top of that, when a tenant reports a faulty alarm, you as the landlord have to repair or replace it. It's not optional and it's not the tenant's job. For HMOs, whether in Chalvey, Britwell, Salt Hill or Manor Park, the bar is higher again and usually means a full interlinked BS 5839-6 system to satisfy the licence. An interlinked alarm system pairs naturally with a landlord EICR at the same visit.
New build or retrofit
In a new build or a full rewire I'll run cable and hardwire everything so the alarms are interlinked over a proper link wire. In a house that's already lived in and decorated, I use wireless-interlink alarms instead. They still take a mains feed where one's available, but they talk to each other over radio, so I'm not lifting floorboards or chasing your ceilings to pieces. Either way you end up with a system where one head triggers the lot, and I test and certify the whole install before I leave.
What We Install
- Mains-powered smoke alarms with battery backup
- Interlinked systems so every alarm sounds together
- Heat alarms for kitchens and garages
- Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms for boilers and fires
- Wireless-interlink retrofits with no ceiling damage
- Landlord and HMO compliance to BS 5839-6
Where Alarms Go
- One smoke alarm on every storey of the home
- Landing and hallway on escape routes
- Living rooms where people sit of an evening
- A heat alarm in the kitchen (not a smoke alarm)
- A CO alarm in any room with a boiler, gas fire or wood burner
- Ceiling-mounted, away from walls and corners
Why Choose B.P.H. for Alarms
Interlinked & Loud
One alarm goes off, they all go off, so you hear it wherever you are in the house.
Right Alarm, Right Room
Heat in the kitchen, smoke on the landing, CO by the boiler. No nuisance trips.
Certified & Compliant
Installed to BS 5839-6 and fully certified, ready for landlord and HMO checks.
Common Questions
Do landlords need hardwired smoke alarms?
The law (the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, in England) says you need a working smoke alarm on every storey, but it doesn't force you to have them hardwired. That said, for anything but the smallest let I'd always steer landlords towards mains-powered interlinked alarms. They're more reliable, tenants can't take the batteries out, and if you ever go for an HMO licence in Slough you'll likely need a proper BS 5839-6 system anyway. Do it once, do it right.
How many alarms do I actually need?
As a minimum, one smoke alarm on every storey, a heat alarm in the kitchen, and a CO alarm in any room with a boiler, gas fire or wood burner. Most Slough homes end up with three or four heads all talking to each other. I'll walk the property with you and tell you exactly what's needed, no more and no less.
Can you interlink alarms without ripping the ceiling apart?
Yes. That's what wireless-interlink alarms are for. Each head is still mains-powered where there's a supply, but they talk to each other over radio instead of a cable, so I don't have to lift floors or chase out ceilings to link them. It's the tidy option for a home that's already decorated, and it's spot on for retrofits around Chalvey and Britwell where the wiring is older.
How much does it cost to have alarms installed?
It depends on the property, how many heads you need and whether we're going hardwired or wireless-interlink, so I won't throw a number at you over the phone. I'll come and look, work out exactly what the place needs, and give you a clear written quote. It's free and there's no obligation.
How often do smoke alarms need replacing?
The heads themselves have a life of about ten years, whatever it says on the battery. The sensor inside gets less reliable over time, so once an alarm is a decade old it wants swapping even if it still beeps. Most have a date stamped on the back. If you're not sure how old yours are, I'll check them when I'm out.