Hardwired smoke alarms in the Perth Hills & Perth metro

Why hardwired and interconnected

A hardwired smoke alarm is connected to your home's electrical supply and usually has a backup battery. Interconnected alarms are linked together, so when one sounds they all sound. That matters at night, or in a larger home, where an alarm at the other end of the house might not wake you.

• Hardwired alarms don't rely on you remembering to change a battery.
• Interconnection means everyone in the house hears the warning at the same time.
• Replacing old alarms is straightforward when there is already wiring in place.

Who we do this for

The rules about smoke alarms differ for owner-occupied homes, rentals and sales, and they can change. Tell us about your property and we'll explain what to check, so you know where you stand.

• Homeowners replacing old or failing alarms.
• Landlords and property managers who want their rental properties checked and upgraded.
• Sellers and buyers who want smoke alarms sorted as part of a sale or inspection.
• Renovators adding alarms as part of rewiring or a new build.

Where alarms go and when to replace them

Alarms are generally placed in hallways and outside bedrooms, and on each level of a multi-storey home, and they need to be positioned away from kitchens and bathrooms to avoid false alarms. Most smoke alarms are designed to last around ten years. The date is printed on the back, so if yours is older than that, or it doesn't test properly, it's time to replace it.

What a smoke alarm job involves

We check the existing alarms and wiring, remove old units, install the new ones and test that every alarm sounds when one is triggered. If your home doesn't have alarm wiring in place, we'll explain the options and how we'd run the cabling.

What affects the cost

A like-for-like swap in a home that's already wired is a very different job to adding new alarms where there's no wiring. What affects the cost:

• The number of alarms and the size of the property.
• Whether the home is already wired for alarms, or new cabling is needed.
• Roof-space access and how many levels the home has.
• Interconnection between alarms, and the type of alarm chosen.
• Whether other electrical work is being done at the same time.

Related services

• Compliance assessments
• Renovations & new builds