Smoke Detector
Installation

Every home needs working smoke alarms in the right locations, yet it’s common to find a single ageing alarm in a hallway that was fitted decades ago and never revisited. If your alarms are original to the house, mismatched, or you’re simply not sure whether you have enough of them, it’s worth having someone take a proper look rather than guessing.

As a general guide, smoke alarms belong in every bedroom, in the hallway or area connecting bedrooms to the rest of the house, and on every level of a multi-storey home. Living areas benefit from an alarm too, and kitchens need one positioned carefully so cooking doesn’t set it off constantly. I assess your floor plan and place alarms exactly where they’ll do the most good.

For homeowners upgrading rather than chasing a rental compliance deadline, hardwired interconnected photoelectric alarms are simply the safest option available. They never fully depend on a battery you might forget to change, and because every alarm in the house sounds together, a fire detected in the lounge room will wake someone asleep in a bedroom with the door closed — something a single standalone alarm often can’t do.

Landlord or selling? See our smoke alarm compliance service.

Most of the alarms I replace are either old ionisation units or battery-only smoke alarms that have simply reached the end of their life — most smoke alarms are only rated for around ten years, regardless of how well they’ve been maintained. I replace these with modern, sealed 10-year photoelectric units, which respond faster to the smouldering, slow-burning fires that are common in homes.

For a hardwired install, I isolate the circuit, mount the new unit in the correct position on the ceiling — away from corners, air vents, and ceiling fans where airflow can delay smoke reaching the sensor — and wire it back to the lighting circuit or switchboard with battery backup. Where alarms need to be interconnected and running new cable between rooms isn’t practical, I can also fit wireless RF-interconnected units that communicate without a physical link.

Once everything is installed, I test every alarm individually and as a group to confirm they all trigger together, and I’ll walk you through the test button and hush function so you know how to manage the system day to day. If you’re upgrading during a renovation, I can plan the alarm layout alongside any other electrical work so everything is finished in one visit.

Every smoke alarm installation or replacement is finished with a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW), confirming the job meets current Australian standards — useful documentation to keep on file regardless of whether you’re required to produce it.

A single hardwired smoke alarm installed typically costs between $180 and $250 per unit. For a whole-home upgrade with every alarm interconnected, most jobs land somewhere between $600 and $1,500, depending on how many alarms your home needs and how it’s laid out. I give you a fixed price before any work begins.

The main factors affecting price are the number of alarms required, how accessible your roof or ceiling space is, and whether existing wiring can be reused or new cable needs to be run between rooms. A straightforward replacement of an existing hardwired alarm is quick and sits at the lower end; a full upgrade from battery-only alarms to a hardwired interconnected system across a whole house costs more but delivers a much higher level of protection.

Quotes are free and there’s no obligation to proceed. I’ll assess your home, explain exactly what’s needed and why, and give you a clear written price on the spot. Call 0405 538 065 or use the form below to book a time.