How to Install Smoke Detectors on the Wall or Ceiling

Smoke detectors are an essential safety feature to have in any home. For optimum safety, you should install smoke detectors in every room and in every hallway. There is a plethora of models to choose from, and most are under $10, as of 2010. After you purchase a smoke detector, installation is the next step. All smoke detectors install in a similar fashion. Even the inexperienced can install a smoke detector in less than half an hour.

Things You'll Need

Smoke detector kit
Electric drill
1/4-inch drill bit

Driver bit
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Determine a location for the smoke detector. Most are installed on the ceiling in the middle of the room. But you can install a smoke detector above the doorway on the wall.
- 2
  Hold the base of the smoke detector on the spot chosen for the installation. Make marks on the ceiling or wall with a pencil where the screw holes are located on the detector's base.
- 3
  Drill a hole on each pencil mark using an electric drill with a 1/4-inch drill bit. Ensure the holes are drilled at a 90-degree angle to the surface of the wall or ceiling.
- 4
  Insert the anchors that came with the smoke detector into the holes that you drilled. Ensure the anchors are flush with surface of the wall or ceiling.
- 5
  Place the smoke detector base up to the surface and line up the holes in the ceiling or wall with the holes in the base. Insert the screws through the base and into the wall anchors. Tighten the screws using an electric drill with a driver bit.
- 6
  Attach the smoke detector head to the base by placing it in the center of the base and twisting it until it locks in place.

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