Does the legislation say smoke alarms must be replaced every 10 years? The legislation does not directly say that a smoke alarm MUST be replaced every 10 years; however, it’s hard to argue against the indirect references; such as:1. Smoke Alarm Legislation says the smoke alarm must comply with AS3786 and must have a life of at least 10 years.
2. AS3786 says : The smoke alarm shall have a recommended service life of at least 10 years under normal conditions of use.
3. Manufacturers of smoke alarms set their recommended device service life – which is generally 10 years.
4. Fire & Rescue NSW recommends they are replaced every 10 years: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9218Hence – once you are >10 years & past the manufacturer’s recommended service life; without laboratory-level testing of the smoke alarm’s sensitivity & performance, it would not be possible to state that the smoke alarm is still capable of compliance with AS3786 & therefore by default becomes non-compliant with the smoke alarm legislation.
Further to the above – because Fire & Rescue NSW is a government authority, it is hard to argue against their advice to replace smoke alarms when they reach 10 years.