Carbon monoxide detector installation
The Wire Guys installs, replaces and interconnects hardwired smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in homes across British Columbia. The estimate is free, and we pull the permit and meet the inspector.
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Licensed Electrical Contractor
Licensed and insured in British Columbia.
WorkSafeBC Registered
Active and in good standing.
BBB Accredited
Accredited since 2023.
Canadian family owned, working across British Columbia since 2019.
Get a quoteWhat does a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm job involve, and who is responsible for it?
Carbon monoxide detector installation, along with hardwired smoke detector installation, is fitting and wiring the alarms that warn you about a gas you cannot see or smell, so every unit sounds together, not one at a time.
- The estimate is free, and the work is $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper.
- We pull the permit and meet the inspector where the job needs one.
- Wired and interconnected so every unit sounds together, not one at a time.
The four questions
Smoke detector installation cost: what changes the price
Carbon monoxide detector installation cost, like smoke detector installation cost, depends on the work the job needs, not a price per alarm. We charge $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper — that is Jasjot Kohli and a second set of hands — and the estimate is free. Tracing a faulty alarm is a separate $165 diagnostic for 45 minutes, and we tell you before we start.
Swapping units like for like costs less than linking alarms that were never connected, and both cost less than running new wire. High or vaulted ceilings mean working at height, finished walls can mean patching drywall, and if the panel has no spare capacity, an electrical panel upgrade comes first.
To quote your smoke and carbon monoxide detector installation, we ask up front: how many units you have, whether they are hardwired or battery now, the date on the back of each, and whether the work is in a suite. The written estimate is free — call 778-708-0451 or request a callback to set one up.
Hardwired smoke detectors or battery, and where do they have to go?
Whether you need hardwired vs battery smoke detectors comes down to when your home was built. Under the BC Building Code, homes built after March 31, 1979 must have smoke alarms wired into the electrical system and interconnected. Homes built before that date may run battery alarms, though many owners upgrade when they are rewiring an older home. Even hardwired alarms keep a battery backup, which is why a wired unit chirps when it runs low. A 10-year sealed battery smoke alarm skips the twice-yearly battery change, and a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector does more in one spot.
Where should smoke detectors be placed comes down to a few rules: one on every storey and outside all sleeping areas, fixed to the ceiling or high on a wall and at least 3 metres (10 feet) from the stove. Whether you are in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission or Langley, those rules are the same across the province.
Where to install carbon monoxide detectors
A gas furnace, gas fireplace, gas water heater or a standby generator we install can all give off carbon monoxide. A carbon monoxide alarm goes on every level and outside each sleeping area, at least 15 feet (about 4.5 metres) from any fuel-burning appliance; if you fit only one, put it in the main bedroom or the hallway outside it. Keep it away from windows, vents, bathrooms and the peak of a vaulted ceiling, and add one where an attached garage shares a wall or floor with the home.
Do you need a permit, and who deals with the inspector?
We file the electrical permit before the first wire is touched and meet the inspector on site; in Abbotsford that permit comes from Technical Safety BC. Whether a job needs a permit depends on the work, and that call is ours, not yours. For a carbon monoxide alarm installation that adds new hardwired circuits, we book the inspection when we are done, an independent inspector signs off, and you have a permit on record if you sell.
Can you replace hardwired smoke alarms yourself, or do you need an electrician?
If you are asking, do I need an electrician to replace hardwired smoke detectors, the honest answer is sometimes. A battery-only or plug-in alarm is a safe do-it-yourself swap with the manufacturer's instructions. A hardwired, interconnected unit wired into a 120-volt circuit means working at height and touching house wiring. That is why many owners hire an electrician to install smoke detectors of that type, work we do as a licensed electrical contractor in BC.
It is fair to check whoever you call: ask for licensed-contractor status in writing, confirm they carry WorkSafeBC, and read reviews on a profile the company does not control.
Old or ageing alarms
Replacing old interconnected smoke alarms: one or all?
Before a full carbon monoxide detector replacement, check the date on the back and rule out a low-battery chirp; a hardwired unit can still chirp on its battery backup with the power on. Because interconnected smoke alarms in an older home are linked, when several are past their ten-year date we replace the set together, and we tell you what we find first.
Hardwired smoke detector replacement: like for like
A hardwired smoke detector replacement is usually like for like: a new unit on the same circuit and base. The catch is the connector, or wiring harness, which is not always cross-compatible between brands. We install reputable brands like Kidde and First Alert and tell you which we use. If the alarms run off an AFCI breaker, we check it holds after the swap, and a failing one is a straightforward circuit breaker replacement. Where new cable is impractical, wireless interconnected smoke alarms link units without opening finished walls. If a unit keeps chirping on a fresh battery, that points to a fault, and smoke detector repair starts with a $165, 45-minute diagnostic while the estimate stays free; see our electrical repairs and troubleshooting.
Carbon monoxide detector replacement
If a CO alarm sounds and anyone feels unwell, get to fresh air straight away and call 911 once you are outside. If it sounds but nobody has symptoms, go outside and call the fire department or a licensed contractor to find the cause. In a secondary suite we replace the alarm, and on a rental we tell the owner before we start. A new bedroom or suite that needs its own alarm run is renovation electrical work.
- One unit senses smoke or carbon monoxide.
- The interconnect wire signals the rest.
- Every unit sounds together, not one at a time.
Our smoke alarm installation process
Before any work starts, we explain which alarms are being replaced and whether your home needs them linked so they sound together. If we find anything unexpected, we talk it through with you and get your approval before any extra work begins. Once you approve the work, we take the old units down and connect the new alarms to the existing supply. Then we test them: pressing the test button on one alarm should set them all sounding, and we check that from every alarm before we leave.
What happens if something is wrong after we leave
If something we installed is not right, we come back and put it right. New construction work carries a one-year guarantee and renovation work carries six months. You can check our standing: we have held continuous WorkSafeBC coverage since 30 September 2019, on public record. If the alarms come up during a home sale, or an inspector flags them, our electrical safety inspections cover the whole system.
If something we installed is not right, we come back.
What our customers say
We hold 4.7 stars across 137 Google reviews, earned on everyday electrical work across the Fraser Valley. Two customers, in their own words:
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Just want to say thank you so much to Jaz and his crew. He took the time out of a very busy work day and personal schedule to come and assist me with my issues in my home. He made what could easily have been a much more traumatic electrical experience into a calm well thought out affordable plan His work was top-notch and I highly recommend The Wire Guys Electrical Ltd to everyone looking for an honest thorough good electrician. I will be calling the Wire Guys for future endeavours as I have a few projects. I’m looking at right now. Thank you again.
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The wire guys installed this chandelier and an external electrical outlet for us. They put down a cloth and cleaned up after themselves and did a great job.
Frequently asked questions
Any questions? Call 778-708-0451The Wire Guys Electrical Ltd. is a licensed electrical contractor in British Columbia, licensed and insured, and WorkSafeBC registered with continuous coverage since 30 September 2019. We are also BBB Accredited, so the carbon monoxide detector installer we send works for a company you can look up.
Why is my hardwired smoke alarm chirping even with a new battery?
A hardwired smoke detector chirping every 30 to 60 seconds usually means a low backup battery or an end-of-life alarm, not smoke or carbon monoxide. A real alarm is a loud, continuous pattern. If a fresh battery does not settle it, the unit is likely finished, and we can trace the cause: fault-finding is $165 for 45 minutes, and the estimate to replace it is free.
How long do smoke detectors last?
As a guide, replace smoke alarms after about 10 years and carbon monoxide alarms after roughly 7 to 10 years. The unit itself ages, not just the battery, so an older alarm can quietly fail. Check the manufacture date on the back; if it is past that mark, replace it.
How much does it cost to install a smoke detector?
We charge $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper, and the estimate is always free. The final figure depends on how many units you have and how easy each is to reach.
How many smoke detectors are required in a home?
You need at least one working smoke alarm on every storey that has a bedroom, plus one outside each sleeping area. The BC Building Code sets that minimum, and larger homes usually need more.
Do smoke alarms have to be hardwired to be interconnected?
No. Older hardwired systems link through a wire so every unit sounds together, but many newer alarms link over a wireless signal instead, which avoids running new cable through finished walls. Either way, one alarm detecting trouble sets off the rest.
More from us
Other electrical services we offer
Same licence on every one of them, with the permit and inspection wherever one applies.
Book your smoke and CO alarm installation.
Whether it is a swap or a full interconnected upgrade, we give you a free written estimate and pull the permit if the job needs one. Call 778-708-0451 or request a callback to book.