Hardwired • Interconnected • Combination Units • Code Compliant
A working smoke detector is one of the few things in a home that pays for itself the first time it actually has to do its job. That's the lens we work through at Union Electrical Service. Not "another box on the ceiling" — a code-compliant, properly placed, properly wired early-warning system that homeowners and property managers across Portola Valley can rely on without thinking about it.
Most installations we handle in Portola Valley, CA fall into two camps: people upgrading older battery units to hardwired interconnected systems, and landlords or buyers needing detectors brought up to current code before a sale, inspection, or lease. Both deserve more attention than the average handyman gives them.
We're licensed, insured, and we treat smoke detector work the way we'd want it done in our own homes.
Upgrade from battery-only units to hardwired systems with continuous power and battery backup. We run new circuits where needed and ensure proper code-compliant placement.
When one alarm sounds, they all sound. Required by current code. Perfect for multi-story homes, finished basements, and large properties in Portola Valley.
Protect against both smoke and deadly carbon monoxide with single units. Ideal for homes with garages, gas appliances, or fireplaces.
Full property replacements. Bring older homes up to current fire code for inspections, sales, or rentals.
We count required detector locations per current code.
Clear written scope and pricing before work begins.
Minimal holes. Professional wiring. No mess left behind.
Full system testing in your presence + records for inspectors.
No apprentice-only crews
Verified before any drilling
For inspectors, insurers, and buyers
"Booked Union after a chirping detector kept waking us up... Replaced four old units, interconnected them... Calm, professional, didn't oversell."
— Marcus Whitfield, Portola Valley
"We were closing on our house... Union came out the next day... Documentation made the whole closing easier."
— Lauren Petersen, Portola Valley
There's a quiet myth... The test button only confirms that the horn and battery circuit are functional — it doesn't measure whether the sensor itself can still detect smoke...
The National Fire Protection Association recommends replacing smoke detectors every ten years...
Combination smoke and carbon monoxide units have become the practical standard...
The cost of a properly done full-home smoke detector installation in Portola Valley, CA is meaningfully less than the cost of one false-negative event.
Current code typically requires one in every bedroom, one in the hallway outside each sleeping area, and at least one on every level of the home including finished basements.
For most Portola Valley homes, yes. Hardwired units have continuous power and battery backup, eliminate the "dead battery" failure mode...
For straightforward replacement, generally no. For installations involving new wiring... We handle the permitting process when it applies.
A single-detector replacement is usually under thirty minutes. A full-property hardwired interconnected install... typically runs three to five hours.
You don't need to commit to anything. We'll give you honest advice and transparent pricing.
Click Here to Call (888) 355-9624We answer the phone. We show up when we say we will.