One of our smoke alarm all of a sudden started to make a beep noise every minute. The smoke alarm is hard wired and has battery back-up. I check the battery to see if it had juice (touching terminals on tongue) gave a big tingle indicating its good but I still switch battery and its still doing sound. What else can be going on?

I just had a battery operated one beep every 30 seconds, read the instructions for it and it said beep every 30 seconds internal failure..

 

check your paper work i still have to pick up a new one.. it was smoke / carbon monoxide detector...

Try to blow the dust out of it, works sometimes.

How old is it? They typically last around 10 years, less if in a dusty area. The manufacture date should be printed on it somewhere.

Try changing the battery. Ours do that when the battery is going dead.

Try to blow the dust out of it, works sometimes.

 

Could be spider web or something inside it. I had a lot of trouble with my smoke detectors giving false alarms and beeping. Changed them all out and haven't have problems since.

I have had that problem once or twice due to high humidity.

Have you tried the punching test?

 

Seriously, if the battery replacement doesn't fix it (try a NEW battery of course), then it might be time to replace the unit. They do go bad if it's in a dusty area or in an area where it's too humid or the temp fluctuates a lot.

Throughout the years, when that happened, it was time to change the backup batteries. After about 10 years or so, they started beeping and replacing the batteries didn't help. I called the manufacturer, and they told me that it was time to replace them. The newer version used a different wiring harness, so I installed the new harness at each location.

How old is it? They typically last around 10 years, less if in a dusty area. The manufacture date should be printed on it somewhere.

 

THIS

Try vacuuming the detector out. As Voyager9 said they have about a 10yr lifespan. If the vacuum doesn't remedy the problem it's time to replace the unit. It's an easy swap just make sure you shut the power off at the breaker.

mine was 10 years old..

As others stated *MOST* units have a 10 year shelf life, some claim longer but 10 years is the recommended timeframe before getting a new one. Vacuum out the sensor area to clear it of dust or whatever crawled in there. Hit the test button to reset it (not sure if that will cause your system to initiate though). If all else fails check the book and replace it.

Believe this unit is only 3-4 years old max. I'll try blowing air on it and then using vacuum as well.

Try vacuuming the detector out. As Voyager9 said they have about a 10yr lifespan. If the vacuum doesn't remedy the problem it's time to replace the unit. It's an easy swap just make sure you shut the power off at the breaker.

 

Def try blowing it out. That may buy you a bit.

 

If not, Bring the old one to the hardware store and make sure the connectors match. Then it's a 30 second install.

Well I'm at work right now till 9:30 and I told my mom to get manual out and she said she took the manual out for me but it all of a sudden stopped beeping?

That could be good or bad I would say test it with burning paper but if your a hard wired system I assume you have a monitoring company if an alarm goes off.

Well I'm at work right now till 9:30 and I told my mom to get manual out and she said she took the manual out for me but it all of a sudden stopped beeping?

 

You scared it. It's just playing possum. Don't fall for its tricks. Your best bet is to light the manual on fire to force it to behave.

 

If it stopped for no reason, chances are it will start again (prob at 0400).

That could be good or bad I would say test it with burning paper but if your a hard wired system I assume you have a monitoring company if an alarm goes off.

While we have a separate smoke/co2 system monitored by ADT, the wired system that we had installed when the house was built is local only (not monitored by alarm company). When one goes off, they all go off.

While we have a separate smoke/[bold]co2 [/bold]system monitored by ADT, the wired system that we had installed when the house was built is local only (not monitored by alarm company). When one goes off, they all go off.

 

Better not breathe on them.

If older than 4-5 years change the unit or units in the house.

While we have a separate smoke/co2 system monitored by ADT, the wired system that we had installed when the house was built is local only (not monitored by alarm company). When one goes off, they all go off.

 

If you have separate devices monitored by a company what's the point in having the hard wired local system? Just more detectors? Speaking from experience following Murphy's law the detector to hit will be the hard wired non monitored one.

If you have separate devices monitored by a company what's the point in having the hard wired local system? Just more detectors? Speaking from experience following Murphy's law the detector to hit will be the hard wired non monitored one.

 

State law dictates that all new construction built after 1990 have hardwired smoke detectors with battery back up in the bedrooms, 10ft from every bedroom in the hallways, and at least 1 on every floor(basement). Any monitored systems are above and beyond what the state requires, but the hardwired detectors are now mandatory. (for new construction, or with homes that have renovated a certain percentage of its sq footage)

 

More than likely due to the frequent placement of the hardwires is that you will trip the local system first, however this is more for occupant notification to vacate the residence. If you place your monitored detectors properly, it wont be long (seconds) before smoke finds its way to the monitored detector.

Right but that's just for a COE one you get that and your not renting you can take them out. The fire code doesn't apply once you get the COE, they can't come in and inspect a private dwelling.

 

Side note how about the new proposal of sprinklers in new homes? If you can't sell a new house now why add on an extra 10 grand in price for a sprinkler system.. Different topic for a different thread though.

Why would you want to take out a hardwired system? Its there to warn the occupants as soon as possible. If you wanted to sub detectors already in place for monitored detectors at 150-250 a piece it would cost a fortune on most new homes.

 

 

Sprinklers in residential new construction was a hot topic, but was most likely squashed by the weight of developers not wanting to tack on additional costs to their units. You may see sprinklers or some type of future equivelant of a built in suppression system, but in my opinion not in the next 20 years as a conservative estimate.

The hardwired system is good for when people are home at night and the fire starts in your basement and your on the 2nd floor because all the alarms sound. The whole thing to hardwire the system is so towns can CYA and say well it had them in there when you bought the house. Personally I would rather have all the detectors monitored so I know that someone made a call to 9-1-1 instead of me making a delayed call once I'm out of the house with my family. Is it feasible right away after buying a house? Not really but I would phase them out every 6 months until they were all monitored. I also wouldn't have them in every habitable room of my house just the major ones.

The hardwired system is good for when people are home at night and the fire starts in your basement and your on the 2nd floor because all the alarms sound. The whole thing to hardwire the system is so towns can CYA and say well it had them in there when you bought the house. Personally I would rather have all the detectors monitored so I know that someone made a call to 9-1-1 instead of me making a delayed call once I'm out of the house with my family. Is it feasible right away after buying a house? Not really but I would phase them out every 6 months until they were all monitored. I also wouldn't have them in every habitable room of my house just the major ones.

I set the monitored ones off by mistake when I forgot to put the system on test. Within 4 minutes, there were fire engines outside, even after I called ADT to tell them that I set it off by mistake. ADT doesn't mess around when it comes to fire alarms.

ADT is good. I forget the one company i had a horrible response time with. The school kept getting angry asking why it takes 20 mins for a firetruck to get there. I'm like wtf? Its been 5 minutes. Long story short a surprise test of the system one day showed the monitoring company took 15 mins to report the alarm.

I had to change two of mine a few years ago. if you have to change it make sure to take it with you to the store. You new one has to be compatible with the others, so if one goes off they all go off.

In 2010 I was doing a bit of painting and took down a smoke detector.

 

I saw the expiration date, it was 2006, a year before we bought the house.

 

I promptly replaced all 8 of them.