Help with smoke detectors

[JA5544]

I have hardwired/battery backup smoke detectors and they are randomly going off with random 3-4 long beeps. Sometimes it sounds like it’s just one detector (don’t know which one) and then some times all do it. They will beep and the there is a complete random time interval till the next time. It was every few minutes when it started but it seems now to have stretched out to a longer time between. It is definitely not the low battery chirp. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Mooky]

Same in my house. Been fighting it for several years, unfortunately.

Replace all of them. They do have a replacement interval (10 years typically).

Look for units that give a red light when triggered, helps find the one that is at fault (run around the house like a maniac). I’ve replaced several that were less than two years old.

Check the wiring connections in the ceiling box. A loose connection could cause the false alarms (from mfg’s troubleshooting page). I found several wire nuts that took a half turn. Wires inside were tightly twisted though?!?. Smacked them down, no beeps (for a while). Still get an occasional 3-4 beeps. Very frustrating for sure.

Drives the dogs crazy! Real fear is that my kids will begin to ignore the alarm.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Pull the detector off the mount and read the instructions on the back. It should explain what the beeping pattern means.

How old are they ?

When was the last battery change ?

 

[JA5544]

They are about 4.5 years old.

 

[NUTTSGT]

They are about 4.5 years old.

Have you replaced the batteries or read the instructions on the back to identify the beep pattern ?

 

[flan]

Hard wire have battery backup, they need occasional replacement. Also they will alert when end of life has been reached. Like mentioned read the back label. If the alert does not match anything on the label I’d consider a defect.

 

[larry4406]

Disconnect the smoke detector from the house wiring. Remove the battery. Now press the test button to fully discharge the internal capacitors. On mine the unit screams it’s last noise as the capacitors discharge.

Install new battery and reconnect to house wiring.

Electrician friend told me this years ago when I could not get one to stop beeping even after replacing the battery.

 

[justsam]

Are these photo electric or ionization type detectors? If photo electric or a combination unit, make sure some spider or the like has not taken up residence in detection chamber. When were the units manufactured which is the real End of Life, not the install date.

 

[Slednut]

Hard wire have battery backup, they need occasional replacement. Also they will alert when end of life has been reached. Like mentioned read the back label. If the alert does not match anything on the label I’d consider a defect.

This, I just had to replace my hardwired detectors, when I listened to the peeps and read the label they needed replaced.

They all did it with in a day.

 

[Busted Knucles]

Replace the batteries in all of them, it is a backup power source if you lose the 110 volt power.

 

[justsam]

Would be helpful to know more about the smoke detectors. When you say hard wired with battery back up I assume you mean they are 120 VAC with an internal battery back up in each detector. Is there a third wire used, typically red, that allows the units to communicate with each other. Hardwire with battery back up can also mean a low voltage system, like 12 or 24 VDC with a central battery back up, which is what I had at a previous home all integrated with the security system.

Newer smarter units, such as the NEST Protect do a monthly test to ensure the sounders in each unit are working. They have a built in microphone to listen to make sure there is an audible alarm. That occurs typically once a month, at predetermined times. They also have a confirmation light that lets you know all detectors are communicating. If any detector is approaching End of Life you will get a different confirmation.

Lastly, are any of the units also CO detectors and perhaps they are picking up something there.

 

[ycgoat]

Open or remove each head clean out using air or vacuum, replace batteries, and check connections. Restore the system and check for issues. If the problem persists, sometimes the LED of the problem detector will flash yellow, so you may get lucky and only have to replace 1 detector, but often in residential systems you will need to replace them all

 

[JA5544]

They are connected together by the third wire. By the end of the night the time between it going off had stretched to a couple hours. We were gone most Of the following day. When we got back home I used compressed air to clean out the suspect detector and changed the battery in it. So far we are at about 18 hours without them going off. I did buy a spare I can use to replace one if needed.

 

[JA5544]

These are cheap 120v smoke detectors. We have separate co2 detectors.

 

[flan]

CO detectors.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Slightly, but not really off topic....

Are the wired detectors pretty universal? Parents new place, isn't new and the fire alarms go through the alarm box. Very much suspect they are end of life.

 

[ycgoat]

Slightly, but not really off topic....

Are the wired detectors pretty universal? Parents new place, isn't new and the fire alarms go through the alarm box. Very much suspect they are end of life.

I have not tried to mix and match, but they were probably bought locally so replacements are likely still available locally. If you are changing brands you need to make sure they have similar specs, such as power supply. Commercial systems are powered through the alarm system (Low voltage fluctuating DC signal), where residential are typically 120vac and a signal wire pair (which is fairly typical.)

 

[justsam]

Slightly, but not really off topic....

Are the wired detectors pretty universal? Parents new place, isn't new and the fire alarms go through the alarm box. Very much suspect they are end of life.

As I mentioned in an earlier post these can typically be 12/24 VDC systems as they are part of the security system, and use the same battery back up as the security system. The smoke detectors are typically photo electric and do not have the same End of Life issues that ionization or lithium battery units have. That is not to say that these can not be a more conventional 120VAC unit with internal battery, but are somehow connected into the security system. If you look at the units you should be able to tell as they may have a label on the back side and most will have 4 wires to them, 2 for power and 2 for the sensor.

 

[nadogail]

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors are very inexpensive insurance and can save a lot of lives.