Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a model 9120B smoke alarm. It chirps about every 1 to 2 hours apart. I have replaced the batteries, checked connections, and even unplugged it from the wall. I took the batteries out and it still chirps. Do you know what's up?
By Anthony from Blairsville, GA
See if you can figure out who the manufacturer is and contact them. You may even find on their site where this issue has come up before and what the solution might be. I remember reading some where about a similar issue and it was the sensor being dirty or some such. It was recommended the owner blast it with a can of air thoroughly. I don't know if it worked.
I had a similar problem with a carbon monoxide detector. I went to the website for that brand and searched for data on my model. Turns out, they have a limited life of about 7 years. I had to replace it.
This could be the same problem with your smoke detector.
Why does my fire detector keep beeping when I am sleeping and everytime?
If it sounds like a chirp it means batteries need replaced. If it sounds like the regular alarm you may need to replace it assuming it's the kind that takes batteries. You don't want to get in the habit of ignoring the fire alarm sounding in case of a real fire!
I have a beeping smoke alarm without a battery. I want it to stop beeping, what do I do? I have turned the power off and I have disconnected the plug from the back of the alarm, but it still won't stop beeping. What can I do?
By B C
Fixed the same problem thanks to my volunteer fireman neighbor. Vacuum the works. It probably does not even look like it needs it. New battery and you should be rid of the problem.
Our electronic smoke detectors are going off during the night hours. This has happened last night 3 times. It is a warning beep because of a low battery. Does anybody know anything about this?
By Mark from Stafford, VA
Is your smoke detector also a carbon monoxide detector? I know with our smoke detectors the beep for a low battery is different than a beep for an alarm. My mother-in-law had a man come out for her stove and he said she had a severe gas leak, but nobody could smell it, but him, so it might be that and you just can't smell it.
There's about 6 fire alarms in my house. One alarm started going off then, all the other ones went off for about 30min. Finally it all stopped, but then started again. Now that all the beeping stopped, one continues to beep every minute.
I changed the battery and it still beeps, so I flipped the battery figuring it was in backwards. The darn thing still beeps, I pushed the test button and that didn't work. I don't know what else to do, and I need some sleep. I'd cut the power, but it's my grandparents house so I don't want to do anything I'd get in trouble for. Any advice would help.
By Rose M.
I had the same problem with a fire alarm in our two bedroom apartment that continually beeped in our living room. One of the maintenance men had to remove the alarm and install another one.
It's not always the battery, maybe the alarms need to replaced with new ones. The alarms in your grandparents home are probably the original ones.
My smoke alarm keeps beeping every 20 seconds. The battery cannot be changed for life of product. I have blown it out, but it still beeps, what more can I do?
By rick carrigan from Wales, UK
You need to clean it out with a dry wash cloth then find away to change the battery or get a new one.
I have 4 hard wired smoke detectors (5 mos. old). Last night they activated and beeped 3-4 times then stopped, then again about 30 min. later beeped one time (temp in house was 70F). My husband checked and there was no smoke or fire.
This has happened once before. These were installed when we had the total house completely rewired by an electrician. How do I stop the intermittent activation?Without knowing the brand, a troubleshooting question is do they have a battery back up? If so, one of them may need a new battery. Check your instructions and it might have that info on how to change the battery. That should be regular maintenance...most people I know change smoke and carbon detector batteries twice a year...some do it when the time changes if you are in a place where that happens in March and November.
That said...at 5 months old, I would definitely call whomever installed them (or if you installed) whomever you purchased them from get their EXPERT opinion...a good business should not charge you to give you info or look at them...I would think they have a warranty.
Safety first with fire prevention! It could be a bad situation if you took advice from someone who isn't an expert and they failed you during a real fire. Good luck!
My smoke detector has been removed and there is nothing there but wires. How do I stop it from beeping?
It's driving us crazy and we are both in our 70s and can't climb up to fix the problem.Have you tried flipping the breaker on your electrical panel?
My fire alarm started chirping this morning and it woke me up. I don't have the correct batteries to replace it, but I've tried everything else and it continues to chirp after I turn it off.
How do I make it stop without getting a new battery?You would actually have to undo it from the ceiling and unhook the wires. It is better and safer to find a way to get those batteries.
I have a Kidde model 12060 hardwired smoke detector with battery back up. I came home and the unit was beeping. I got a ladder and put in a new battery. That was no good; it is still chirping. I tried a 2nd battery and the same thing. I turned off the circuit breaker, took out the battery, and it is still chirping. I took the unit down, replaced the battery, tested it, and the alarm sounded. I put it back up and have a green light in the small display, but it is still beeping. I checked all 5 units and all have green lights. It is still chirping and I cannot make it stop.
They have an expiration date, check it. It should be on the back of the unit, if you can get to it. Sometimes, they need to be updated depending how old it is.
My smoke alarm keeps beeping and it won't stop beeping.
By Meagan
Your battery might need changing unless it is hard-wired.
Do all hard wired smoke detectors have batteries? Mine was chirping on and off and when I went up to open and see there was no battery. Is that normal?
By Elly
If you don't have a user manual, use the manufacturer and model number. Go online and search their web site to see if/where the battery is. Also there may be a help line you can call.
I recently changed the batteries in 3 hard wired smoke detectors. After about 1 day (happened twice) they all go off at the same time. Any advise please? By the way I tried holding the test button down with the batteries out but no luck.
By Chuck
Most hardwired smoke detectors have a signal wire which tells all to sound when one goes off. I would take one out at a time, they usually twist on their base and have a plug in connector. When you find which is causing the problem you will probably need to replace it with the same or a compatible model.
Why does the fire alarm beep for no reason? There are no fire hazards.
By Irwin W. from Danville, CA
Some smoke alarms beep if the batteries are dead or perhaps not put in correctly. Hard wired ones will have back up batteries that need to be replaced occasionally and they may beep if the are not wired properly.
There are some alarms also detect carbon monoxide. You may have a separate problem to investigate if it is a dual purpose alarm.
If it truly is broken, they are not that expensive to replace. It is very important to have a functioning smoke alarm.
My smoke alarm will not stop beeping and I don't know what to do about it. I changed the battery, but it still beeps.
By Bonnie
Remove the cover and vaccuum out the inside. Dust and especially spider webs can make the sensors go off. If that doesn't do the trick, it may need replacing, as they do eventually wear out.
I have a hard wired smoke detector with battery backup. It starts beeping (not loud and not the same sound as the fire detector sound) every 24 hours. It goes on for about 30 beeps. Anyone know what's going on with it?
By Dave
Try changing the backup batteries. They are probably nearly dead and the beeping is the warning to change them.
I know this sounds strange. We have electric smoke detectors. Are there batteries in them also? We have one that has started beeping and we can't stop it. Is there a battery in it or do we simply have to replace it? We have lived here 2 years (new) all the other batteries are OK. Our old house had electric smoke detectors and they never went bad. We lived there 15 years.
By Barb
Sounds like there is a short somewhere. You need to contact a licensed electrician-he/she will have the tools and training to track down your problem. Do it as soon as you can because this could be a fire hazard; if you are on a very tight budget you can call the local fire department non-emergency number and ask if they know of any programmes in your area to help you.
Will an old battery cause an alarm to go off?
By C Gray
I think that they sometimes do. Change the battery, and see if it helps. Can't hurt.
The electric smoke detactor has gone off twice today. I have a heater in the room with it (a bathroom) could that cause it? Can the heat fron the heater cause it to go off? I've checked the entire house, there is no smoke. So what's the problem? The detector is very old.
By Suzanne n
If it is old, it might detect heat instead of smoke. Please toss it and get one that detects radon, too. They are a bit spendy but better than a home or other loss.
Why won't my electric smoke alarm stop chirping?
By Noel D.
Could be reacting to smoke or other particular matter in the air. More probable, however, if it is battery operated, it needs new batteries. If it is not battery opperated, may have a system problem.
I replaced the batttery to no avail. I removed electric battery backed detector from the ceiling mount. The chirp is coming from inside the ceiling, not the unit. Please help me.
By Giacomo S.
If the chirping is still coming from the ceiling, then you most likely have another smoke detector in your attic. Get up there and look !!
Our smoke alarm, with no batteries, keeps beeping. It is no where by the kitchen, but in the hall on the ceiling. We live in a bungalow.
By Mavis
The detector when manufactured has a pull tab installed you pull this tab after you install working batteries. If you pull the tab with out installing batteries or remove the batteries the built- in program beeps until you install working batteries. The detector beeps when it is not functioning properly, as it does with charged batteries. It does not do the job of protecting your household if you do not provide it with the correct care. It will also beep when the charge in the battery in too low to do its job. Please your family safe by installing working batteries and it should stop beeping until it is ready for new energy.
Does the alarm have a battery for back up and if so where is it fitted?
By Gary
It's most likely a battery issue, what is the key pad display saying? Where is the main panel (big box hardwired to the electric most often in a closet or basement). Your alarm installer can tell you where to get a battery.
I have three electrical smoke alarms and one keeps beeping. How do I fix that?
By Rochelle J.
When that happened to us, we first replaced the 9 volt battery back-up. When that made no difference, we replaced the beeping alarm. It was 10 years old and worn out, I guess. I have read that they should be replaced every ten years.
My smoke detectors are electronically wired. They beep-chirp for about two hours each day and then stop. I have changed all of the batteries and have vacuumed them. Help!
By lam
Smoke alarms store error codes. If the beeping continues, and you have a wired in system with battery back-up: 1. turn off the main circuit to the smoke alarm 2. remove the detachable part of the alarm 3. remove the battery 3. with the battery OUT of its compartment, hold down the TEST button for about 15-20 secs 4. reinstall the battery, or replace it with a new one if the original is dodgy 5. reattach the alarm with battery in place to the base. 6 Turn on mains power. It will work again without chirping ('cos you have reset the error code for chirping [usually 'cos of low-bat]).
The smoke alarm sounded and there was no smoke anywhere in the home. The house is vacant and no appliances were on. I removed the one making noise, but when I reattached it, it went off again. Is it possible this one has gone bad?
By Wallace K.
Usually a sign it needs new batteries. Otherwise might be a bad smoke alarm.
