Chirping smoke/fire alarms

[ruadisneyfan2]

Not really budget related but I don't know a better place to ask. Some background...
We've lived in our home over 22 years. It's a rancher (one floor). We've always had hard-wired smoke alarms with battery back up. Several years ago, I realized how old the originals were and we replaced them all. (One in each BR and one in foyer.)

Lately, the one in the foyer started chirping. We have a battery tester so we checked all the batteries first. They're all good. Still chirps. We replaced the batteries anyway. Still chirps. We replaced ALL 4 smoke alarms. Still chirps.

We're thinking it must be some electrical problem but I'd love to hear some tips or advice before we call an electrician. I'm ready to just abandon the wiring ability and go back to the old fashion battery type and just replace them each time we change the clocks for daylight savings time.

Day 3 of chirping is like some kind of war prisoner torture device.

Thanks!

 

[Jaymo911]

1. Turn off the power to the smoke alarm at the circuit breaker.
2. Remove the smoke alarm from the mounting bracket and disconnect the power.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Press and hold the test button for at least 15 seconds. NOTE: The unit may chirp or alarm for a few seconds before going silent.
5. Reconnect the power and reinstall the battery. NOTE: The unit will chirp once when the power is restored and should not chirp afterwards.

This is from Kidde's website. https://www.kidde.com/home-safety/e...causes_intermittent_beeping_or_chirping_.aspx

Hope that helps. They also make a year year lithium battery powered detector so you can get away from changing the pesky 9 volts.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks Jaymo. Dh did that. There are youtube videos that explain it.
I looked into the 10 yr batteries and they get bad reviews. A lot of people said after 1-2 years it started emitting the end of life signal. Some people said it made them long for the old days of 9v batteries again.
There was never anything wrong with our batteries but we completely installed 4 brand new smoke detectors with more new batteries.
Our local fire dept offers fire alarm help. I think we'll call them next.

I wouldn't mind just going back to the old school battery kind but we'd never be able to sell our house like that. Code says you can't replace a wired smoke alarm with a battery smoke alarm.

It's so frustrating.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What happens when you remove the batteries period?

 

[_19disnA]

That chirping sound generally means the backup battery in the unit needs to be replaced. This is a common issue. If you have recently replaced all of the units (and/or the batteries) and the problem still exists, best to call an electrician to see if there is some sort of electrical issue.

 

[pigletto]

Not really budget related but I don't know a better place to ask. Some background...
We've lived in our home over 22 years. It's a rancher (one floor). We've always had hard-wired smoke alarms with battery back up. Several years ago, I realized how old the originals were and we replaced them all. (One in each BR and one in foyer.)

Lately, the one in the foyer started chirping. We have a battery tester so we checked all the batteries first. They're all good. Still chirps. We replaced the batteries anyway. Still chirps. We replaced ALL 4 smoke alarms. Still chirps.

We're thinking it must be some electrical problem but I'd love to hear some tips or advice before we call an electrician. I'm ready to just abandon the wiring ability and go back to the old fashion battery type and just replace them each time we change the clocks for daylight savings time.

Day 3 of chirping is like some kind of war prisoner torture device.

Thanks!

The actual smoke alarm needs to be replaced. They have an expiry date and you’ve likely passed it. I had this exact issue about 18 months ago. One went months earlier than the others. The other 4 went within two months of eachother. I replaced them all, and no more chirping. It wasn’t until this happened that I really considered that the actual units themselves had an expiry, but they do. I believe mine had a small expiry date sticker on them.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

At least yours only chirp. When mine are ready to die they go off in full fire alarm mode at 2am for about 29 seconds!

I’d full on replace the chirping one. The “newer” ones seem to have issues and malfunction more than your think.

 

[lanejudy]

If you replaced the alarms “several years ago” it has probably reached it’s end. Ours only seem to last about 8-10 years. DH has started marking the date with a Sharpie when he replaces one so we can more easily track if it’s old. I’d try replacing the old unit before spending money on an electrician.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree, OP didn't say how long ago that was. If it 'chirps', you should first change the batteries. If that doesn't resolve it, the unit might be dusty and the sensor needs cleaning. If that doesn't resolve the chirping, time to buy new smoke alarms. IF you did all of that and still 'chirps' need an electrician.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We're calling an electrician. We replaced all 4 after the chirping began and the one still chirps. When we disconnect the chirping one in the foyer, one of the bedroom units begins to chirp. It has to be electrical.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

What happens when you remove the batteries period?

It still chirps. The only way to make it stop is to disconnect it completely which makes another one begin to chirp. They're wired in series so that if one detects a fire, they all alarm.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Okay, thanks. I was thinking (hoping) your be able to keep the wired ones batteryless and add battery operated detectors.

 

[tvguy]

If you replaced the alarms “several years ago” it has probably reached it’s end. Ours only seem to last about 8-10 years. DH has started marking the date with a Sharpie when he replaces one so we can more easily track if it’s old. I’d try replacing the old unit before spending money on an electrician.

Ours all came with a "replace after" date pre-printed on the smoke detector. I had not idea until about 5 years ago that smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors should be replaced about every 10 years. I did not replace our 2 hard wired smoke detectors. I just placed a new battery powered one next to them. $10 for a new battery detector was a lot cheaper than paying someone to come out and replace the AC detector. I don't mess with electricity.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

Since you replaced all of the units it is definitely wiring related. My understanding is that each unit is wired to the fuse box and then there is an additional wire or two that link them all together. A messenger wire if you will. Those wires are used to trigger the other units when one goes off. The problem is probably in those wires.

 

[LilyWDW]

At least yours only chirp. When mine are ready to die they go off in full fire alarm mode at 2am for about 29 seconds!

I’d full on replace the chirping one. The “newer” ones seem to have issues and malfunction more than your think.

The chirping is annoying too though lol. Because it also goes off at 2am and I wake up wondering what the heck just woke me up (because it is now quiet). Then as soon as I start to drift back off it goes off again. Now I am wondering if I imagined it. Was it a dream?

 

[amcnj]

I know I read that another problem can be dust or bugs and that vacuuming could help, but that was for occasional chirping, not steady chirping. Dust can be at any time, but bug issues are more likely overnight.

Any steady chirping I had was due to batteries (9 volt). Usually it was due to one battery being low, but occasionally they chirped after new batteries were installed, so I figured the battery just wasn’t in right or the alarm didn’t recognize the fresh battery, and reinstalling the battery worked.

I recently replaced all the smoke detectors (the originals were 18 years old). I was lucky and found ones that were the exact size as the originals so replacement was relatively easy.

Let us know what the issue is, as it may happen to us eventually!

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can't just toss old smoke detectors in the trash because the contain radioactive material. You can contact the maker of the smoke detectors and ask them how to dispose. I had two very old ones we found in the garage that I had to mail to a company in Arizona for disposal. And I had to pay about $15 per device.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ok so I looked through all of my Amazon orders and it was 2016 that we bought the chirpers. TVGuy, I considered just skipping the whole idea of hard-wired and go back to the old fashioned battery-only type but that would not pass code if we ever decide to sell our home. Fire inspection must be done before settlement so we either fix it correctly now, or do it later. Who knows when we'll ever move but chances are good that an electrician would cost much more in 20 yrs. At least that was our reasoning.

We decided to try one last effort before calling an electrician. When dh held down the reset button of the chirping device, he did it that one only, not all 4 of them. So we decided to pull all 4 brand new ones and reset all 4 again, even though really, how could they need to be reset already? Only a few hours out of the box? STILL THE FOYER WAS CHIRPING!!! ARRRGH! omg I had to leave and go for a drive before we kill each other. We were going completely mad!
Well, it was all resolved when I got home and you wouldn't believe what it was. The stupid CO detector plugged into the outlet in the foyer which also has a back up battery . (Yes, I know in reality, they're not stupid and I'm glad humanity has this technology.) It's not a huge foyer but the way it echoed sounded like it was coming from the smoke detector. And I guess what we thought was a different one chirping after the first one was pulled out, must have been the CO detector all along but I could swear the chirp was coming from down the hall where bedrooms are.
Whew! Poor dh, he had all 8 of them in a box, put it in the garage and still could hear chirping in the foyer. Kind of hilarious now, in hindsight.

Thanks everyone! Check ALL of your detectors! and have a great weekend!

BTW, the reason they only last for 10 yrs is that they use a TINY bit of radioactive material as part of the detection, actually less radioactivity than what the earth itself naturally emits so don't get all crazy over it and toss your smoke detectors. We're all exposed to the earth's radiation so nothing we can do about that.


ETA: Ah Deb, I see you beat me to it.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

GLad it all worked out in the end.

 

[Jaymo911]

Glad you found the culprit.