Smoke Detector Blasts At Odd Intervals

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

I had the pleasure of waking up this morning to a smoke detector downstairs blaring its noxious noise for short and odd intervals. I already knew the one upstairs was just hardwired in; no battery to check, so I assumed this one was as well. I called the nonemergency number for the fire department and the fellow suggested I either change the battery and, if that didn't correct it, they could send a truck out.

Well, I don't think I need a fire truck. There's no smoke! And, after I physically climbed up on a ladder to check it, there's no battery either. I ended up just vacuuming it out of desperation which seems to have calmed it down for the moment.

Anybody have any experience with this? It's a rental so I'm not inclined to get too involved in home improvements if I can help it.

[The Streets]

When this happens, I've had some success blowing them out with "canned air". But, if it happens again I just figure that the alarm has reached the end of its useful life and I replace it.

[Joseph Meehan]

Most of the time it is the battery or dust. Batteries tend to go low on voltage when they get cold, so they usually cause problems at night. I really suspect there is a battery there somewhere. If it does not have a battery, you should replace the unit as fires have a bad habit of occurring when or actually causing a power outage so without a battery you may find you have no alarm at all. Also alarms should be replaced every 5-10 years anyway. They become less sensitive and less reliable.

[spamTHISbrp]

My wired-together AC-powered detectors did have a battery- but usually a 'chirp' is played for a low battery.

I had an old detector just go south on my, did just what you say. Randomly played the alarm for a few seconds at a time at odd intervals.

Dave

[Bennett Price]

get

[dke3591]

get

Perhaps a spider or other small critter is in the area and intermittently walks across the sensing unit.

[Jeff Wisnia]

get

That's what sets mine off every once in a while. A spray of RAID around (but not into) the smoke detectors chases em off for a long time.

Jeff

[Charles Schuler]

Good advice.

[mm]

They don't have cars. They always come in a truck.

No smoke that you can see or smell. That doesn't at all mean there is no smoke.

AIUI, dust usually prevents it from noticing smoke when it should, not the other way around.

And a dying battery won't blare, and won't wake anyone up except the lightest sleeper. Nor will a detector with a dying battery beep at odd intervals, but at regular intervals starting at one or more day intervals.

Actually, you have a deprovement, because you used to have a working detector and no fire. So if I were in your shoes, I'd want to get back to normal.

One of my neibhors had a fire that did a lot of damage. Their detector beeped every once in a while like yours, but they too thought htey had no fire. Turned out the clock in their stove was smouldering and sending out smoke particles, not enough for a person to smell. One night it burned into flames, took the room with it and headed upstairs. The fire and water damage was in the 10's of thousands.

At the very least, buy yourself a second detector, and run both of them. Because I'm a curious guy, I'd put them both in the same room for the first 2 or 3 weeks.