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kikkoman · Feb 25, 2007, 05:35 PM

My fire alarm "chirps" randomly. I pushed the test button and it seems to work properly. Why is it doing this?

SirCastor · Feb 25, 2007, 05:37 PM

The battery is running low. Replace it.

brassplayersrock² · Feb 25, 2007, 06:39 PM

sircastor is correct.

-a

seanc · Feb 25, 2007, 06:42 PM

^ What they said.
Invest in one of those ones that you plug into the light, much less hassle.

hickey · Feb 25, 2007, 06:51 PM

it means theres a fire in your pants....

ghporter · Feb 25, 2007, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by seanc

^ What they said.
Invest in one of those ones that you plug into the light, much less hassle.

Current codes require smoke detectors in new construction to have BOTH AC and battery power. This is for redundant power and thus more safety. I have this type and once a year (at "end of Daylight Savings Time" day), I replace 7 or 8 9V batteries throughout the house-before anything starts beeping.

kikkoman · Feb 25, 2007, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by SirCastor

The battery is running low. Replace it.

I should have mentioned it's connected to the house wiring.

ghporter · Feb 25, 2007, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by kikkoman

I should have mentioned it's connected to the house wiring.

As I said, you need both types of power for redundancy and safety. Shell out the $1 or so, get a new battery and stick it in.

kikkoman · Feb 25, 2007, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Current codes require smoke detectors in new construction to have BOTH AC and battery power. This is for redundant power and thus more safety. I have this type and once a year (at "end of Daylight Savings Time" day), I replace 7 or 8 9V batteries throughout the house-before anything starts beeping.

I'll check it out.

bstone · Feb 25, 2007, 07:37 PM

That is happening at the home where my sister and bro in law live. The problem is the fire detector is above some steps leading to the basement, which was under a very high ceiling. No good way to put a ladder up there and it's way out of reach. The chirp is annoying.

reader50 · Feb 25, 2007, 08:14 PM

For battery smoke alarms in hard-to-reach places, you can buy a lithium 9V. Typically $7 in a Lowes or $11 for the same battery in Radio Shack. It isn't worth it in terms of power per dollar: costs 3+ times as much, but only lasts ~ twice as long as alkalines. It may be worth it in cutting the aggrivations of reaching nearly-impossible locations.

If a smoke alarm sometimes chirps when it has AC power and the battery (if present) is new, the alarm may simply have gotten old. Or become oversensitive for unknown reasons. Since this is an AC alarm, check if it has a battery backup, like ghporter said. If changing the battery doesn't fix it (or if it's an AC-only alarm), then change the alarm. They're not terribly expensive.

centerchannel68 · Feb 25, 2007, 08:29 PM

Some smoke detectors in my apartment stairwell were chirping for a while. I let my landlord know about it on many, many occasions. They chirp every 27 seconds. Why do I know this? I could hear them when I was trying to go to sleep. One night, I went out there with the broom, and smashed those ****ers.

Now there's no more chirping.

Buckaroo · Feb 25, 2007, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by bstone

That is happening at the home where my sister and bro in law live. The problem is the fire detector is above some steps leading to the basement, which was under a very high ceiling. No good way to put a ladder up there and it's way out of reach. The chirp is annoying.

I believe you need somethng like one of these

There might be another way. It's a pain. Try a 357 magnum. That'll work for sure.

Jawbone54 · Feb 25, 2007, 10:08 PM

Mine chirped for nearly an entire day while I was gone to work. When I got back, my wife was freakin' out, saying she couldn't hardly work (medical transcription) all day long because of that "stupid sound."

I reached up, took the battery out, and left it out until I got a new one. She just stared, POed that it was that easy.

centerchannel68 · Feb 25, 2007, 10:21 PM

Don't expect the womensez to do mechanical stuff.

Jawbone54 · Feb 25, 2007, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Don't expect the womensez to do mechanical stuff.

S'okay. She's reeeeeally good with an oven.

SpaceMonkey · Feb 25, 2007, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

S'okay. She's reeeeeally good with an oven.

I don't worry much about the oven until it starts chirping.

wolfen · Feb 26, 2007, 07:50 AM

One of the group homes I visit has had a chirping smoke detector for about 7 months. I can't help but laugh every time I go in there. I tell them...they smile and say "thanks." I come back, more chirping.

There's an entertaining episode of Love Line with Adam Corolla where a caller has a chirping smoke detector. They practically ignore the caller for several minutes as they time the intervals, place bets, and discuss what kind of person could possibly tolerate this noise.

ghporter · Feb 26, 2007, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Mine chirped for nearly an entire day while I was gone to work. When I got back, my wife was freakin' out, saying she couldn't hardly work (medical transcription) all day long because of that "stupid sound."

I reached up, took the battery out, and left it out until I got a new one. She just stared, POed that it was that easy.

Yikes!!! Before she went to nursing school, my wife was an electronics tech and instructor-there ain't NOTHIN' she won't try to fix, adapt, correct, or modify. She changed the clutch on her first car BY HERSELF...

I know girlie girls, but none of them is that 'hardware challenged.'

SirCastor · Feb 26, 2007, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Yikes!!! Before she went to nursing school, my wife was an electronics tech and instructor-there ain't NOTHIN' she won't try to fix, adapt, correct, or modify. She changed the clutch on her first car BY HERSELF...

I know girlie girls, but none of them is that 'hardware challenged.'

It's never stupidity, just a different manner of thinking. My fiance couldn't get her microwave to work when she moved it. It powered up but she couldn't the buttons to respond. After we bought a Microwave, and brought it to her place, I looked at the Microwave for a moment, and hit the cancel button, which stopped the clock from flashing and enabled the machine.

alligator · Feb 26, 2007, 08:53 PM

I just replaced my smoke detectors. They only last a limited time (like 10 years). The new ones said that after 10 years of use, they would chirp continuously until replaced, regardless of battery level or AC power. Apparently that's the way they get you to replace them when they are no longer effective.

hookem2oo7 · Feb 26, 2007, 08:59 PM

i have a smoke detector in my apartment that goes off at the slightest hint of temperature change. for example, after taking a shower, when i open the bathroom door the warm air sets it off... Could it be that it's just old and needs to be replaced? the battery is brand new...

brassplayersrock² · Feb 26, 2007, 09:15 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Don't expect the womensez to do mechanical stuff.

heh, and with that said, good bye human race.

-a

Dakar² · Feb 26, 2007, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Mine chirped for nearly an entire day while I was gone to work. When I got back, my wife was freakin' out, saying she couldn't hardly work (medical transcription) all day long because of that "stupid sound."

I reached up, took the battery out, and left it out until I got a new one. She just stared, POed that it was that easy.

If you have a sense of humor, record that sound and leave it playing back looped when you leave for work one day.

iranfromthezoo · Feb 27, 2007, 09:55 AM

call your local fire dept. Most of the fire depts now go out and replace fir alarms or the batteries for free of charge. Saving you the hassle.....

reader50 · 12:26 PM

Calling them out to save you the cost of a $2 battery feels cheap in my books.

iranfromthezoo · Feb 27, 2007, 01:56 PM

hey a lot of people do it to us....we are public servants and are in customer service....been called for worse.

Gossamer · Feb 27, 2007, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by wolfen

There's an entertaining episode of Love Line with Adam Corolla where a caller has a chirping smoke detector. They practically ignore the caller for several minutes as they time the intervals, place bets, and discuss what kind of person could possibly tolerate this noise.

I heard that one live! It was hilarious...they kept telling the caller to shut up so they could count down until the next beep

SirCastor · Feb 27, 2007, 06:35 PM

Calling out to the fire department to replace your smoke alarm/battery is absurd. How lazy can we get?

Rev-O · Feb 27, 2007, 06:46 PM

I had a smoke alarm outside my bedroom chirping so I replaced the battery. Kept chirping. Replaced the battery again. Kept chirping. Enraged, I pulled it off the ceiling and tore it into tiny pieces. Too my dismay, I heard the chirp again. As I stood underneath the hole in my ceiling where the smoke detector formerly was, I hung my head in defeat.
And saw the plug in carbon monoxide in the outlet directly below the former smoke detector.
Bending down, I examined the LCD display on the front of it and read 'batt' on the display. Put a fresh battery in the co detector.
Chirping stopped.
*sigh* win some and you lose some

ghporter · Feb 27, 2007, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo

hey a lot of people do it to us....we are public servants and are in customer service....been called for worse.

And you're not talking about a 911 call. This is something that some departments do as community education as much as community service, and it's handled through their administrative offices. The trouble is, most people today don't know how to contact their fire department other than 911...

maxintosh · Feb 28, 2007, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by hookem2oo7

i have a smoke detector in my apartment that goes off at the slightest hint of temperature change. for example, after taking a shower, when i open the bathroom door the warm air sets it off... Could it be that it's just old and needs to be replaced? the battery is brand new...

They don't work based on temperature. You may have the kind that uses a light sensor to detect refracted light, ie the steam is reflecting light in the sensor and tripping it. An "ionizing" smoke detector isn't sensitive to that.

BLAZE_MkIV · Feb 28, 2007, 05:18 PM

Better yet call the fire marshall and report your landlord.