BeJane.com, November 19th, 2006
Ask Jane: Fixing a chirping smoke detector
Dear Jane,
One of my hard wired smoke detectors chirps constantly! I have replaced the wiring, replaced the back up battery and it still makes noise. It even chirps when the power is off! My house is only five years old. What is going on?
-Teri
Dear Teri,
This certainly sounds like an aggravating situation! But, it’s absolutely critical that your smoke detectors are in proper working order for the safety of your family. What struck us as odd about your situation is that you have changed the back up batteries and the unit only seems to be chirping in one area. Here is what we think your noisy smoke detector can be attributed to:
We suggest you re-check the wiring, just in case. First, shut off the power at the circuit breaker. Then, disconnect the wires to the smoke detector and leave in the new back-up battery. If it still chirps, then your wiring is not to blame. It could be that some other part of the smoke detector itself is malfunctioning. You can either replace the unit or have a professional inspect it.
That said, our concern is that the chirping continues regardless of the fact that you've installed new equipment. We suggest you check with the manufacturer of your unit to see if there is a possibility that it is alarming you of something else (e.g., does it also test for carbon monoxide?).
Another thing to check is if there is a vent that could be directing hot air towards the smoke detector, alerting the unit of a change in temperature. Analyze the surroundings. Did this begin when you turned on your heat for the first time this year? If you find this is the case, then try to redirect the vent away from the smoke detector and see if that resolves the issue.
We know it’s annoying, but be thorough in your investigation as it’s always better to be on the safe side.
Please keep us posted on how this turns out. We hope this helps!
Hugs 'n hammers,
Jane
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