Smoke Detectors...Why do they alarm just once?
 

For the last few nights, the smoke detectors will sound just once. Happens between 10Pm and midnight. Not all, just a few. And not a constant alarm but just one alarm then nothing. I changed them all last year. Fresh batteries. I thought maybe the kids were smoking something so I checked - nothing.

What gives? Solar flares? Poltergeist?

Sounds like there is a dead battery in at least one. If they continue to chirp after replacing the batteries, they may need to be "reset". Unplug from the socket, remove battery, press and hold the test button for 10sec or so. Replace battery, plug back in, and hit the test button until all chirp. Should be GTG then.

^^^ This

I tell every homeowner at their orientation they should change batteries once a year as they seem to go off at 3 am.

Who "one starred" a thread on smoke detectors?

It doesn't do the 'curp' like the detector has a low battery, it actually sounds off for 2 bursts then cuts out. I will change the batteries though.

As for the 1 star, I always give myself a 1 star rating. It beats the jerk to the punch who always gives it to me. Its about taking control away from my 'friend'.

The bigger question is
WHY DOES THE BATTERY ALERT ONLY BEGIN BETWEEN 1 - 3 AM ! :mad:

No doubt that is part of the design. I have always wanted to find someone that works the graveyard shift and see if they have a smoke detector that goes off in the middle of the afternoon. If they do we could swap.

This is my theory - the circuitry is more sensitive in cooler temperatures, hence this happens in the middle of the night when interior temperatures of the house are cooler.

Not at my house in the summer. Our thermostat goes up 4 degrees and we use a ceiling fan over the bed to keep us comfortable. 30 minutes before the the alarm goes off it drops the temperature in the house back to normal. With the outside temps cooler in the morning the AC drops the temp in the house in no time. If I get up in the middle of the night it is for sure warmer than normal.

The smoke detector only starts chirping in the middle of the night.

as long as we are talking about smoke detectors, can I get one for my kitchen that doesnt go off every-time I open the oven or toaster? It is so annoying we arnt even using it anymore.

Or should I just move it a bit farther away? It is a cheapo 10$ one, would a better one help? Im sure google could solve this for me, but I was already in this thread!

Every mother f'n time.

It's gotta be programmed.

I have never, ever, not once, had one start to chirp during the day.

And what sucks about them is it's often times difficult to figure out which one it is so you stand there like an idiot in your undies waiting for it to go off again which for some reason always seems to be a longer interval than when you are lying in bed hoping it will stop on its own.

I think they are sensitive to temp and humidity and false alert.

My carbon detectors seem to be more affected by environmental changes than the smoke detectors.

If the kids were smoking something that set off a detector you'd almost certainly smell it before the detector alerted.

I have an old Vanguard Fire Alarm for the kitchen area. It is basically a bell with a wind up spring and a thermal fuse that melts at something like 160 degrees. I have seen them listed on that internet auction site.

My theory is that (a) I'm gone during most of the waking daylight hours, then when I'm home I'm (b) making too much noise to hear them. The only time that I'm actually quiet enough to hear a smoke detector make a single chirp is when I'm lying in bed.

The alternate theory is that our $15 smoke detectors are actually very sophisticated sleep detectors, such that they can tell when the most responsible person in the house is most asleep, at which point they chirp exactly loud enough to wake that person up without being loud enough to identify which unit is beeping.

[green]Very sophisticated stuff, smoke detectors.[/green]

Get a wired smoke detector. Safer, you don't rely on batteries.

How old are the detectors? They should be replaced every 5-7 yrs. 5yrs on CO detectors.

.

This is what I did. I had the 110v circuit in place. The previous owner used the battery detectors. On of my detectors went off every 24 hours lock clockwork. Replaced all of the detectors with 100v models and don't have any batteries on any of them.

But if the power goes out because of an electrical short that starts a fire, the smoke detector will remain silent.

We have both types. Smoke detectors are stupid cheap like insurance.

Mine are 12volts. Wired into my alarm system and backed up by a battery.

Most smoke detectors are really, really cheeeep.
some of em are just no good.
If you get one that chirps for no reason or goes off for no reason, it's telling you something. Replace it.

Good luck finding which one it is ;)

BTW i change the batteries in my smoke detectors every time daylight savings changes the time.