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.

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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.

Interesting.

I thought it was code to have a battery, wired or not.

If not seems like it should be.

That is because all new smoke alarms upload to the military satellite system that informs them on exactly when to go off at the most inconvenience time... and sends a live video feed to a semi-secure internet site (and may I say you look quite fetching in those lepard print boxers!)

And... I just changed out my smoke detectors... and they all came with ten year lith ion batteries.

A few bucks more but worth it IMHO.

Truth be told, I have one electric with a battery and 2 without. I specifically bought w/o because one of my detectors is in a room with a 14 ft ceiling that is an absolute PITA to get at.

Hopefully you won't be wishing it had a battery after the smoke clears.

I have 8 detectors with battery, wired together. If one goes off, they all go off. It's code here.

Going to assume those no battery detectors either have the long life lithium back up that does not get changed because they last the serviceable life of the detector or they have a capacitor.

MBAtarga is almost correct, cooler temps do cause the chirps in the night, but it's not the circuitry. As the battery ages and nears its' end of life, its' internal resistance increases. Cooler temps affect the battery's ability to deliver power and cause the low battery problem.

The problem described sounds as if there is either a bad detector or bad battery. Are they linked detectors where all sound if there is an event?

Vin

I threw the breaker, all detectors off, changed all batteries, fired up the breaker - so far, no false alarms. House is always kept at 73 year round.

The sat feed (if real) would explain other things!

You forgot to water your plants... and your wife has been sampling your bourbon.

now I know your full of shyt! I don't have any house plants left (dogs, long story) and my wife hates bourbon, whiskey, scotch but if you said Vodka you would have had me thinking you were black op'n me!

I have to confess I turned my smoke detectors off and removed the batteries. They are hard wired, with battery backups and linked. I tried changing the batteries, replacing some of the detectors, going without batteries - house current only, going with batteries only, and nothing helped. There was always one that started chirping in the middle of the night. I'd be going around in the middle of the night standing and looking up to see which one was flashing the big red light. Once in a while one would go off for no reason and set the others off. It was a big enough irritant, I figured they just made them that way and decided enough was enough.

It is code in most places. Especially with new construction. As I stated in my previous post, detectors have a finite lifespan. They need to be replaced, after a number of years.

I have a smoke detector in every room in my house including my garage. I don't want to miss anything.

I may be paranoid, but 27yrs in the fire service will do that to you. I've been to more than enough fatal fires, that didn't have working smoke detectors.


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I replaced them all last year (9 of them) and at $65 each. So far the new batteries seem to do the trick.

I did the ten year battery thing too. Around here landlords have to have working smoke alarms in rentals so the ten year thing makes it easier.

Wow. :eek: They are not made that way, it was likely end of lifespan, or dirty.

New detectors are about $14 each. Add a CO if you have any gas appliances in the house for another $30

We install in every new house, and add bedrooms, etc in every remodel. Never have callbacks, they work.

Maybe I will replace all of them. They are about seven years old at this point. I did replace two, and they just seemed to fall in with the others in terms of the irritating behavior. The place is all electric and not fire prone, but I would feel better if they actually worked.

All detectors currently on the market will be changing over the next few years. The national code for detectors has changed and detectors will have to become more sensitive to Polyurethane Foam smoke and less sensitive to nuisance alarms (burnt toast). Make sure your detectors are working, it's the smoke that kills in most fires, not the flames and modern materials give off a lot of it when burning.