Part 2 of 3: Installing a New Battery for Wired Detectors. Turn off power to your wired smoke detector. Wired smoke detectors are connected directly into the power supply of your house, which is sometimes also called the mains.
Once you replace the battery or otherwise successfully address the reason for the chirping, the smoke detector should immediately stop making noise. However, if you cannot figure out the problem, don't disable the unit by taking out the battery.
When you change the batteries on your smoke detector, it may chirp for up to 10 seconds. This chirping is normal and signals that the device is receiving fresh power. The same thing may happen to hardwired alarms when you turn on the device's power.
But most smoke detectors are instead designed to go off when their electrical current goes down. That's because smoke in the air will reduce the current. If your battery is dying, the current that's flowing through your sensor also goes down.
A smoke detector connects to electricity in order for it to function. Before you work on it, you should switch off the circuit breaker to prevent electrocution and check the wires using a tester before you touch them.
Consistent Chirping
If a smoke alarm is chirping consistently, one of the following may be the reason: The battery may need to be replaced. An alarm will chirp every 30 to 60 seconds for a minimum of seven days. With a "low battery" announcement, disconnect the unit and replace the batteries.
You can turn off the circuit breaker for your smoke alarm. When a battery-powered smoke detector starts to beep — or if it sounds a false alarm — you can get it to stop by removing the battery.
Does the detector have a battery? If so it should throw off warning beeps if there is no power being supplied. I think they are all like this, at least now-a-days. Also look at your breaker box and see if there is a breaker labeled anything like "smoke detectors." Try switching that off to see what happens.
Most battery powered smoke detectors will beep for a minimum of 30 days before the battery dies. You'll know the battery is losing charge if you hear consistent beeping every 30 to 60 seconds.
This battery characteristic can cause a smoke alarm to enter the low battery chirp mode when air temperatures drop. Most homes are the coolest between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. That's why the alarm may sound a low-battery chirp in the middle of the night, and then stop when the home warms up a few degrees.
A solid green light on your smoke detector indicates that the device is on and operating normally.
Your alarm manufacturer may have included a blinking red light to let you know it's time to test the alarm again. The Batteries are Low: Usually accompanied by a loud beep, a blinking red light could mean the batteries in the unit are low. Consider adding fresh batteries and running a test to make sure it's working.
Some fire departments will install battery-operated smoke alarms in your home at no cost. Contact your local fire department's non-emergency phone number for more information.
As the battery in a smoke alarm gets weak, the smoke alarm will “chirp” about once a minute to let you know that the battery needs to be replaced. Note: Only the device with a low battery will chirp. The other interconnected alarms should be silent.
Testing and Changing Your Fire Alarm Battery
If your smoke alarms are powered by a nine-volt battery, the battery should be replaced every 6 months, while the alarm itself should be replaced once every 10 years. For 10-year lithium-powered fire detectors, you won't need to replace the battery.
Insert the new battery into the compartment with the positive (circular ◯ ) contact closest to the center of the detector. The negative (hexagonal ⬢ ) contact should be closer to the outside of the detector.