Remove the smoke alarm from the mounting bracket and disconnect the power. Remove the battery (for a sealed-battery model, see Battery Settings for a 10-Year Alarm to learn more). Press and hold the test button for five seconds. Reconnect the power and reinstall the battery.
The most likely reason smoke detectors go off unexpectedly is that people aren't changing the batteries in them often enough. In most sensors you might think of, the strength of the signal goes up when they detect what they're supposed to. Common causes of smoke detector false positives around the house.
In conclusion, the smoke detector may still be beeping even after the battery is changed because the battery may be low, the smoke detector may be faulty, or there may be dust or other particles in the smoke detector.
Dust, Dirt and Environmental Smoke
Dust and dirt that comes from activities like remodeling may set off your smoke alarms. To clean your smoke alarm, open it up carefully, and look inside for dust or dirt. Use a vacuum attachment or electronic aerosol cleaner to remove dust particles.
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.
Power interruptions are common in areas where utility companies switch grids in the early hours of the morning. In AC or AC/DC smoke alarms, a loose hot wire connection can intermittently disconnect power to the smoke alarm. The effect is the same as a power failure. When power is restored, the units may alarm briefly.
If your smoke alarm won't stop going off, reset the alarm after first checking that there is no actual fire in your home. If it is only a case of cooking smoke or steam setting off the alarm, most smoke alarms will stop beeping once you open windows and doors to air out the room.
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.
If your detector or alarm has a blinking or steady light with no audible alarm sound, this typically indicates that the unit is receiving power.
Remove the smoke alarm from the mounting bracket and disconnect the power. Remove the battery (for a sealed-battery model, see Battery Settings for a 10-Year Alarm to learn more). Press and hold the test button for five seconds. Reconnect the power and reinstall the battery.
In most cases, you can find the 'hush' button on the smoke detector's cover. However, if you have trouble finding the button or are not sure if your detector has the feature, check out your user manual.
A solid green light on your smoke detector indicates that the device is on and operating normally.
Press and hold the test button on the smoke detector. It can take a few seconds to begin, but a loud, ear-piercing siren should emanate from the smoke detector while the button is pressed. If the sound is weak or nonexistent, replace your batteries.
You can also use real smoke to test the smoke sensor. To do this, light two or three matches, and hold them together a few feet underneath the detector. The smoke from the matches should cause the alarm to sound if the detector is functioning properly. If it doesn't sound, replace the detector immediately.
Lens Detection
After locating the smoke detectors that are candidates for a camera, visually inspect the smoke detector and look for a small black dot and pinhole openings that provide the lens with perspective and a visual window. Like any camera lens, it will reflect and have a distinct visual appearance.
Smoke Detector Has Solid Green Light? Battery and electrical power smoke detectors will usually have a steady green light to let you know the detector has electrical power and is in working order.
For most residential smoke detectors, blinks are common; you need to be conversant with the colors showing. Different smoke alarms use the green and red LED to indicate the device's power status such that a flashing green means low battery while a constant blink means AC power is connected.
What does it mean? This is the power indicator light: First Alert and BRK alarms have a power indicator light to show you that your alarm is receiving power. Some alarms have a red or green light that blinks every few minutes, while other models blink rapidly or shine a solid light.
Phantom fire alarms? You might have a spider problem. Is your smoke alarm going off even though there's no smoke or fire to trigger it? If you open the smoke detector (or have someone else do it), you might find the culprit: spiders!
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.