Why is my smoke detector going off for no reason?

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  • MindyAlatosse

    #1

    Why is my smoke detector going off for no reason?

    Why is my smoke detector going off for no reason?

    So here I am, taking a nice nap after a lengthy doctors visit and my smoke alarm goes off. I bolted out of bed only to have it stop by the time I got to see what the problem was. I looked around : no fire. I though I was crazy and went back to lay down. Well before I got back down the stairs it went off again for about 30 seconds. I have electric appliances, no gas anything, and baseboard heaters.

    I don't get it? It's hardwired ...any ideas?



































    ---------------------------- e cig e cigarette electronic cigarette
  • blackcat4866
    Master Of The Obvious

    Site Contributor
    10,000+ Posts
    • Jul 2007
    • 22999

    #2
    This drives me nuts too. When the battery gets low (usually 9vdc) the smoke deflector will let out a single "peep" every 60 seconds or so. When you go to sleep it's nice & quiet in the house, so it really easy to hear that chirp.

    There are (7) smoke alarms in my house. The one that was chirping was in the basement, in a box of electronics, not even being used. It took me a week to find the birdie. The cats didn't care for it much either, but they weren't any help in tracking it down.

    If you remove the hard wired power and backup battery, then hold the button it will chirp a few times then run down. That's how I could be sure I found the right one. =^..^=
    If you'd like a serious answer to your request:
    1) demonstrate that you've read the manual
    2) demonstrate that you made some attempt to fix it.
    3) if you're going to ask about jams include the jam code.
    4) if you're going to ask about an error code include the error code.
    5) You are the person onsite. Only you can make observations.

    blackcat: Master Of The Obvious =^..^=

    Comment

    • lonesome

      #3
      I haven't experienced a smoke alarm going off falsely, but I have experienced my anti-burglar alarm buzzing off so loudly. False alarm at that. It was so embarrassing!

      Comment

      • ddude
        General Troublemaker

        250+ Posts
        • Feb 2009
        • 473

        #4
        Remove power and blow it out with compressed air-gently.
        2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds

        Comment

        • TonerMunkeh
          Professional Moron

          2,500+ Posts
          • Apr 2008
          • 3865

          #5
          Originally posted by MindyAlatosse
          Why is my smoke detector going off for no reason?

          So here I am, taking a nice nap after a lengthy doctors visit and my smoke alarm goes off. I bolted out of bed only to have it stop by the time I got to see what the problem was. I looked around : no fire. I though I was crazy and went back to lay down. Well before I got back down the stairs it went off again for about 30 seconds. I have electric appliances, no gas anything, and baseboard heaters.

          I don't get it? It's hardwired ...any ideas?



































          ---------------------------- e cig e cigarette electronic cigarette
          Did your copier catch fire? Or was it the electronic cigs you're trying to peddle? Fuck off, dipshit.
          It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses.

          Hit it.

          Comment

          • highlife tech

            #6
            Co detector ?

            Are you sure its not a dual Co/smoke detector. Just a thought.

            Comment

            • mrwho
              Major Asshole!

              Site Contributor
              2,500+ Posts
              • Apr 2009
              • 4299

              #7
              Seems like an excuse to post his signature pub, nothing more. The fact that he never gave back a reply is proof of that.
              ' "But the salesman said . . ." The salesman's an asshole!'
              Mascan42

              'You will always find some Eskimo ready to instruct the Congolese on how to cope with heat waves.'

              Ibid

              I'm just an ex-tech lurking around and spreading disinformation!

              Comment

              • I3FusionGuy
                Technician

                50+ Posts
                • Jun 2009
                • 71

                #8
                Smoke/Carbon Dioxide alarms

                Once I had to repair a fax in a grain elevator...notorious for blowing up. It must have been 100 degrees and 100% humidity in there, and I am in a Tyvek suit until I get to the top floor admin office where the fax is. My attendant said I could take off the Tyvek in there, since it was such a hot summer day and repairing the fax would tke about an hour.

                He left, I bent down to move the fax from its cubbyhole, and I ripped one so hard that it pushed me forward about an inch. I pulled the fax out and set it on a desk, and reached into the toolbox for my Axe cover spray for just a situation...before I could cover up, this alarm starts going off all over the place, complete with sirens and stuff.

                Apparently, there is a particle detector on the top floor, and I shot out enough to set it off. We evacuated the building, the fire department came out, and I told them that all I did was spray out the fax with some compressed air....since nobody gave me a breifing and told me not to, nobody blamed me and the admin controller said it happens almost monthly when one of the workers inadvertantly stirs up enough dust.

                So it was all clear, I returned and fixed the fax, smelling like beer since thats what grain silos smell like. My next customer called and complained I smelled like I had been drinking, and it took a trip to the grain elevator to prove to my boss what it smells like in there.

                But, I had a smile on my face when I handed in the tyvek suit - had I kept it on, who knows what smell my customer would have complained about....

                Comment

                • Lagonda
                  Service Manager

                  Site Contributor
                  1,000+ Posts
                  • Aug 2008
                  • 1649

                  #9
                  Can someone explain why the battery in your smoke alarm only runs out a 3am?
                  At least 50% of IT is a solution looking for a problem.

                  Comment

                  • JustManuals
                    Field Supervisor

                    5,000+ Posts
                    • Jan 2006
                    • 9838

                    #10
                    Originally posted by TonerMunkeh
                    Did your copier catch fire? Or was it the electronic cigs you're trying to peddle? Fuck off, dipshit.
                    Excellent post!

                    Comment

                    • Shadow1
                      Service Manager

                      Site Contributor
                      1,000+ Posts
                      • Sep 2008
                      • 1642

                      #11
                      Originally posted by ddude
                      Remove power and blow it out with compressed air-gently.
                      CAUTION! Most common smoke detectors contain a microscopic amount of the radioactive material Americium-241.
                      The material is in the form of Americium Dioxide which is extremely stable and non-soluble, so even if you ate some it wouldn't put you at great risk of glowing in the dark. Americium is an alpha emitter which means it is extremely easy to shield, and even if you were to be directly exposed most alpha particles are blocked by your outermost layer of dead skin cells, but still - don't blow too hard.

                      Interesting link: • Smoke Detectors and a Radioactive Boyscout • Damn Interesting Not sure how much truth is in it, but never underestimate boyscout ingenuity.
                      Last edited by Shadow1; 03-16-2011, 02:45 AM.
                      73 DE W5SSJ

                      Comment

                      • ddude
                        General Troublemaker

                        250+ Posts
                        • Feb 2009
                        • 473

                        #12
                        Of course, that is why i said gently...
                        2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds

                        Comment

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