Why Smoke Alarm Keeping Beeping or Chirping?
Wed, Apr 15, 2020
If you have a smoke alarm in your house, you might have noticed that sometimes it starts chirping without any apparent reason. It can happen due to a variety of reasons. Today, we will discuss the smoke alarm beeping and what causes smoke alarm intermittent beeping or chirping. Here you go!
Part 1. What Causes Smoke Alarm Intermittent Beeping or Chirping?
Sometimes it happens that the smoke alarms give chirping noises when its battery is down. In such cases, the battery should be replaced. But in some cases, it gives continuous chirping even you have changed the batteries. This error mostly occurs in smoke alarms, which are operated by electricity. To figure out why do smoke alarms beep intermittently, you should then reset the smoke alarm manually to fix smoke detector false alarms.
The cause of chirping in the battery is usually related to the cells and wiring too. You should not confuse with the chirping and intermittent alarm. A chirping sound is at equal intervals and has a higher pitch, on the other hand, the latter has a low pitch and sounds after several seconds. List the common reasons to cause smoke alarms for beeping or chirring.
1. The Issue of Battery Pull Tabs:
When the AC power is supplied to the smoke detector, the battery pull tab should be removed from it.
2. Low Battery:
The low battery is the main reason for chirping smoke alarms as their cells become weak after a specific time. When the case is so, the alarm will start tweeting for a minute, giving you an intimation that you should replace the battery. When the device has a low battery, it will begin to chirp, but the other alarm which is connected should be silent at that time.
3. Battery Drawer Should Not Be Open:
If you want to keep the batteries connection in the designated manner, make sure that you closed the battery drawers properly.
4. Obstructed Part of the Terminal:
If the connection of the terminals of a battery in the smoke alarm is not correct, it may cause beeping. For this reason, you should check the removal of the obstruction.
5. Temperature Issues:
Another issue that can cause a beeping of smoke alarm is the temperature fluctuation in your house. If you have fixed the thermostat at the high, low, or an unusual temperature, the device can detect it and gives a beep. Another reason for your device chirping is the hot air coming from the kitchen and washrooms. For instance, if you took a shower with the hot water recently or you are cooking in the kitchen at a very high temperature.
6. Another Appliance:
The carbon monoxide detectors, security systems, monitors, and other appliances can be the cause of annoying chirping sound.
7. Life Of Smoke Alarms:
Another main reason for chirping in the smoke detectors may be that its lifetime is over. These can work efficiently for 8 to 10 years. You should switch off the alarm first and check the manufacturing date on it, and if it has completed its minimum of eight years, you should replace it as soon as possible.
Part 2. How to Stop Your Smoke Alarm from Beeping
It is a common problem with the smoke alarm that they continuously beep after regular intervals of time. So here are some tips to deal with the situation.
1. Resetting Of Alarm
Sometimes the smoke alarms have errors in their processors like they have the low batteries. For this error, you need to reset the smoke detector in the home safety system. It usually happens when the old battery is replaced with the new one, and the error condition is reset. Alternatively, you may treat them manually to clear the errors.
To connect the battery backup with the AC unit, follow the tips.
- At the circuit breaker, switch off the power supply.
- Uninstall the smoke alarm and disconnect the power.
2. Removal of Battery
You should hold and press the test button for 15 seconds; the device may chirp before going silent.
Now reconnect the power and reinstall the battery, it will chip once after the restoration of energy and will not chirp afterward.
3. Electrical Conditions:
In case of an interruption in the AC power to the unit, it will start beeping again once the power is restored. You should check the potential causes regarding electrical conditions.
Another reason of chirping is when some other electric appliances are switched on in the houses like exhaust fans, and heaters. If the device is connected to some other instrument, the alarm may chirp. If the case is so, you should install the equipment to another outlet and a different circuit. You can also hire the services of electricians for hard wired devices. These situations can be handled by installing your alarms on other circuits according to the NFPA rules and regulations.
4. Replacement Of Smoke Alarms
If the above reasons are not the cause of chirping and you are still having the chirping sound in your smoke alarm, now is the best time to replace old alarms with the new ones. The heat and smoke alarms have the time of usually ten years for their replacement. On the other hand, the carbon monoxide and the combination alarms work efficiently for seven years. And some may work for only five years. If your unit has passed the warranty date, you should immediately buy a new one. The device has the code of date stamped on the label on it, you can check the date from there.
So, if you come across an annoyingly chirping smoke alarm the next time, you have the required information on how to deal with this nuisance. You can now try to fix the problem yourself after identifying the exact cause without external help. This will not only save your time and effort but you will also save your precious bucks.
You may also like: Why Are Smoke Alarms Important?
