How To Stop Hard Wired Smoke Alarm Chirping When There Is No Smoke To Detect
One of the most frequent homeowner complaints is how to stop hard wired smoke alarm chirping, especially when there is no smoke or fire detected. The most common reason why the smoke detectors go off is because the battery for the back-up system is going bad. However, that is not the only cause. There are several things that can happen which will prompt you to want to stop hard wired smoke alarm chirping.
Check the Backup Battery First
When you have hard wired smoke alarm problems, simply removing the old battery does not usually solve the problem. Actually, sometimes it makes it worse! When your smoke alarm does not get a fresh battery for the back-up system, it is going to chirp louder and more frequently until you replace it. In addition, always use a new battery, not a rechargeable model as these do not perform well with smoke detectors, unless, of course, you don't mind waking up in the middle of the night to loud, shrill sounds.
Temperature Changes Can Be a Problem
Your smoke alarm may beep because it decides that your home's interior may be too hot or too cold. Your home is especially vulnerable to this if you have a programmable thermostat. To stop hard wired smoke alarm chirping, raise or lower the temperature on your thermostat a few degrees and see if that silences the annoying chirping sound.
Try a Little Spring Cleaning
With smoke alarms, home burglar alarms or any Home Alarms Systems with sensors, you can expect that a little dust and even critters like roaches or spiders can disrupt their operation. Because the alarm housing is typically in the ceiling or high up on a wall, it is out of sight, out of mind when it comes to normal house cleaning. You have two cleaning options. First, you can try a hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner's extension wand and suck up the dust and debris accumulation. Or second, use a can of compressed air and blast the debris build-up out of the alarm. Of course, you will have to open the housing of the smoke alarm unit to clean it out.
Try the Handy Reset Button
If you have tried replacing the battery as well as the cleaning methods and you still have hard wired smoke alarm problems, you may have to reset it. Before doing so, remove the battery once again. Once the battery is out, press the reset button. You may get some chirping, even without the battery! This is because the smoke detector retains a little bit of charge from the old battery. Pressing the reset button without the battery in it dissipates any leftover charge. You should have chirpless success once you replace the new battery in your smoke alarm.
If for some reason the new battery, cleaning the unit or resetting the unit does not work, it could simply be time for a new smoke detector, especially if you do not remember ever installing the one you have! Or, you may not be getting adequate power supply to your unit. In this case, an electrician can test the electric current with a volt meter to determine if this is the problem. When you want to stop hard wired smoke alarm chirping, you do have multiple options to choose from.
