Common Causes Of False Smoke Alarms
False alarms don't sound the same as chirps. They have a lower pitch and are meant to alert you of smoke presence in the home. There are different reasons why you could have a false alarm at home. Let's consider what could be the cause when your smoke alarm chirps.
- Low Battery
If it's been a while since you heard your smoke detector beeping, your batteries are probably still good. When the power in your batteries starts running low, the smoke detector will chirp to let you know that it's necessary to change the batteries. Once you replace the old ones, the sound should stop.
- Dust
Dust is also a common cause of false alarms at home. The sensors that smoke alarms use to detect carbon monoxide particles in the air are sensitive, and the accumulation of dust can stop them from working as they should. Dust could also build a barrier around the battery connection, making it seem as if the batteries are dead.
As such, we recommend that you clean the smoke detector twice every year to ensure you get rid of dust before it becomes a serious problem. You can do this using a vacuum cleaner, compressed air, or a wipe to clear out the dirt.
- Battery Pull Tab Or Peg
This situation normally occurs after changing the batteries on your smoke detector. Some smoke alarms come with a small peg or battery pull tab that holds the battery drawer in place. Once you pull the peg out, you can take the battery out. Most people forget to push the peg back into place after swapping out the old battery.
So, you'll need to ensure the battery pull tab is where it belongs after installing the new batteries to avoid a false alarm.
- Direct Sunlight
If you position your smoke alarm where they are in direct contact with sun rays, they'll probably sound multiple times. This is because the hot sun rays can affect the smoke sensors and cause your device to beep since it'll assume there's smoke in the house. So, you should probably move the smoke detectors to another location to avoid false alarms.
- Heating Or Cooling Vents
If you have cooling or heating vents at home, they could also be the reason your smoke detector keeps going off. That's why you need to get your smoke alarms installed in places where they are clear from the air vents. This is because the smoke sensors will detect the hot air moving through the vents into your indoor space and assume that it's smoke. As such, you should only place the detector in areas where it won't be affected by your home's heating system.
- Temperature Fluctuations
Another cause of false alarms at home is sudden temperature changes. Of course, air vents are among the reasons you have temperature fluctuations at home. However, you could also be getting false alarms because of the presence of steam. The steam could be coming from your kitchen during cooking or from your bathroom as you take a hot shower.
To reduce false alarms caused by temperature changes, you should install the smoke alarm away from the kitchen or bathroom door. Otherwise, every time the sensors detect steam, the alarm will go off, and you'll need to reset your device.
From Putogesafe Official