Typically, if your smoke detector is chirping, the batteries have gone bad.
Typically, if your smoke detector is chirping, the batteries have gone bad. The chirping in a built-in warning system to let you know you should swap out the batteries. Although this is usually the case, there could be other reasons for an incessant chirp. All homes usually have one or two different smoke alarm types: hardwired or battery-powered. The difference between the two systems is not whether it’s battery-powered, as the names may imply, but rather whether the sensors throughout the house are interconnected through hard wiring or not. Even if you have hardwired alarms, it is likely that every unit requires batteries as a contingency for power outages. Read on to learn more!
Reasons for Smoke Alarm Chirping
There are many reasons that your fire alarm will chirp occasionally. The most common causes are:
- The battery is not correctly installed: if your battery is only in partially, the terminals may not be connected right, which causes the chirping.
- Battery pull tab has not been removed: even with a hardwired alarm system, you will have to remove the battery pull tab, which allows your device to use the batteries as a backup in case of a power outage.
- Battery drawer is not closed: if you do not fully close your battery drawer after installing or replacing the batteries, the alarm will chirp to grab your attention.
- Low battery this is the most common cause of a chirping smoke detector. The chirp means that you should put in a new battery as soon as possible to stop the chirping.
How to Prevent Smoke Alarm from Chirping with Battery
Regardless of what the real source of the chirping is, there are a couple of main steps to take to help identify and replace your batteries:
- Find the alarm that is chirping: although a few apartments and smaller homes will only have one or two alarms, bigger homes are required to have various alarms, and you will want to make sure you address the root source of the problem.
- Access the battery drawer: it isn’t recommended to remove the alarm entirely, but just the battery. If you are able to maneuver the alarm enough to access the battery drawer, that should be enough to swap out the battery.
- Open your battery drawer and take out the battery. After removing the battery, you can check for the pull tab to confirm that it’s been removed.
- Reinstall the existing battery: Try putting the existing battery back in while confirming that it is working correctly with all the terminals connecting. Once the battery is back in, wait to see if the chirping resumes before putting your alarm back in the bracket. If the chirping has stopped, the battery is likely loose, or the drawer is not fully closed.
- Replace the batteries: if the chirping keeps happening, you have to replace the entire battery. Upon replacing, make sure that you shut the drawer entirely and that the battery is installed securely. We highly recommend that you schedule a battery replacement for your smoke detectors annually. In addition, manufacturers recommend replacing all your detectors after ten years.
Call TriStar Electric if you need further assistance with your smoke detectors!
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