Have a smoke alarm in your home? Have you ever found it annoying when the smoke alarm beeping or chirping? If so, we will tell you how to prevent your smoke alarm from making chirping or beeping sounds and we will also guide how to prevent intermittent beeping or chirping in future.
Table of Contents
What Causes Intermittent Smoke Alarm Beeping or Chirping ?
If you understand what causes intermittent beeping or chirping in a smoke alarm, you will know how to prevent them. The most common reasons for smoke alarm beeping or chirping sounds are:
- Cigarette or burning air
- Dust or dirt on photo cell causing false alarms
- Faulty battery
- Overloaded system
- Loose connection or wire
- Bad photo cell
- Bad connections or corrosion
Below we will explain these reasons in details and tell you how to fix them!
How To Stop Smoke Alarm Beeping or Chirping?
There we go!
1. Cigarette or burning air:
Smoke alarm beeping no smoke? If smoke detector detects smoke but no flame is present, it sounds beep. This condition usually happens in case of burning cigarette. If you are near a fireplace and smoke detector detects smoke, it may sound beep due to burning air from fireplace chimney or stovepipe.
You may ask how smoke detector could detect burning air? When the heat is too high, some of the particles of the smoke that are not burned leave the room with the air, forming soot. It then absorbs infrared light and heats up. That is the reason why it can detect smoke even when there is no fire.
2. Dust or dirt on photo cell causing false alarms:
A photo cell may be exposed to dust or dirt which may cause false alarms. To prevent this, you should clean the photo cell every now and then.
Also Read: Best Smoke Detectors to Save Your Home From Danger
3. Faulty battery:
A smoke detector requires regular maintenance to keep it working efficiently. One of the most important maintenance tasks is to change the battery every three to five years. Failure to do so will shorten the life of the smoke detector and may even cause it to stop working.
Smoke detectors with replaceable batteries have a small metal tab on the backside which holds the battery in place. In some cases, a screwdriver is needed to remove the tab.
However, if the alarm is not responding to battery change or if it is responding very slowly, it may be due to corrosion or bad connections. In that case, you should check those things first before trying to change the battery.
4. Overloaded system:
In case of overloaded system, the alarm may be caused due to power surge. The smoke alarm may be caused to sound because of a short circuit due to overload. In such a situation, the smoke alarm system will switch from its normal condition to the alarm mode. If you hear a continuous chirping or beeping sound, it means the alarm system is in the alarm mode.
5. Loose connection or wire:
In case of loose connection or wire, the alarm may be caused due to arcing. This is where there is an electrical discharge between two or more points. Arc is harmless and it may occur between any two or more points. However, if it occurs in such a way that it bypasses the smoke detector, it will cause alarm. To prevent this, make sure the wires are snugly connected to the terminal strips.
6. Bad photo cell:
If photo cell is faulty, it may also cause false alarms. Check photo cell by holding the unit upright at a distance and shining a bright flashlight at the photo cell for few seconds. If the alarm sounds, the photo cell is bad. To fix this replace the photo cell with a new one.
7. Bad connections or corrosion:
If the connections or wires are corroded, it could cause false alarm. In case of corrosion, you should clean or replace them immediately.
On the whole, these are the most common reasons why smoke alarm chirps or beeps. But there may be other reasons also. You should check the manual and know all the reasons why your particular model of smoke detector may beep or chirp.
If none of these reasons resolves the problem, you may need to get your smoke detector checked by a professional.
Smoke Alarm Troubleshooting Tips
If you find your smoke alarm beeping or chirping frequently, here are some tips that may help you to stop them and prevent such noise again in future:
- Smoke Alarms Should Never Be Used in Bathrooms You should never place your smoke detectors near the bathroom.
- Inspect Your Smoke Detectors Inspect the outside of your home and look for signs of moisture, corrosion, or dirt. If you see any of these conditions, have your smoke detector inspected by a professional.
- Make Sure All Windows and Doors Are Closed Close all the windows and doors of your house and make sure all the curtains are closed. This will help reduce the amount of air entering your home and thus reducing the chances of a fire.
- If Possible, Use Only Battery Operated Devices It is always better to use battery operated devices rather than using the mains powered ones. Using battery operated devices will also reduce the possibility of having the problem of intermittent chirping or beeping caused due to power surge.
Final Word
In conclusion, it is important to keep your home well maintained. This will help you avoid many common problems. One of those problems is false alarms. False alarms not only annoys the people but also uses up a lot of your valuable time.
It is true that false alarms happen due to a number of reasons. But, by keeping your home well maintained, you can avoid a lot of them and hence, save a lot of time and energy. Now, we have given you all the causes of smoke alarm chirping or beeping sound.
However, there is one more thing you should know. Sometimes, the smoke alarm makes this sound even when there is no fire. This is because some homes are built with extremely thin walls.
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