OT-trouble with smoke alarms

sherry7899 · 05-16-17, 10:49 AM

I am sorry to ask this here, but maybe someone else has this going on. Starting a few months ago, our smoke alarms have gone off for no reason.It happened three nights. Of course, it happens between midnight to five am, which scares the crap out of us! We did have the fire department out, and they said to make sure the alarms are dust free and to install new batteries. My DH took care of any dust and replaced all the batteries. It hadn't happened for months, and then last night they went off around 10:30 pm for no reason.

Any ideas? The alarms are not old and the batteries in them are new.

I read reviews of the alarms on Amazon, and someone mentioned theirs can go off when the power grid in their area is changed over, which usually happens very early in the morning.

Thanks !
Sherry

bzar · 05-16-17, 11:00 AM

what you've checked so far were good ideas.

are yours the kind that you buy from Home Depot, or are they part of an alarm company device?

sherry7899 · 05-16-17, 11:02 AM

They are the kind you get from Home Depot etc.

Sherry

bzar · 05-16-17, 01:14 PM

sherry - read this 2 page post from another site, especially page 2:
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/c...t-night/page/2

edited to add:

the link mentioned moisture & dust as culprits. it also mentioned resetting the circuitry if the alarms are wired together as a possible fix. if your alarms are wired to an internet or phone line, check those as well in case they are heating up or if there is "noise" on that circuit causing the alarm to trip.

I would also google your particular brand to see if others have had the same problem or if there was a recall.

antbuko · 05-16-17, 01:21 PM

Mine goes off if I shower with the bathroom door open, from the steam.

Not as scary as the smoke alarm, but I keep my digital scale in the bedroom and once in awhile it lights up all by itself when the room is dark. Creepy. what sort of creature steps on my scale in the middle of the night?

samantha-kitty · 05-16-17, 06:08 PM

I once had one start beeping intermittently. It was in the bedroom and I wasn't cooking or showering (steam). As I took it down to try to turn it off and check it, a tiny spider crawled out.

bzar · 05-16-17, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samantha-kitty

As I took it down to try to turn it off and check it, a tiny spider crawled out.

we have an security alarm/fire alarm combo that is monitored by an alarm company. when ours was beeping, they told us to check for ants! (ours ended up being a low battery).

txhsmom · 05-16-17, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sherry7899

I am sorry to ask this here, but maybe someone else has this going on. Starting a few months ago, our smoke alarms have gone off for no reason.It happened three nights. Of course, it happens between midnight to five am, which scares the crap out of us! We did have the fire department out, and they said to make sure the alarms are dust free and to install new batteries. My DH took care of any dust and replaced all the batteries. It hadn't happened for months, and then last night they went off around 10:30 pm for no reason.

Any ideas? The alarms are not old and the batteries in them are new.

I read reviews of the alarms on Amazon, and someone mentioned theirs can go off when the power grid in their area is changed over, which usually happens very early in the morning.

Thanks !
Sherry

I think you are talking about more than just the typical annoying beeping that occurs when the battery is low, right? Yes, I've had this happen, just once, thankfully. Scared me to death - and the dog, oh my goodness, I thought she was going to die on the spot. DS slept through the entire thing, despite my screaming for him - he never knew a thing until I told him the next morning.

My first thought was to get the dog out of the house and into the backyard. By the time I got back in the house, the alarm had stopped, so I never figured out exactly which one went off. Something I read on the Internet suggested that vacuuming the alarms would help and I did that the next day - it's super dusty where I live, so maybe that was it.

Carol

Usia · 05-17-17, 05:15 AM

I had that happen on more than one occasion and always in the middle of the night. Always! I have 4 floors and ALL smoke detectors would go off at the same time. I changed them all, to no avail. Finally I was told that it may be dust and/or inevitable cat hair that may be causing it. I'll never know for sure.

toaster · 05-17-17, 08:40 PM

We had this happen to us about 6 months ago. DH did a lot of research and found that some of these newer smoke detectors don't have a life span longer than about 5-7 years...our house was built 5 years ago, so we were on the low end of that. Luckily, replacing the batteries has worked for us so far.

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05-16-17, 10:49 AM
sherry7899 Join Date: Jun 2003	OT-trouble with smoke alarms I am sorry to ask this here, but maybe someone else has this going on. Starting a few months ago, our smoke alarms have gone off for no reason.It happened three nights. Of course, it happens between midnight to five am, which scares the crap out of us! We did have the fire department out, and they said to make sure the alarms are dust free and to install new batteries. My DH took care of any dust and replaced all the batteries. It hadn't happened for months, and then last night they went off around 10:30 pm for no reason. Any ideas? The alarms are not old and the batteries in them are new. I read reviews of the alarms on Amazon, and someone mentioned theirs can go off when the power grid in their area is changed over, which usually happens very early in the morning. Thanks ! Sherry __________________ "Say you are tired and you will be. Believe you are strong and you are." (Sean O'Malley) The cat in my avatar is my sweetheart named Bonkers

05-16-17, 11:00 AM
bzar Exchange Moderator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: PalmTreeVille	what you've checked so far were good ideas. are yours the kind that you buy from Home Depot, or are they part of an alarm company device? __________________ ~jeannine Miyagi: Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important. [walks away, still making circular motions with hands] ~ Pat Morita, The Karate Kid, 1984 disclosure: in the years 2002-2004 i had a professional relationship with a distributor of fitness videos; see profile.

05-16-17, 11:02 AM
sherry7899 Join Date: Jun 2003	They are the kind you get from Home Depot etc. Sherry __________________ "Say you are tired and you will be. Believe you are strong and you are." (Sean O'Malley) The cat in my avatar is my sweetheart named Bonkers

05-16-17, 01:14 PM
bzar Exchange Moderator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: PalmTreeVille	sherry - read this 2 page post from another site, especially page 2: http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/c...t-night/page/2 edited to add: the link mentioned moisture & dust as culprits. it also mentioned resetting the circuitry if the alarms are wired together as a possible fix. if your alarms are wired to an internet or phone line, check those as well in case they are heating up or if there is "noise" on that circuit causing the alarm to trip. I would also google your particular brand to see if others have had the same problem or if there was a recall. __________________ ~jeannine Miyagi: Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important. [walks away, still making circular motions with hands] ~ Pat Morita, The Karate Kid, 1984 disclosure: in the years 2002-2004 i had a professional relationship with a distributor of fitness videos; see profile.

05-16-17, 01:21 PM
antbuko Join Date: Jun 2004	Mine goes off if I shower with the bathroom door open, from the steam. Not as scary as the smoke alarm, but I keep my digital scale in the bedroom and once in awhile it lights up all by itself when the room is dark. Creepy. what sort of creature steps on my scale in the middle of the night? __________________ Helen K

05-16-17, 06:08 PM
samantha-kitty Join Date: Aug 2013	I once had one start beeping intermittently. It was in the bedroom and I wasn't cooking or showering (steam). As I took it down to try to turn it off and check it, a tiny spider crawled out.

05-17-17, 05:15 AM
Usia VF Supporter Join Date: Feb 2008	I had that happen on more than one occasion and always in the middle of the night. Always! I have 4 floors and ALL smoke detectors would go off at the same time. I changed them all, to no avail. Finally I was told that it may be dust and/or inevitable cat hair that may be causing it. I'll never know for sure. __________________ Dana Avatar: Oliver!

05-17-17, 08:40 PM
toaster Exchange Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Western NY	We had this happen to us about 6 months ago. DH did a lot of research and found that some of these newer smoke detectors don't have a life span longer than about 5-7 years...our house was built 5 years ago, so we were on the low end of that. Luckily, replacing the batteries has worked for us so far. __________________ Beth aka Toaster (she/her) *Follow me @YogiBethC* YouTube\|Instagram\|Facebook And yes, I am Reviewer Dr. Beth on Amazon.