Smoke detector going off for no reason???

[mark_wpduet]

Ok.....so I'm sitting here watching tv and the smoke detector in the living room goes off (not the same battery alarm change) but LOUD, as if there is a fire...Me and the two cats jumped out of our seats...It's NEVER done that before. I'm sort of paranoid. I don't smell smoke at all...It did it twice.....each time lasted about ten seconds. Could something be wrong? It's wired into the ceiling but has a battery backup and the batteries were changed about a month ago.

 

[sudsman]

Mark

Is it a Co alarm too. could be and you dont know it.

 

[pushtorelease]

when I used to be a dispatcher for ADT, the number one reason for that happening was that the detector needed vacuuming. Smoke detectors sense the particles in the air, so dust build up can easily set them off. Much worse if there's been drywall dust or sawdust etc. in the vicinity.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Dust...Hmmmm.....Ok.....But I'm ocd and there isn't much dust in here..I will try and vacuum them. Thanks!

 

[tomturbomatic]

One friend relied on the smoke detector instead of the minute timer to let her know it was time to turn off the stove and rescue, I mean serve, the food.

 

[supersurgilator]

How old is the alarm? It is suggested that they be replaced every 10 years or so just to maintain operating efficiency.

 

[spankomatic]

Carbon Monoxide alarm came to my mind also. Is it a combo Fire/Heat/Smoke/Carbon Monoxide alarm? Like Sudsman said you would not smell a thing but have a Carbon Monoxide leak. Power surge also came to mind. Sometimes small bugs and spider will set them off. Is the alarm monitored by an alarm company? You can always call the fire dept and have them check it out. They may have some insight since they respond to these all the time. They would rather respond now (non emergency) then when your house is up in flames!

Jim

 

[thomasortega]

Do you have any fluorescent light near the detector?

The electrical "noise"produced by this kind of lamp may cause a false alarm too.

But if it's a CO alarm too, I would be really careful. Maybe I would leave home immediatelly and buy a new alarm and place it in the same room.

Youcan also get the alarm from other room and put it in you living room. if it also goes off, then you have a real CO alarm and must do something.

Here I have smoke detectors connected to the building's system. 90% of the false alarms happen when there's somebody bacuming using old vaccum cleaners without disposable bags. (now everybody knows the fabric bags don't catch dust)

Never forget the alarm is there to save your life. If it goes off, never ignore it! if it needs replacement, never wait until next week.

Off topic, we all could use this incident as a reminder to check our alarms and fire extinguishers. Most people just remember the alarm exists when it starts to buzz due to low battery. they should be tested weeky! By the way, I tested my system more than 2 months ago... that's a shame!

I won't do it now because it's midnight here. But that will be the first thing to do in the morning.

 

[whirlcool]

Every now and then in our training center by the flight sims you'll see people cleaning the smoke detectors in the center. They do this because the rooms have gas extinguising systems and they don't want any false alarms setting off the gas. I asked one of the guys about this one time and he said that it's just good maintenance.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Steam and water-vapor mist can also trigger older alarms.
By law here, smoke alarms must be outide of bedrooms. Often the bathroom too shares the same little vestibule / hallway and steam from showers was a cause of false alarms.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Age, Dust, Dirt, Steam

are all contributing factors. There are some that are just overly sensitive. I had a First Alert with escape light in the hallway one time. That thing I swear would sound if the dog farted.

I went through it's over sensitive nature for a long time and one day I had had enough. A couple of good smacks with the broom handle and it's little reign of terror was over.

I replaced it with a nice quiet model that I could trust. The advice above is correct, as the detectors age the sensing material starts to decay they get more false alerts.

 

[whirlcool]

And a bit of advice!

Never place your smoke detector on the ceiling or wall adjacent to another wall. If you have it on the wall, make sure it is at least two feet down from the ceiling, and if is on the ceiling, center it in the area.

Why?

Because when a fire starts the smoke and flames first fill up the center of the space and the smoke "misses" the corners until the room is fully engulfed. If it is out of the corner area it will detect much faster.

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