smoke alarms

cagneyfan

Hi,

I've got two smoke alarms (upstairs/downstairs). Both electrical with battery back up.

The one upstairs started beeping so I changed the battery, but it still beeped so I changed it again but it still kept me awake!!!

Eventually I disabled it with the view the downstairs one is still on. But as soon as I did that the downstairs one started to beep and I changed that battery, but it still beeps. I can't put them on with the electrics only and the battery removed as they beep!

What can I do? I've now switched them both off at the mains as it was driving me mad. This is obviously dangerous. Are they knackered. I've hoovered them to remove dust etc.

lowbrim

I would guess the 2nd one is bleeping because they are wired in series ie both need to be active. On the one where you have changed the battery did you use a good quality one ie duracell? You cant normally get away with a cheap one on these. check the one you took out and make sure it is not a Lithium one which are even more expensive.

cagneyfan

lowbrim wrote: »

I would guess the 2nd one is bleeping because they are wired in series ie both need to be active. On the one where you have changed the battery did you use a good quality one ie duracell? You cant normally get away with a cheap one on these. check the one you took out and make sure it is not a Lithium one which are even more expensive.

Can't remember which I used, but they weren't particulary cheap.

Shall I change both batteries at the same time, and is there a particular 'type' to use? I was puzzled in the shop. didn't buy duracell as I thought they were really expensive!

baldelectrician

lowbrim wrote: »

I would guess the 2nd one is bleeping because they are wired in series ie both need to be active. On the one where you have changed the battery did you use a good quality one ie duracell? You cant normally get away with a cheap one on these. check the one you took out and make sure it is not a Lithium one which are even more expensive.

Domestic smoke detectors are wired in parallel, not series

andrew w beat me to suggesting Aico smoke detectors.


What make do you have?
How old are they?
If you fit new batteries to both do both have green mains indicators on them?

lowbrim

baldelectrician wrote: »

Domestic smoke detectors are wired in parallel, not series

andrew w beat me to suggesting Aico smoke detectors.


What make do you have?
How old are they?
If you fit new batteries to both do both have green mains indicators on them?

Yes, sorry parallel a "senior moment". But I would check the battery you took out and replace with an equivalent. Yes Duracell are expensive but as the advert says they last a lot longer than the cheap ones and you may need lithium ones as I said earlier.