Replacing Smoke Detector Battery - Some Questions

PasturesNew

Smoke detector battery needs replacing and I had gone up a ladder to take it down, spotted the wires poking out of the ceiling and shoved it back quick

Now, I have a Firex Model I240 (looking at the leaflet and what's on the ceiling). First it tells me to turn off the electricity before I change the battery (oops). But then it talks of a "battery pocket".

Looks like: http://www.alertelectrical.com/uploads/prod/7_99_e.jpg

Now - I can see other detectors have a neat slider where the battery seems to slide in without people like me having to poke about inside. But, there's no sign of anything that slides on the unit itself, nor is there a diagram in the leaflet with an arrow pointing to any such thing.

I assume the "battery pocket" actually means a regular slot for a battery, inside the unit, so I have to remove the unit from the ceiling first....?

These are daft/dangerous installations really - to have people like me going up ladders alone and trying to see inside/know what to do!

It looks like I have to:
- turn the electricity off at that wall panel (had a look and one's labelled, house is quite new so it's probably correct)
- go up the ladder and pop the unit off the ceiling
- reach my shaking little fingers inside and try to wrestle the connector that separates the unit from the wires poking out of the ceiling
- change battery
- reconnect the unit to the ceiling wires with the little plastic socket
- twist it back round so it stays on the ceiling
- get off the ladder
- open the front door and reach gingerly inside the house to turn the electricity on again and hope there's no blinding flash/bang and explosion.

Is that right or am I way off?

StuC75

That's about it really, no difference to changing a lightbulb and that momentary wonder of if the switch is still on or off,, its quite safe assuming you don't reach for bare wires or stand in a bucket of water...

PasturesNew

StuC75 wrote: »

That's about it really, no difference to changing a lightbulb and that momentary wonder of if the switch is still on or off,, its quite safe assuming you don't reach for bare wires or stand in a bucket of water...

Cheers.

That doesn't stop [1] me being small, useless and scared [2] me being so anxious and petrified I generate a new job from this one by doing something wrong/daft, or just having a stupid clumsy accident (e.g. falling off the ladder as I'm shaking so much, or forget I'm on it when I step back to see if it looks like it's back in position).

WestonDave

If its anything like ours there is a cover that comes off, leaving a baseplate fixed to the ceiling. Within that is a little "dent" or pocket that the battery sits in - you just pull the 9v battery out, disconnect the poppers on the top, put the new one in and put it back in its little hole. Then you put the top back on the detector.

EssexExile

Looking at the photo, I'd guess you turn it in the direction marked, the body of the unit will come away from the mounting plate. You can then climb down the ladder & replace the battery at your leisure.

JohnB47

I wonder how you saw wires poking out of the ceiling, without actually unscrewing the unit from the ceiling. Surely the base of the unit would obscure the hole in the ceiling and the wires going through it?

Rodders53

Firex Model I240 aka F1 manual here: http://www.kiddefirex.co.uk/utcfs/Templates/Pages/Template-66/0,8070,pageId%3D65641%26siteId%3D5250,00.html

It will provide you with information on how to change the battery.

I had one of these and you can just see the mains wiring into the connector block when you remove the alarm from the base.

Check the expiry date on the alarm sensor itself - they need replacing, too from time to time, as well as the backup battery.

PasturesNew

WestonDave wrote: »

If its anything like ours there is a cover that comes off, leaving a baseplate fixed to the ceiling. Within that is a little "dent" or pocket that the battery sits in - you just pull the 9v battery out, disconnect the poppers on the top, put the new one in and put it back in its little hole. Then you put the top back on the detector.

It's being so close to wires, coming out of the ceiling, while I am up a ladder that's my main worry

PasturesNew

Rodders53 wrote: »

Firex Model I240 aka F1 manual here: http://www.kiddefirex.co.uk/utcfs/Templates/Pages/Template-66/0,8070,pageId%3D65641%26siteId%3D5250,00.html

It will provide you with information on how to change the battery.

I had one of these and you can just see the mains wiring into the connector block when you remove the alarm from the base.

Check the expiry date on the alarm sensor itself - they need replacing, too from time to time, as well as the backup battery.

I've got the paper manual in my hand, but it's a lot of writing about stuff I'm not interested in.... and beggar all about the battery/changing

When I twisted it round and it came away in my hand, I could immediately see a blue and red wire in the ceiling hole.....

Alarm sensor? Never heard of such a thing.

This modern living's not as easy as it looks is it!

I have strange electrical phobias.... had the house 7 months and not dared turn the cooker on yet Turned the extractor fan on once and cr4pped myself, that's not gone on since, nor (probably) will it.

PasturesNew

JohnB47 wrote: »

I wonder how you saw wires poking out of the ceiling, without actually unscrewing the unit from the ceiling. Surely the base of the unit would obscure the hole in the ceiling and the wires going through it?

No it didn't. I pressed in a little plastic bit round the edge, using a plastic pencil - and then the unit could unscrew - so I unscrewed it, expecting the whole to come away in my hand ..... but I saw the wires.