Mains Connected Fire Alarm

katie4

Morning,
We have lived in our home 6 years and we have a mains connected fire alarm, one right outside the kitchen (which is a pain as it is always going off when we cook!) the other is upstairs on our landing


well last night we were woken up 2am by the sound of our fire alarms going off, needless to say I almost had a heart attack with two little ones sleeping as well i was very panicked. hubby ran downstairs no fire no smoke nothing that could have possibly set the alarm off going on at all.


Anyway does anyone know why this may have happened but also does anyone know if the fire service or similar do checks of household fire alarms?

PasturesNew

They're a pain in the butt.... no objection to mains wired, but they do put them in inaccessible spaces, then you're wobbling up a ladder, trying to change a battery inside something that's got live wires attached.... if one's loose when you put it back you could set the whole house alight

Have you been cleaning the unit? It could be an accumulation of dust that made it go off. And/or a combination of a low battery + dust clogging it.

First step is probably to get up that wobbly ladder, replace the battery/ies and give the whole unit a thoroughly good dusting and blow out of air to make sure it's clean and clear. Not a job I'd ever fancy doing....

katie4

PasturesNew wrote: »

They're a pain in the butt.... no objection to mains wired, but they do put them in inaccessible spaces, then you're wobbling up a ladder, trying to change a battery inside something that's got live wires attached.... if one's loose when you put it back you could set the whole house alight

Have you been cleaning the unit? It could be an accumulation of dust that made it go off. And/or a combination of a low battery + dust clogging it.

First step is probably to get up that wobbly ladder, replace the battery/ies and give the whole unit a thoroughly good dusting and blow out of air to make sure it's clean and clear. Not a job I'd ever fancy doing....

No not been cleaning it i have tried to open it before but it doesn't appear to open or may just be very awkward to open

Browntoa

Most have a clip at the front you put a screwdriver in and then slide it backwards. Mains is meant to be turned off first.

Mains units do have a lifespan , normally a sticker on it with a "change the unit date "

Straight swap for an identical unit (almost all still available) with a fresh quality battery ( like a Duracell ) rather than a pound shop cheapie

TadleyBaggie

Are they Nest smoke alarms by any chance? If so they do have a "replace by" date.

Browntoa

https://youtu.be/7AQvjqhnHTE

katie4

TadleyBaggie wrote: »

Are they Nest smoke alarms by any chance? If so they do have a "replace by" date.

No they're not they are quite big and look quite old theyve been there since before we moved in. Just contact fire service but they're not qualified to touch mains connected fire alarms and advised i need to contact an electrician

Doozergirl

katie4 wrote: »

No they're not they are quite big and look quite old theyve been there since before we moved in. Just contact fire service but they're not qualified to touch mains connected fire alarms and advised i need to contact an electrician

Change them. Even the best ones have a 10 year life.

I keep recommending the Nest ones. They're expensive but really reassuring and won't behave badly like traditional ones. Have a look at the video on their website.

Risteard

Doozergirl wrote: »

Change them. Even the best ones have a 10 year life.

I keep recommending the Nest ones. They're expensive but really reassuring and won't behave badly like traditional ones. Have a look at the video on their website.

As always I will advise against Nest and promote Ei Electronics/Aico.

Nest's lack of a standalone heat detector prevents a compliant LD2 system from being installed as per BS 5839-6. This is something they need to urgently sort out.

In Ireland (on both sides of the border - but to I.S. 3218 in the south), and also Scotland to my knowledge, a Grade D1/D2 Category LD2 system is the minimum requirement.

sysadmin

Change the battery's in both of them. I know you've said they are mains powered but, I have 8 mains powered ones and they all have backup battery's

Fire_Fox

katie4 wrote: »

No not been cleaning it i have tried to open it before but it doesn't appear to open or may just be very awkward to open

Hardwired smoke alarms can be awkward to open. Ours need a twist action with a little press upwards. Whacking loads with a stick is satisfying though.

TBH I disabled mine for a while. Small flies can be attracted inside due to slight warmth and set them off. For dust try vacuuming from the outside/ underneath.

I also have Fire Angel brand stick-up smoke alarms (fitted by Fire Service as vulnerable/ disrepair) which do not go off at random, but EVEN MORE difficult to open :mad:







...... turns out they have a sealed-in battery with 10 year life. :rotfl: