CO2 alarms beeping

bouicca21

I bought my flat 10 years ago.  The previous owner had recently installed ceiling alarms in every room.  I assumed they were wired in because the diagram for the circuit breaker indicates a switch for alarms.

I am now getting a beeping noise from one (or perhaps more, it is difficult ot tell) of them. I think it is twice a minute. Does this mean there is a battery somewhere that needs changing?  Would that be a battery in each one?  Do I need an electrician to look at them? 

I'm not tall enought to see inside the wretched things (which have only ever gone off when I have burned the toast).

Ayr_Rage

Most of the alarms will be smoke detectors and possibly also a heat detector in the kitchen.

CO alarms are only required in areas where there are gas or other burning appliances.

If they are mains powered there will be a backup battery in each one, you'll have to look inside to see if that battery can actually be replaced by the householder.

TadleyBaggie

The actual detector in a smoke alarm has definite life span. It may warning this is approaching. 10 years seems about right. 

Rodders53

All smoke alarms have a finite lifetime.   Around 10 years (it's the smoke sensors that age).  There should be a date on a label on them (visible).  Along with make and model of alarm.

Mains smoke alarms do have battery backups - rechargeable or perhaps 10 year Lithium.  You'd have had to replace other battery types before now.

They will all need renewing very soon.  Many will be 'plug and play' if you can safely access them with the same brand of alarm.

I've had to replace the smoke alarms in this house when they had reached in excess of their 10 year life.

Nowadays (radioactive isotope) ionisation alarms are not usually available if you have that type.  https://www.safelincs.co.uk/replacement-smoke-and-heat-alarms/ may be helpful.

bouicca21

Thank you all.  You have no idea how reassuring it is to be able to tap into the collective knowledge.

I can’t tell what brand they are - deciphering the raised lettering is none too easy to do and seems to be a combination of safety instructions, how to test and a warning not to paint them.

I suspect it will take me an inordinate amount of time (and buying a step ladder) to fiddle around trying to work out how to find and change the batteries, so maybe I should just take the plunge and pay someone to do it for me.  It would be useful to know if I have to ask for the batteries to be replaced or the whole thing.

FreeBear

bouicca21 said: I suspect it will take me an inordinate amount of time (and buying a step ladder) to fiddle around trying to work out how to find and change the batteries, so maybe I should just take the plunge and pay someone to do it for me.  It would be useful to know if I have to ask for the batteries to be replaced or the whole thing.

Smoke and carbon monoxide (that is CO, not CO2) are relatively cheap (£10-20), so a small part of the overall cost of paying someone to do the job. CO alarms have a working life of 5-7 years, so yours is probably due for a change.

lr1277

In 2017 my smoke alarm was beeping so I opened it up and saw it was connected to the mains so I went no further. Got an electrician in to change the battery.
Earlier this year it started beeping again. This time got a different electrician. When speaking to him he suggested the alarm might have expired. I think he suggested it would need replacing.
He turned up, looked at the alarm and said it had expired before 2017! So he replaced it and this new one should be good till 2034.
Slightly annoyed the 1st electrician did not notice or mention the expiry date. Just saying electricians like all contractors vary in quality and attention to detail.
The first electrician was cheap; charged me a tenner to replace the battery.
The 2nd electrician charged me £150+ materials for doing this job and a few others in one visit. Expensive but worth it for peace of mind, at least that is what I tell myself.

bouicca21

The alarm in the kitchen is a slightly different design so I suppose it’s some kind of master.  Then there are another 6 alarms in other rooms.  Presumably they all have to be changed.  

Ayr_Rage

The kitchen alarm might be a heat or CO detector rather than a smoke detector.

You'll need to do some investigation as to what each one is.

FreeBear

Ayr_Rage said:

The kitchen alarm might be a heat or CO detector rather than a smoke detector.

You'll need to do some investigation as to what each one is.

Burn some toast. If it goes off, you know it is a smoke alarm.

bouicca21

This is what they look like.  Most are the flat type and the one with the protruding cage thingummy is in the kitchen.  Can’t see any writing/label on any of them  that identifies a manufacturer/model.  The kitchen one just warns that it won’t work in case of power cut without a back up power source.  And much as I refuse to admit to being old, getting up to look at the things feels decidedly dodgy, so I think it’s definitely get someone in, once I know what I need to tell them.